Film maker Hunter Weeks adds another inspiring chapter to americana lore by documenting the people and their passions of the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Lower 48 with his latest film Where the Yellowstone Goes. The beautiful imagery, poignant music, heart warming stories and tongue-in-cheek humor evoked ooh’s, ah’s, laughter and applause from the nearly packed Boulder Theater where the film made its Colorado Premiere on Thursday night.
Weeks and his crew floated down the Yellowstone for 30 days. They stopped in the small and large towns alike to interview the people who live along the river. Their stories tell the tale of a love for the water that flows through their backyard. Many of them reached back a generation or two showing the longevity and commitment to the wellbeing of their community, Montana and the Yellowstone itself.
Naturally, a conservation and ecological theme weaves through the film. Fishing and ranching are two of the main industry topics. The 2011 ExxonMobil oil spill and shore side natural gas development are discussed and mostly lamented over as our river goers float by evidence of each. Often the question is asked “What are we doing to our world?”.
Soundtrack musicians Shel and Jacob Russo opened the evening sharing their inspiration for the songs that were used in the film. Weeks and a number of his crew provided a Q & A session afterwards. One of the questions asked how the idea to make a film like this even comes about. Weeks answered it was just a matter of being out in the back county with some friends when the idea of floating the full length of the Yellowstone came up. Once home and still thinking of that, Weeks did some research and started to see a story develop that needed to be told. He admitted to there being some difficult times, as there often is in film making, especially documentaries, but the team persisted and the trip was made. This is not an uncommon theme for Weeks. His first film, 10 MPH, came from an off the wall comment by a friend saying “What if someone were to ride a Segway Scooter across the United States?”.
Film website with future showings and more: https://www.wheretheyellowstonegoes.com/
