2017 | Colombia, USA | NR | 86 min.
This isn’t another sad doc about mankind’s wanton destruction of an endangered species. Rather, it’s an exploration of the good and bad of modern media activism, told through the story of the Amazon pink river dolphin. And it’s provocative to the extreme, refusing to back away from the painful, knotty mess that arises from media crusades, and their use of unforgettable images with the power to inspire and transform. Richard Rasmussen, the well-known host of a popular NatGeo wildlife show, understands this well. He’s the Steve Irwin of Brazil, using in-the-wild confrontations with deadly creatures to call attention to conservation efforts. When Rasmussen determines to do something about the assault on dolphins in Brazil and Colombia, where they are chopped up as prime bait for the lucrative piracatinga scavenger fish, he convinces a group of villagers to take him, and a film crew, along on a hunting trip. After the horrific footage airs on a popular Sunday night TV program, it leads to a temporary ban on piracatinga fishing, but the fishermen accuse Rasmussen of sabotaging their livelihoods and safety. Mark Grieco offers no easy answers in this fascinating doc about saving the planet.
PRE-SHOW MUSIC BY
Angela Josephine (Thu)
Doug Z (Fri)
SPONSORED BY
Linda & Fred Rachwitz (Thu)
Corporate Settlement Solutions (Fri)