The documentary film "Red Gold" made its Ketchum debut last year at the Silver Creek Outfitters Fly-Fishing Film Festival. It returns Wednesday for the Sun Valley Center for the Arts' multidisciplinary exhibition "Prospects: An Exploration of Mining." The film's subject matter is as varied as the many reasons it continues to garner interest.
The present-day controversy of Bristol Bay, Alaska's Pebble Mine covers an enormous range of subjects involving native people, an essential sockeye salmon run and the opportunity for billions of dollars in the mining prospects of precious minerals.
"Red Gold" is a beautiful and poignant look at what is happening in Alaska. The past presidential election, which brought the state's former governor into the spotlight, also gave some media attention to the issues that surround Bristol Bay.
The Pebble Mine project has been estimated to be one of the world's most profitable resources of precious minerals. If given the green light, Pebble Mine would be one of the largest open pit mines on the planet for extracting copper, gold and molybdenum.
However, the region is also home to the state's largest sustainable commercial sockeye salmon fishery. The area has a world-renowned reputation as one of the most attractive areas for sport salmon and trout fishing.
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The film's ability to cross over into several areas of public interest reveals the extensive reach of the Pebble Mine controversy. In conjunction with The Center's current exhibition, "Red Gold" is an excellent portrait of mining and the domino effect it has on a region and its people. However, the film does not point fingers at any one person or business, but instead allows all interested parties to state their case on why the Pebble Mine is good or bad.
Shot in Alaska, the footage reveals the beauty of the land and the resourcefulness of a people who have made the nation's last frontier their home. The film shows people who are committed to keeping the state's resources productive while not destroying them.
Colorado filmmakers Ben Wright and Travis Rummel teamed up with Lauren Oakes of Trout Unlimited Alaska to make a different kind of environmental documentary—one that gives all sides a chance to be seen and heard. The film has won numerous awards, including the Director's Choice and Audience Choice awards at the Telluride Mountain Film Festival, and it is being adapted for a "Frontline" special on PBS.
"Red Gold" will have a free screening at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at The Center in Ketchum.
Sabina Dana Plasse: splasse@mtexpress.com
The documentary film “Red Gold” reveals how the sockeye salmon in Bristol Bay, Alaska, could be at risk due to the proposed Pebble Mine project, which would be one of the world’s largest open pit mines. Photo by
