This year the rivers will be the stars because the movement for the dam removal in the US – where there are more than 80.000 dams, 26.000 of them labeled as hazars, and only 2.540 produce energy – represents an important inspiration for every country wanting to preserve its natural life and value.

The documentary

The project saw the light after Matt Stoecker, who has dedicated his life to restoring free-flowing rivers, and Yvon Chouinard, the Patagonia founder, join forces. With directors Ben Knight and Travis Rummen, in the summer of 2011, they hit the road in a borrowed camper van with nothing more than a laundry list of dams and a quiver of cameras.

The film is constructed with voices far from the lobbied halls of our capitols and closer to the heart of a river and with tons of archive images that helps to understand the scale of the problem. DamNation’s majestic cinematography and unexpected discoveries move through rivers and landscapes altered by dams, but also through a metamorphosis in values, from conquest of the natural world to knowing ourselves as part of nature.

Synopsis

This powerful film odyssey across America explores the sea change in our national attitude from pride in big dams as engineering wonders to the growing awareness that our own future is bound to the life and health of our rivers. Dam removal has moved beyond the fictional Monkey Wrench Gang to go mainstream. Where obsolete dams come down, rivers bound back to life, giving salmon and other wild fish the right of return to primeval spawning grounds, after decades without access. 

An effective way to restore entire watershed ecosystems

Removing dams has proven to be an effective way to restore entire watershed ecosystems, revive wild and sustainable fisheries and associated jobs, restore coastal beaches and wetlands, improve water quality, and improve the lives of adjacent communities and native cultures. 2011 was the year of the largest dam removal projects in U.S. history and perhaps the world were underway; two massive projects were happening in Washington State, and two more were to follow in Maine.

Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia founder, defends that “Patagonia supports a transition toward lower-impact energy and water sources that, combined with conservation and increased efficiencies, cause less harm to ecosystems, communities and cultures”, that why the company have been supporting dam removal campaings for years.

We are very lucky to have Damnation at San Sebastian and in the perfect venue! the Aquarium, with its inmense fish tank behind the screen.

Entrance is free so please move fast!

DAMNATION, EUROPEAN PREMIERE
Dir. Ben Knight, Travis Rummel. US. 2014
Introduced by Chris Evans
Clean Waves sesion. Aquarium San Sebastián.
2014.06.05 / 20.30h. (free entrance)