Locally-produced "Mysteries Of The Driftless" to be shown at Oneota Film Festival Saturday

"Mysteries of the Driftless", a locally-produced documentary film funded in part by the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, is scheduled to be shown in Decorah Saturday, March 1 at 12:30 p.m. as part of the Oneota Film Festival. The screening will be followed by a question and answer with the co-executive producers Tim Jacobson and George Howe. Visit www.oneotafilmfestival.com.
The documentary film, a production of Untamed Science and Mississippi Valley Conservancy, features a team of explorers and scientists as they reveal the majesty and allure of the Driftless Area using a stunning combination of filmmaking and genuine adventure. Portions of the film were shot in northeast Iowa, with the rest of the footage gathered in neighboring areas of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
What strange forces spared one isolated region along the Upper Mississippi River from the repeated crushing and scouring effects of massive continental glaciers during the last 1.6 million years? What pre-Ice Age throwbacks survived here in this unique refuge that holds more Native American effigy mounds, petroglyph caves, strange geological features, and rare species than anywhere in the Midwest? A team of science filmmakers explores these questions and more in this captivating new adventure documentary about the Driftless Zone.
The documentary was directed by two award-winning filmmaking scientists: biologist Rob Nelson and geologist Dan Bertalan. Tim Jacobson and George Howe conceived of the idea for the project, identified the shooting locations, and served as the executive producers. Jacobson led the fundraising to cover production costs, while Howe was on camera leading the exploration of the Driftless landscape. Jacobson continues to manage marketing and distribution of the film.
Others starring in the film include archaeologist James Theler, Ph.D., author/archaeologist Robert Boszhardt, the late University of Wisconsin geography professor Jim Knox, Department of Natural Resources ecologists Armund Bartz and Darcy Kind, Tim Yager of the United States Fish & Wildlife Service, and Abbie Church of Mississippi Valley Conservancy.
Tim Jacobson, executive producer, said, “I’m thrilled to have this film to showcase the amazing natural and archaeological treasures and mysteries surrounding us in the Driftless Region of the Upper Mississippi. Audiences around the region have been blown away by what they see.”
George Howe, a biologist and environmental educator, expressed enthusiasm about the effectiveness of the film as a teaching tool. “Even long-time residents of the area can learn a tremendous amount from this short film, and they can have a lot of fun at the same time! Learning should be fun,” Howe continued. “We made this a true adventure of exploration for the viewer, and we injected plenty of humor. I’m proud of this film and very interested in exploring ways that we can use it to draw people toward deeper ecological knowledge and caring for the environment.”
Rob Nelson, CEO of Untamed Science said, “I've lived in a lot of pretty places - Hawaii, Miami, Australia, Montana, Colorado - places people go to for beautiful scenery. In those places you have certain expectations. The great thing about the Driftless is that it catches you by surprise. People don’t usually go to northern Iowa for amazing scenery. I think that makes floating down a river like the Kickapoo that much better - you think, ‘Boy, I just found a hidden treasure.’”
Filmmaker Dan Bertalan said, “If there's one thing that impacted me the most in making of this film, it’s the sheer amount of natural wonders the Driftless has to discover that lay hidden with the region. It's just a matter of knowing where to look and what to look for. In fact, it’s almost embarrassing as a filmmaking scientist living in Wisconsin that I've traveled the Driftless Area for years, just skimming over the veneer, never realizing all the genuine natural and historical mysteries that lay hidden within the ridges and valleys there. And each natural mystery that we tried to unravel during the expedition only generated more questions about what happened here over the past couple million years. This film will definitely open people's eyes with some startling revelations.”
Joe McGovern, president of Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, is pleased with his organization’s financial support for the film. “To be able to draw attention to rare features and beautiful areas of the Iowa landscape through a documentary is tremendously valuable,” McGovern said. “It’s great for our citizens to learn about these special places and to cherish and protect them. It’s another way we can promote Aldo Leopold’s land ethic.”
The film has aired on PBS, and additional broadcasts are planned. The film already has been screened at the Flyway Film Festival, Driftless Film Festival and Frozen River Film Festival. Also, DVDs can be purchased from Mississippi Valley Conservancy.
In addition to the lead production and science roles of Mississippi Valley Conservancy and Untamed Science, a number of other organizations and businesses are supporting this effort, including Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, the La Crosse Community Foundation, the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, Coulee Region Trout Unlimited, The Prairie Enthusiasts, Riverland Conservancy, Wenonah Canoe, Radisson Hotel La Crosse, the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership, and NewGround, Inc. Distribution, and marketing of the documentary is being coordinated by Visjonær Consulting & Communications, LLC.
More information about the documentary can be found at www.untamedscience.com/mysteries-driftless-zone.