'Facing the Storm: Story of the American Bison' is showing at the Colorado Environmental Film Festival in Golden on Friday. (Courtesy photo/High Plains Films)
CU Buffs may be prouder of their mascot if they were to learn about its role in the American West, and now they may have the opportunity to do so.
“Facing the Storm: Story of the American Bison,” is a new documentary by High Plains Films that examines the story of the American bison.
The film will be part of the 5th annual Colorado Environmental Film Festival on Friday, Nov. 5 in Golden, Colo.
“Facing the Storm” documents the bison’s history including its role as a sacred character in Native American life, the massive killings by men in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the debate of livestock and bison sharing grass and the current effort to restore buffalo herds in the West.
The variety of sources interviewed, such as stockmen, Native Americans and park rangers, lend in-depth information into the history and spirit of the American bison. One source is an old, retired Montana resident who isn’t afraid to speak his mind about the confused perception that most people have about bison. He provides comic relief to an otherwise serious and dramatic plot.
What may surprise audiences is the annual slaughter at Yellowstone National Park and its controversial effort to maintain herd numbers. It also follows a biologist who works at a slaughter plant in Montana. The images are graphic and may be difficult to watch.
Activists in YNP are trying to let the public know that the kinds of practices to maintain the herds are wrong and unequal.
Through home videos, old black and white footage, animation and professional photography, “Facing the Storm” reveals the statistics, misconceptions and brutal truth about the American bison’s struggle in the American West.
Through all of that, the sacred spirit of the buffalo weaves into the movie as an important symbol of the West’s past, present and future.
Tickets may be purchased for $5 at the American Mountaineering Center in Golden an hour before the show, which will be at 9 p.m., or at the Boulder and Lakewood REI stores.
Contact CU Independent Entertainment Editor Taylor Coughlin at Taylor.coughlin@colorado.edu.
1 comment
What a great review! Makes me wish I was back in the 1800s hearing the thundering herds run across the plains! Can’t wait to see the movie after reading the review. Sounds like a great documentary that shines some light on the rough history of the American Bison.