Patagonia presents a new documentary: “Public Trust”

Patagonia presents a new documentary: “Public Trust”

A few weeks before the US elections, the film highlights the issue of the American system of “public lands” reserved for all citizens and the struggle to protect them.

No Man’s Land director David Garrett Byars presents his latest film Public Trust, with which he supports the defense of the natural landscapes of the United States against speculation. The Patagonia Films documentary, along with Robert Redford and Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard as executive producers, focuses on the struggle between greed and natural conservation, highlighting three ongoing conflicts in Utah, Minnesota and Alaska. Public Trust sheds new light on the subject just before the U.S. general election.

The international premiere of Public Trust will be held Saturday, September 26, at 2.00 am Italian time on YouTube: producer Jeremy Rubingh and director David Garrett Byars will participate.
The film will then be available on demand on YouTube and on the Patagonia website.

In a period of growing division, there is one thing that the majority of Americans still share and agree on: the 640 million acres of “public lands“, lands and public waters – for the benefit of all citizens – should be protected. These wild places are part of national identity, provide a solution to mitigate the climate crisis, provide habitats for large and small animals and some of the most magnificent landscapes in the world.

Through the work of Montana investigative journalist Hal Herring, Public Trust focuses on three critical situations: the cutting of the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, the potential permanent destruction of the Boundary Waters Wilderness in Minnesota, and the de facto sale of one of America’s last wildernesses, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The film clearly explains how to protect public lands and how the extractive industries, driven only by greed and profit, are trying to rob people and their future generations of this shared experience and American heritage.

Since it was converted into law over 100 years ago by President Teddy Roosevelt, all but three presidents – Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George HW Bush – have used their authority under the Antiquities Act to protect public lands. And despite the increased polarization on almost every issue, there is widespread bipartisan support for public lands and waters. According to a 2019 poll (Conservation in the West Poll), more than two-thirds of voters in Western states, the majority of Democrats and Republicans, think Congress should commit to the conservation of public lands.

“Our country is fortunate to have millions of acres of public land, including national parks, monuments, wildlife sanctuaries and wilderness reserved for future generations,” said executive producer Robert Redford. “Unfortunately, these lands that belong to all of us are threatened more than ever by the greed of big corporations, who are pressing to weaken restrictions and increase their profits. Many of our current politicians are also to blame. Public Trust tells the story of the citizens who are fighting against this. It is a necessary wake-up call for all of us who want to preserve our unique and authentic cultural heritage.