Made Here

A rapid transition to clean energy is imperative for the future of our climate. But how to make that transition in a way that respects ecosystems, communities, and local democracy? In this documentary, Vermont filmmaker Mark Cline Lucey explores this important question through Vermont's turbulent experience with ridgeline wind energy. The future of our planet may depend upon what we can learn.

Amidst the rising threat of cyanobacteria (commonly known as blue-green algae) in our water bodies which has dominated local news coverage, Vermont filmmakers, father and daughter Jim and Jackie Heltz set out to investigate the possible link between exposure to neurotoxins found in cyanobacteria and the onset of sporadic cases of the terminal disease, ALS.

Environmental sustainability meets structural sustainability in this film of a remarkable building project in New Hampshire. Born from the vision of citizen entrepreneurs Alan and Harriet Lewis, the Alnoba building embodies a spirit of learning, heritage, innovation and community. In this film, viewers meet the people who collaborate to bring this extraordinary building to life.

The VT Folklife Center collaborated with Edgewater Gallery in Middlebury, VT to showcase four regional artists, bringing viewers into “a day in the life” of each artist. Travel to the Adirondacks with TJ Cunningham for a day of plain air painting, explore the hills of Addison County with landscape painter Anne Cady, wander through quarries with sculptor, David Wade, and visit painter Rory Jackson.

Using a wealth of rare archival films, animation, and traditional New England fiddle music, Together in Time tells a 250-year history of an enduring form of community music and dance.

The Ill-Made Knight is a story about a 3rd grader named Ella, whose world is turned upside-down when a logging company buys the land behind her parent's home. When her family threatens to move, Ella decides to take matters in to her own hands. She enlists the help of Merlyn, a fictional character from her book, to wage war against the logger (played by Rusty DeWees).

When Ian Sweet moved to the Mad River Valley in Vermont in 2002, he soon discovered that music plays a vital role within the whole community. Since he always wanted to make a music documentary, the music and musicians in the Valley give him that opportunity. Why is the Mad River Valley full of musicians and host to such a diverse cross section of music?

A story about the people who gathered in New Hampshire and Vermont around the Gilded Age sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens to form the Cornish Colony. Although many of their names are unfamiliar today, among the Colonists were America’s first conservationists, landscape architects, and musicians whose legacy includes the Appalachian Trail, the National Park System, and public gardens.

Talking to the Wall follows two New England towns over a period of seven years that make opposite decisions on whether to allow to build. Made by award winning filmmaker Steve Alves, who participated in his town’s battle against the world's largest retailer, this multi-award winning theatrically released film informs citizens about a side of the bargain not shown in advertising campaigns.

The current state of transformation unfolding in Vermont public schools. This film highlights the successes and struggles of students and educators at three Vermont high schools that are making the shift to proficiency-based learning: BFA St. Albans, Champlain Valley Union High School, Harwood Union High School, and Peoples Academy.