About the film
Dancing with Thoreau
is an upcoming feature film about our connection with nature, and
specifically the benefits of a connection with nature. The film will
explore how and why we, as a Western society, can and should reconnect
with our environment.
How does a connection with our
natural environment strengthen our spiritual, physical, creative,
economic, and intellectual pursuits? How can the cultivation of a
spiritual outlook and practice support a healthy and balanced natural
environment?
Dancing with Thoreau will weave Chris's film footage and
photography from dynamic natural environments across the country
together with commentary from leading edge teachers, naturalists,
farmers, scientists, spiritual leaders, and representatives of major
religions as we explore these questions.
Climate scientists tell us we might be heading toward irreversible
climate change, and so many of us do our best to “go green.” Through
this film, we will define a different kind of environmental activism,
one where we are “optimized through our encounters with nature” and our
lives become more compassionate, successful, balanced and interesting
as a result.
Some of the key subjects in the film are:
Perception and awareness.
The effects of nature on our mind and well being.
Laws of nature. (For example: sustainability and balance are not simply concepts, but actual laws that govern our existence.)
How color, sound, touch, and smell affect us.
Techniques to develop a deeper connection with nature.
Religious leaders who are embracing nature and its effect on our spirituality.
Gardening and agriculture as a way to reconnect with nature.
The importance of children spending time in nature.
From the filmmaker: “I’ve been helping people to connect with nature for
over thirty years. This work is one of the main reasons I became a
farmer, since the care of the soil and the raising of vegetables is one
of the easiest pathways I’ve found by which we can all come into a
closer connection to this beautiful world in which we live. Dancing With
Thoreau is the culmination of my life's work thus far.”
Why I need your help:
While most feature documentaries need budgets of $100,000 or more, I am
mostly self-funding this project because of the positive effects I’ve
seen in people that have developed a stronger connection with nature and
subsequently the importance of strengthening our society’s connection
with nature. In the past, all of my projects have been self-funded,
mostly through a farming income, a lot of creativity, and simple living.
My first two film projects were very successful. Garden Insects showed
on PBS nationally for three years and Frost Flowers has shown for two
years on PBS and is still being broadcast. PBS estimated that Garden
Insects was viewed by about 2.5 million viewers.
I am raising $20,000 for overall funding for the film. Your contribution
will be put toward travel to conduct the remaining interviews,
post-production costs, stock footage for clips I could not possibly
film, film festivals, and promotion. I have never really asked for
monetary assistance before, but I cannot continue to support this work
simply on my farm income.
This is why I’m asking for your help.
Who will appear in the film?
His Holiness The Dalai Lama
Jon Young (Author of What the Robin Knows, Coyote’s Guide to Connecting with Nature, and founder of the Wilderness Awareness School.)
David Suzuki (Author, activist and host of Canadian public television’s The Nature of Things.)
Stephan Schwartz (Senior Samueli Fellow for Brain, Mind, and
Healing of the Samueli Institute, and a research associate of the
Cognitive Sciences Laboratory of the Laboratories for Fundamental
Research and a columnist for the journal Explore.)
Gunther Hauk (Author, and biodynamic beekeeper who appeared in the documentary Queen of the Sun.)
April Blair & Matthew Bibeau (Founders and teachers of Mother Earth School, a Waldorf-inspired all-outdoor preschool and kindergarten in Portland, Oregon.)
Denis Hayes (National coordinator of the first Earth Day when he was 25, one of Time magazine’s
“Heroes of the Planet,” and president of the Bullitt Foundation,
founders of the Bullitt Center—the world’s greenest commercial
building.)
Sister Adrian Hoftstetter, OP (Dominican Sister of Peace and author of Earth-Friendly: Re-Visioning Science and Spirituality through Aristotle, Thomas Acquinas, and Rudolf Steiner.)
Jeffrey Cramer (Notable Thoreau scholar and author of many books, including, The Portable Thoreau, Viking/Penguin, 2012.)
Richard Ryan, PhD
(Professor of psychology, psychiatry, and education, University of
Rochester. Lead author of “Vitalizing effects of being outdoors and in
nature,” Journal of Environmental Psychology.)
Elizabeth K. Nisbet, PhD
(Psychology Department, Trent University, Ontario. Researcher on
individual differences in subjective connectedness with nature--nature
relatedness--and the links with health, well-being/happiness, and
environmentally sustainable behavior.)
So, how does nature connection benefit us in our everyday lives?
Here is some of what the film will explore:
Most of us look at our relationship with nature simply in terms of
environmental issues. But our connection (or disconnection) with the
natural world goes far beyond a material relationship.
Someone once said that “insanity is doing the same thing over and over
again and expecting different results.” Gaining a new and different
point of view is where a nature connection can really benefit us.
Concerns we face in society revolve largely around money, time,
scheduling, reputation, and fulfilling a myriad of material desires,
whereas what matters in nature is balance, living life in the moment,
understanding one’s place in the surrounding environment, and finding
satisfaction and fulfillment with what already exists.
April Blair of the Mother Earth School in Portland explains how, when a
child climbs a tree, there is nothing uniform in the tree. Branches are
at different angels, strength, and distances, so a child's brain-body
connection has to deal with this in a much more creative way than when
he or she is on a playground, where the jungle gym is uniform and of
consistent strengths. Nature connection triggers a different creative
process, which is why so many of the great thinkers spent time in nature
for inspiration.
By increasing our relationship with nature, we double our ability to
problem solve. We already have access to the knowledge and wisdom that
our society has to offer, and as we increase our connection with our
natural environment, we add to that the vast amount of knowledge and
wisdom available in nature.
The scientific community is discovering that spending time in nature
reduces stress and aggression, improves self esteem and creativity, and
strengthens community.
Nature transcends religion and politics—nature is nondenominational and
has no ties to a political affiliation. As Jon Young stated when he was
interviewed for the film, “It’s purely a matter of ergonomics, this body
was meant for it, a connection with nature optimizes us.”
About the filmmaker:
Chris Korrow is a farmer, naturalist, photographer, filmmaker, and author. His film
Garden Insects won three film festival awards and premiered nationwide on
PBS.
Frost Flowers has aired on
PBS Kentucky for several years. Most recently, he has collaborated on a series of short films on food and local economy for the
Whidbey Institute’s Thriving Communities effort, a series of conferences on community resiliency.
He has a new children’s book called
The Organic Bug Book (SteinerBooks 2013), and is based on his award-winning film,
Garden Insects. He is the author of
The 30 Square-Foot Garden,
A Guide for Observing Nature and
Awakening to Nature.
For over 20 years, Chris and his family lived on a rural Kentucky farm
in a solar-powered home and ran an organic/biodynamic vegetable
business. They lived a sustainable lifestyle, growing most of their own
food, with no phone, no electricity, and no hot running water. They are
now based on Whidbey Island, Washington, living right in town. He grows
vegetables on a one-third acre market garden inside the city limits of
Langley, within walking distance of home, and the produce is for sale
through an honor system farm stand.
Chris and his wife Christy have embarked on a new project to create an
affordable, green, co-housing neighborhood on 10 acres of woods and
meadow in their hometown of Langley.
He explores the intersections between nature, agriculture, community,
and spirituality through his media company, Breathe Deep Productions.
THANK YOU
To find out more about his work, visit www.breathedeepproductions.com.
View additional film trailers and clips of Chris's work at his YouTube Channel, here.
