Film Screening: Jumbo Wild
By Envision Magazine on April 29, 2016
For centuries, land battles have placed advocates for recreational and retail plots against opponents of capitalism and developments in natural areas. The documentary Jumbo Wild profiles one of the latest struggles of human versus nature.
On Wednesday night in Lawrence 115, about 25 people gathered to watch Jumbo Wild, a documentary produced by Patagonia and Sweetgrass Productions and directed by Nick Waggoner. The screening was hosted by Envision Journalism and the University of Oregon Cultural Forum. The film opens to panoramic views of towering snow-capped mountains and trees within a forest, and then introduces Oberto Oberti, an Italian architect looking to build a skiing resort in the Jumbo Valley, located in the Purcell Mountains in British Columbia, Canada. This is where the battle of human versus nature begins.
Throughout the hour-long documentary, two sides are presented: those that are for the development of the Jumbo Glacier Resort, including Oberti, several Canadian government officials, and other foreign businesses and investors; and those that are against the resort’s development; including environmentalists, the indigenous Ktunaxa Nation, and other government officials. The advocates for the skiing resort say that it will create new jobs and improve the local economy, while the opponents say that it will cause animals such as grizzly bears to lose their homes, create a negative impact on the environment, and will devastate one of the last places on Earth that has not been heavily impacted by human development.
Oberti has been working on developing the Jumbo Glacier Resort since the early 1990s, but has faced a great deal of opposition. In 2012, the resort’s master plan was approved, but has since faced issues going forward, meaning that the resort is still undeveloped and the battle between the resort’s advocates and opponents continues; both sides are still advocating and fighting for what they believe is best for the future of Jumbo Valley.
Jumbo Wild creates a conversation that highlights both the positive and negative aspects of human development and its impacts. While Oberti is strongly for the resort’s development, he’s never displayed as an evil, destructive villain; in the beginning of the documentary, Oberti is flying over the Purcell Mountains, excited and passionate about establishing a lasting legacy through one of his architectural creations. However; on the other side of the argument, Waggoner and other opponents of the skiing resort emphasize the importance of leaving nature alone, or else risking the loss of native species and habitats that will further add to the issues of climate change.
For those interested in helping to preserve the Jumbo Valley, sign the online petition.
Jumbo Wild is currently streaming on Netflix, and can be purchased on iTunes and Vimeo.