ACTIVISM IN THE WEST Shorts Block
19 mins | 2023
Colin Arisman and
Oliver Sutro
School of Fish
Indigenous people and salmon have been intertwined for thousands of years in Bristol Bay, Alaska. School of Fish tells the story of the real connection between salmon runs and indigenous communities and whether the next generation can save this place.
About
Indigenous people and salmon have been intertwined for thousands of years in Bristol Bay, Alaska. The knowledge of harvesting, preserving and sharing fish is as important here as any lesson in a book. Today, kids must not only learn from their elders how to fish, but also how to fight. For the last century, corporations have sought to extract the wealth of this rich region. Now Pebble Mine threatens to pollute the pristine headwaters of Bristol Bay. School of Fish offers an intimate portrait inside one family's seasonal salmon rituals and their connection to the Bristol Bay Guide Academy, where local youth are empowered through fly fishing to serve as guides and conservationists. Can the next generation step up to defend the most prolific salmon run left on earth?
FILMMAKER BIO
Colin Arisman
Oliver Sutro
Colin Arisman is a non-fiction filmmaker whose storytelling focuses on human connections to the natural world. His work as a director has been praised by Short of the Week as “something of a marvel… worthy of study by documentary filmmakers outside of the nature genre.” Arisman’s films have been acclaimed by Outside magazine and nominated for numerous Vimeo Staff Picks and Vimeo’s “Best of the Year” Award. His award-winning films include Chasing Wild and Brotherhood of Skiing (Mountainfilm 2019), which have screened at festivals in the U.S. and beyond.
Oliver Sutro is a director, cinematographer, and photographer based in Carbondale, Colorado. He works outside in natural light, crafting short stories and shooting commercial photography for outdoor brands such as Orvis and Yeti. Telluride locals will recognize some of the most loved spots around in his piece San Juan Stories: The Place (Mountainfilm 2018). In his spare time, he makes comedic films about nothing of much importance and writes his own biography sections, desperately hoping he doesn’t sound too vain, but also hoping he doesn’t sound unimportant.
CREDITS
Directors
Colin Arisman & Oliver Sutro
Funders
Presented by Orvis with support from Trout Unlimited
Starring
Triston Chaney, Robin Samuelsen, Robyn Chaney & Cameron Andrew
Cinematography
Oliver Sutro, Colin Arisman & Matteo Moretti
Wildlife footage
Jason Ching
Editor
Oliver Sutro
Additional editing
Elsa Sebastian, Colin Arisman & Matteo Moretti
Original score
Aled Roberts
Post audio
Ridgeline Sound
Colorist
Brian De Herrera-Schenring
Produced in association with Wild Confluence Media
AWARDS & FESTIVAL SELECTIONS
Banff Mountain Film Festival (Award Winner - Best Short)
5 Point Film Festival (Award Winner - People’s Choice)
Short of the Week
DOC NYC
Telluride MountainFilm
HollyShorts Festival
Topanga Film Festival (Award Winner - Best Environmental Short)
Kendal Mountain Film Festival
Chagrin Documentary Film Festival