Patagonia’s Artifishal Film & Director Coming to Humboldt
Patagonia seeks a tangible stake in battling the extinction of wild salmon in new documentary
Patagonia’s new documentary, Artifishal, by San Francisco’s Liars & Thieves, will have it’s Humboldt County premier at Ocean Night on Thursday, June 6th.
The 83-minute documentary film traces the impact of fish hatcheries and the extraordinary amount of public money misused on an industry that hinders wild fish recovery, pollutes rivers and contributes to the problem it claims to solve. Artifishal also dives beneath the surface of the open-water fish farm controversy, as citizens work to stop the damage done to public waters and our remaining wild salmon.
“Humans have always thought of themselves as superior to nature and it’s got us into a lot of trouble. We think we can control nature; we can’t,” notes Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia founder. “Fish farms and open net pens only treat the symptoms and not the causes of the problem. If we value wild salmon, we need to do something now. A life without wild nature and a life without these great, iconic species is an impoverished life. If we lose all wild species, we’re going to lose ourselves.”
Patagonia looked to Liars & Thieves’ Co-Founder, Josh “Bones” Murphy, to direct the film. Murphy’s unique background as an award-winning outdoor and action sports filmmaker with extensive experience in underwater footage, along with the Master’s Degree in Fisheries Biology he earned from Humboldt State University, made him a patent selection in telling this complicated narrative on screen.
“Our goal in making this film is to examine the high cost— ecological, financial and cultural — of the mistaken belief that engineered solutions can make up for habitat destruction,” said Murphy. “The film embodies environmental advocacy and filmmaking at a crucial time to save this species from extinction,” he added.
The release of the film is accompanied by a petition to circumvent a misguided recommendation to “feed the orcas” 60 million more hatchery salmon per year. The proposed budget requests up to $87 million dollars to fund this plan for 10 years. This plan nearly ensures continued gridlock instead of a tangible effort to find solutions for salmon and people.
Murphy, as well as local experts that were featured in the film (Dave Hillemeier, Amy Cordalis, and Keith Parker), will participate in a Q&A to share the story behind the documentary after the screening at Arcata Theatre Lounge.
Patagonia “Artifishal” Trailer - https://youtu.be/I-MMlQ5AIzQ
Film site: patagonia.com/artifishal
CREDITS:
Studio: Patagonia Films
Production Company: Liars & Thieves!
Director: Josh Murphy
Produced by: Laura Wagner, Josh Murphy, Dylan Tomine, Sarah Makarewicz Executive Producers: Yvon Chouinard, Alex Lowther, Monika McClure Josh Nielsen
Written by: Collin Kriner & Josh Murphy
Editor: Collin Kriner
Directors of Photography: August Thurmer, Devin Whetstone
Music: William Ryan Fricht
Motion Graphics: Brady Baltezore
Animation: Igor + Valentine
Color: Sean Wells
Sound Design & Mix: Skywalker Sound
About Liars & Thieves!
San Francisco-based Production and Editorial company, Liars & Thieves!, was founded by Josh “Bones” Murphy and Collin Kriner and focuses on creative collaboration with trustworthy brands. Clients include Patagonia, Hiball Energy Drinks, GoPro, Avaya and Zuckerberg General. For more information, go to http://liarsandthieves.tv/
