Congrats to Felt Soul Media: “DamNation” to Premiere at South by Southwest

02 Feb Congrats to Felt Soul Media: “DamNation” to Premiere at South by Southwest

Photographer Ben Knight (along with painter Brucie Holler) was a featured artists at Ah Haa’s New Year’s Eve gala, where he sold close to 15 images in support of the nonprofit community art school.

At the event, guests were treated to a sneak peek at the trailer for Ben’s latest film, “DamNation,” shot with partner Travis Rummel of Felt Soul Media. The film is about about removing dams in America and restoring free-flowing rivers.

For Ben, 2014 was off to a great start.

And the beat goes on.

Last week it was officially announced that “DamNation” was selected for its world premiere by the prestigious South by Southwest (SXSW), a set of film, interactive and music festivals and conferences that takes place in Austin, Texas, in March.

For a preview, watch this trailer:

http://www.damnationfilm.com/

More about Ben Knight and Felt Soul Media:

In the halcyon days of the 1990s, Telluride was flush, the local daily was fat and happy and the go-to guy for images was a young man with a megawatt smile. For 10 years, Ben Knight captured Kodak moments around town – until the latest new owner decided $13 an hour was too steep an investment for a full-time shooter.

After three years of soaking up indomitable spirit as the Assistant Chief Slide Projector Focus Puller [ACSPFP] for Mountainfilm in Telluride, Ben began dabbling in documentary filmmaking with his friend Travis. The duo’s Felt Soul Media went on to produce several documentaries about the sport of fishing that won awards at festivals around the world, with appeal way beyond the fishing community. Their “Red Gold” focused on a proposed gold and copper mine at the headwaters of an indigenous salmon spawning ground in Alaska, rallying people to oppose the massive mining project that would have altered both the river’s ecosystem and a longtime way of life for the community. The duo’s next project is the aforementioned “DamNation,” another sure-fire winner.

“I still avoid calling myself a filmmaker or a photographer” said Ben. “It’s weird. I guess I just avoid taking myself too seriously because I see people around me doing it all the time, and for the most part it’s not making their work any better. I couldn’t tell a good story verbally if my life depended on it, so I think film was my way of filling that void. I love the challenge of transforming an obscure subject into something easily digestible that almost anyone can relate to.”

And when Ben executes that transformation, his photography and his films bear the imprint of his nature: quietly penetrating, meticulously executed, focused, and compassionate; all heart, without a lick of sentimentality or bravado.

Telluride congratulates Ben and Travis.