George and Beth Gage: Love for their neighbors and for the earth inspires local filmmakers

06 Oct George and Beth Gage: Love for their neighbors and for the earth inspires local filmmakers

Their goal is clear: to entertain and inform.
He is in charge of images. Her deal is words. Together George and Beth Gage make highly intelligent, visually seductive documentaries that can make a difference to their neighbors and to the planet.

“It takes years for the story we really want to tell to find us and unfold, and so we have to really care about the subject we plan to explore through our medium” explained Beth.

The couple, happily married since 1963, is one more example of Telluriders who live locally, but think globally.

From their mountain home, the Gages have explored topics ranging from the mountaineering heroes of WWII known as the 10th Mountain Division (“Fire on the Mountain,” 1995), to clean drinking water in support of the Blue Planet Run’s recent consciousness-raising initiative (“Water: A Clear Solution,” 2005).

Their most recent film, screened for the first time at Telluride Mountainfilm in 2007, tells the story of sisters Mary and Carrie Dann, two feisty, unyielding, unforgettable Western Shoshone women, who fought the U.S. government for years for their land rights and human rights.

Off camera, George is a passionate photographer obsessed with baseball. Beth is on the board of Mountainfilm, a local nonprofit focused on the survival of endangered species, places, and ideas. Mountainfilm takes place annually over Memorial weekend, launching the summer festival season in town.

The Gages have two children, now adults.

Son Andrew is locates sets for TV and commercials. He is also a director and videographer for various cable programs.

Daughter Jennifer, in partnership with her husband Tom Betterton, does fashion and advertising photography for international publications.

These stills from a few of the Gages’ projects are just teasers. The documentaries themselves are not to be missed and can be ordered by contacting Gage & Gage Productions, bggage@rmi.net or gfgage@rmi.net.