"Unearth" follows local Alaskans as they contend with a proposed copper mine in Bristol Bay. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Hunter Nolan. 1 hour, 23 minutes.
Set against the urgent demand for metals and minerals to fight climate change, commercial salmon fishermen and Indigenous tribal council members face the threat of North America’s largest-ever copper mine in their beloved homeland of Bristol Bay, Alaska, uncovering a critical industry's systematic recklessness while upholding the power of community activism.
"Unearth" follows local Alaskans, brothers Aube and Dune Strickland and sisters Christina and AlexAnna Salmon as they contend with the politics, power players, and physical realities of a proposed copper mine in their homeland of Bristol Bay, revealing a massive and destructive industry that we are all unknowingly part of.
Fishermen Aube and Dune spend summers on tier boats alongside other commercial vessels, sustainably harvesting half the world's supply of wild caught Sockeye Salmon within a pristinely intact ecosystem. The Salmon sisters are native Alaskans whose people have been successfully stewarding the fishery for over 10,000 years. Representatives of the proposed mine - Pebbel - try to woo the locals with envelopes of cash and big promises, insisting that fishing and mining can co-exist. As the Strickland brothers and Salmon sisters dig into the facts, they discover a web of lies and backdoor deals that work against the interests of the local community and dismiss all reputable science. In order to understand the implications of mining in their backyard, the brothers swap their fishing boat for a camper van, touring mining sites across the American West and talking with folks living in the shadow of former and current mines.
John “Hunter” Nolan — Director, Producer, Director of Photography
Nolan is an award-winning documentary film cinematographer and director specializing in impact filmmaking. As a cinematographer, he is best known for his work on "Tehachapi" (2023), "Paper & Glue" (2021), "The Game Changers" (2019), "And We Go Green" (2019), "The Human Element" (2018), "Sky Ladder" (2016), "Before the Flood" (2016), and "Racing Extinction" (2015). "Unearth" marks his feature directorial debut. Active as a filmmaker in addressing environmental conservation, endangered species protections, and humanitarian systems, Nolan sees film as a powerful catalyst for raising awareness and driving progress.
Part of the Princeton Environmental Film Festival. See full schedule of events at peff.eventive.org.
Presented in partnership with the Princeton Garden Theatre.
