Oscar Winners Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin to Exec Produce Doc About the Fight to Save Utah's Great Salt Lake (EXCLUSIVE)
Directed by Abby Ellis ('Flint's Deadly Water'), the doc, currently in production, follows scientists and politicians from both sides of the aisle who are battling to save the Great Salt Lake – the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere – as it rapidly vanishes. Beneath the drying lakebed of Great Salt Lake lies a toxic reservoir of heavy metals – arsenic, lead, mercury, and more – poised to become airborne, endangering the millions of people living in the metropolitan region of Utah called the Wasatch Front.
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'We often tell stories about environmental crises after they have unfolded,' says Ellis. 'What makes this film unique is that, here in Utah, there's still time to change course.'
In addition to Vasarhelyi and Chin, Anna Barnes from Little Monster Films will exec produce 'Terminal' (working title) along with Jessica Harrop, Caitlin Mae Burke from Sandbox Films. Geralyn Dreyfus ('Icarus) and Heather Kahlert will also serve as exec producers.
'The DNA of many of our films includes a celebration of our incredible planet as well as showcasing ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances, so to be able to use our voices to bring attention to this felt not just like a great opportunity to work with this talented film team, but also a responsibility, and one we take very seriously,' says Vasarhelyi.
Across the globe, more than 100 saline terminal lakes exist, but history has shown that salt lakes that go into decline have never been able to be saved. Utah now stands at a pivotal moment – an unprecedented opportunity to defy the odds, rewrite the narrative, and create a model for environmental resilience.
''Terminal' follows science being done in real time at a make-or-break moment in Utah's environmental history, and Abby is tackling the story in an incredibly cinematic and engaging way,' says Harrop.'Our mission at Sandbox is to illuminate the art and beauty of scientific inquiry, and this film is a bullseye for the type of content we are thrilled to support.'
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