’09 is going to be a good year for independent documentary film. Travis Rummel and Ben Knight from Felt Soul Media started it off with a bang last night with the New York premiere of their film, Red Gold at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center presented by Green Screens and Independents Night.

About 200 movie-goers braved the january “wintry-mix” and came out to see the film which presents a  captivating portrait of the sustenance, commercial and sport fisherman in Bristol Bay, Alaska – a region about the size of Ohio that is also home to arguably the world’s largest copper and gold deposit.  

A panel about the film, updates on the status of the fight to keep mining out of Bristol Bay, and a look at what’s going on locally in NY State followed the screening and it seemed like the audience could have kept the conversation going for hours. Conversation continued at a reception afterwards with Bristol Bay Salmon prepared by chef Peter Hoffman (Savoy/Back Forty).

Red Gold won CIFF 08’s Cinematic Vision award and is exactly the type of work we hope to see more of on the independent doc circuit.