The Nature Makers (Scott Saunders, 2020): USA

Reviewed by Cate Herrell. Viewed at Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2020.

It can be hard to believe that nature still exists out there in a world where industry and manufacturing has truly taken over. After watching The Nature Makers (directed by Scott Saunders), my faith was restored in humanity quite a bit, and I left feeling inspired to help make the world a better place. The idea of this documentary is to show the hard work of three different conservation groups across America, and by doing so the viewer learns a great deal about what nature gives to us, and what we can do to help it thrive. There are three parts of this documentary, titled Sky, Water, and Land, and all showcase some of the most extreme tactics to conserve different environments that I have ever seen. 

The first section, “Sky” focuses on conservationists located in Nebraska, as they fight to act as nature would if agriculture hadn’t taken the spring floods away from their land. Their efforts allow Sandhill Cranes to continue their annual migration to the river bed, something they have been doing for thousands, and thousands of years. Amazing individuals come together to maintain a sustainable environment for these breathtaking birds. The second section, “Water” focuses on a group of  biologists working to regrow the humpback chub fish population in the Colorado River, essential to the sustainment of the ecosystem. Watching this group geek out over the health and happiness of the fish was so refreshing to see! The third section, “Land” is about the prairie dog population in Colorado and South Dakota, and how intentional poisonings and land development has taken more than 95% of their population. This section was unique because it showed the active rescue of the animal, which was very intense, and the slow integration of these animals back into the wild. The tactics used were ALL extreme (and super impressive), such burning down invasive tree species, flying in fish from miles away with a helicopter, and flushing out prairie dogs with water to grab and wrestle the little guys into a cage for relocation! 

I can honestly say, cinematographer Oktay Ortabasi captures the beauty of each animal and their respective environments so perfectly. The footage of these animals proves that no species should be overlooked, and that many of us can not recognize the importance of these animals in the modern day and age. The footage allows the viewer to see the relationships each animal has with their families and environments in a very natural way, and we are lucky to learn of their importance in such a stunning way. 

My favorite aspect of this film is that it shows some of the reconstructive, amazing things that humans can do for our environment as opposed to the destructive side of things. Before watching this film, my feelings towards the relationship between humans and nature is that we tend to ruin it. After watching, however, I see that the relationship we share with nature can be so giving– and that there are many people who fight daily to save the world in a quite literal sense. The Nature Makers website also has all the information you need to donate to the organizations mentioned, so that viewers can do their share to help the great people dedicated to bettering our environment!