Gorton Center and Lake Forest Open Lands present… Indomitable Spirit Medley!

Social impact and exciting stories that include hiking, climbing, running, all in one program! This collection of short films tells stories of those who did not give up, back down, or let their challenges define them. Come enjoy an eclectic film program right here in our John and Nancy Hughes Theater!

Indomitable Spirit Medley films: 

The Last Observers

Lennart Karlsson and Karin Persson have recorded weather measurements every three hours — temperature, air pressure, wind, wave height and cloud types — at a lighthouse on the southwestern coast of Sweden for 36 years. The dedicated couple have amassed over 100,000 observations and seen rapid changes in recent years as migratory birds arrive earlier in the spring, and heavy rains and drought become more frequent. Theirs is the last remaining manual weather station in the country and it too will soon become automated. In The Last Observers, the pair reflect on their simple yet joyful life where they find true happiness through symbiosis with nature.
Sweden/ Duration: 24 min
Directed by: Maja Karlsson

Never  too Old

At one time Libby James held more running records than Flo-Jo and Usain Bolt combined, yet most likely you have never heard of her. She is considered the grandmother of women’s competitive running despite not having started running until she was 35. Currently, she holds six American records and in 2012 was the highest point-graded runner in the world. Libby is proof that you can be almost famous — and still happily lead a fulfilling life.

USA/ Duration: 5 min
Directed by: Patty Jen Arndt & Stash Wislocki

Ascend  

USA/ Duration: 20 min
Directed by: Kathryn Francis, Campbell Brewer

Near the River

In the tourist town of Livingstone, Zambia, a group of local men who make their living portering kayaks aspire to become safety kayakers on the Zambezi River. However, the proposed Batoka Gorge Hydroelectric Scheme threatens to flood the famous rapids of the Zambezi and eliminate river-related jobs.

USA/ Duration: 11 min
Directed by: Darby A. McAdams

Wild Hogs and Saffron

Iranian-American filmmaker Andy Sarjahani and his unlikely childhood friend Bubba Samuels go on a wild hog hunt in their native Ozarks where unexpected conversations unfold that have a lasting impact on their friendship. Growing up, Sarjahani rejected his father’s Iranian culture to fit in. Now, by sharing that culture, he uses connection to dismantle hateful stereotypes about the people of both Iran and Arkansas.

To Scale: Time

On a dry lakebed in California, a group of friends attempt to build a scale model of time: a true illustration of cosmic evolution and our place within it. Over miles, they lay out tiny lights representing important moments in the history of the universe: the Big Bang, the meteor that killed the dinosaurs and the beginning of human civilization. The result is time represented by distance and the recognition that although we are alive for the briefest moment — in this demonstration, the width of a hair — our lives are a gift from the universe that we must spend wisely.

USA/ Duration: 10 min
Directed by: Alex Gorosh

Planetwalker

In 1971, John Francis (Mountainfilm 2008) witnessed an oil tanker collision in the San Francisco Bay. The sight of oiled birds on the shoreline caused him to give up motorized transport and speaking, convinced that listening was the way forward. He spent the next 17 silent years earning the name Planetwalker. Over the many miles, his idea of environmentalism was changed by the people he met, talked to and broke bread with. At 77 years old, Francis now both talks and rides in cars. A Symphony of Tiny Lights recounts much of his interior journey and explores the weblike and sometimes deeply personal consequences of his decades of pilgrimage.

USA/ Duration: 31 min
Directed by: Dominic Gill & Nadia Gill