If you’ve been following The Redford Center’s work for a while, you know the importance of these two films to our organization. Watershed: Exploring a New Water Ethic for the New West and Happening: A Clean Energy Revolution—our second and third produced feature documentaries, respectively—were foundational to our understanding of what independent films could accomplish in terms of real-world impact.

In the time since its release in 2012, Watershed has helped raise $33M for Colorado River restoration, restore 1,200+ acres of critical habitat, and achieve major regulatory reform. After releasing on HBO in 45 countries in 2017, the Happening team produced an impact campaign that included an educational toolkit used in over 500 classrooms across the US and prominent screenings at COP23, the American Film Showcase, the Malaysian Embassy, and more.

The collective reach and impact of these two films shaped our dedication to ensuring that environmental impact films continue to receive the resources they need to help power environmental movements.