Facing the Storm Premieres at Kansas Film Festival

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Wed, 09/29/2010 - 20:00 -- Nick Dager

The world premiere of Facing the Storm: the Story of the American Bison will be held at the Kansas International Film Festival on October 2. The film is an ITVS/Montana PBS co-production. Facing the Storm is the account of our tempestuous relationship with the iconic symbol of wild America.  It explores the visionary quest to protect and restore bison and details the inextricable relationship of the Plains Indians with the animal. The film also recounts the harrowing near destruction of the species in the late nineteenth century – from an estimated 30 million bison to a mere 23 animals by 1885. It graphically exposes the annual slaughter of bison outside of Yellowstone National Park where the largest genetically pure herd remains in semi-captivity. Finally the film explores the epic vision and monumental obstacles to restore bison to immense tracts of the Great Plains. This involves a dramatic transformation of how we understand the Great Plains - from a utilitarian world view to a fully-functional ecosystem that combines a lost culture with modern ecological science and contemporary economies and includes the full range of original species that have been largely vanquished from the region.    High Plains Films www.highplainsfilms.org