'The Emerald Edge' from The Nature Conservancy

The Emerald Edge: Cedar's Story directed by Chad Horn, from production company Bard Tales, on behalf of The Nature Conservancy has been selected as the winner of the 2023 Immersive Storytelling 360 Award in the MY HERO International Film Festival.

Said the judges, “This story is a beautiful experience of a magical place in nature that needs protecting, thank you.”

The Immersive Storytelling Award is for innovative Virtual Reality content that features stories that promote creativity, engagement, activism and social good. 

The Emerald Edge: Cedar's Story explores the world’s largest coastal temperate rainforest in 360 degrees in an immersive experience where participants can walk through the lush ancient forests of the Emerald Edge* with the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation and learn about the life-giving force of the cedar tree.

The Nature ConservancyTNC

Said the producers, "The Emerald Edge: Cedar's Story aims to immerse audiences in the landscape of the Emerald Edge to hear directly—and in a new visceral way—from the Indigenous People who are working to protect ecosystems there and across the globe. We believe that experiencing something through multiple senses provides a richer educational and emotional experience than merely just reading or hearing about it."

Watch the film HERE.

Bard Tales is a video production company based in Washington, DC with an extra focus on emerging technology such as VR/XR and virtual production.

MY HERO asked Chad, of Bard Tales, to talk about the filming experience:

“We were honored when The Nature Conservancy selected us to help share with the world the work that is going on in the Emerald Edge. We were filming roughly 3 hours east of Vancouver, BC in Canada. To get to our lodging we had to arrive by seaplane, which was a new and unique experience. Most filmmakers can tell you they travel with a lot of equipment, and most of it isn’t waterproof, so this led to a lot of unique challenges. Let alone the trek through the dense rainforest to our filming locations. We spent a week with the Indigenous People who work and live there as they were both our hosts and the subjects of the film. Speaking with one of the leaders, he told me that they make all their decisions not based on the next election or the next few years, but they think about how their actions will affect people 7 generations from now. If we all thought that way the world would probably look quite differently, and I thought that was very special and something we should all emulate."

FilmingTNC

Said Nikolaj Lasbo, Emerald Edge’s Marketing Director about the filmmakers, “ Our partners in Clayoquot Sound on Vancouver Island, where the story takes place, have personally told me that the film is a great representation of this iconic rainforest and the Indigenous Peoples who call it home. And that's what we hoped to achieve. I personally have a great appreciation for the thoughtful process that the filmmakers and our team at the Nature Conservancy took to move at the speed of trust to create these films alongside Indigenous partners in a respectful manner."

"By working alongside Indigenous Peoples in this region and around the world, we can show that not only can conservation be done differently, but so can we take a different approach to the films and communications we produce.”

Emerald Edge

The Emerald Edge stretches across Alaska, British Columbia, Washington state and Oregon with over 100 million acres of lush forest, rivers, islands, and mountain streams. The region sustains hundreds of communities and thousands of species of flora and fauna—including bears, salmon, wolves and whales—and thanks to its immense carbon-storage capacity, plays a critical role in regulating the global climate.

For millennia, Indigenous First Nations, Alaska Natives and coastal Tribes have called this region home, relying on the lands and waters for traditional practices, fishing, and other cultural and economic uses. These original stewards’ cultures, languages and livelihoods were born from the landscape and to this day, they maintain a vibrant and strong connection to the lands and waters.

Learn more about how Indigenous stewardship is advancing natural climate solutions at http://www.nature.org/EmeraldEdge"

TNCThe Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy

At the invitation of Indigenous peoples and local communities, The Nature Conservancy supports leadership efforts to heal the bonds between people and nature, so both can thrive for generations to come.

The Nature Conservancy began in 1915 when leading scientists, committed citizens and dedicated leaders came together with a shared vision to protect and care for nature. Today, as we take on the most complex environmental challenges of our lives, the diverse staff, partners and members impact conservation across more than 70 countries and territories.

The Conservancy is tackling the dual threats of accelerated climate change and unprecedented biodiversity loss. Science determines where they focus their work and equity guides how they achieve lasting results.

The MY HERO International Film Festival

The MY HERO International Film Festival is an annual event dedicated to showcasing films of up to 10 minutes in length that celebrate the power of the human spirit. Categories include documentary, narrative, music video, experimental, and animation. There are Special Awards, with cash prizes, for films with themes of Peace, Activism, Women Transforming Media, Relationships, Immersive Storytelling, Youth Reporters, and Sing for Hope Music Videos.

Philanthropist and mentor Eva Haller is hosting the Virtual Awards Ceremony for The 19th Annual MY HERO International Film Festival on November 18, 2023, at 2 PM PST, as part of her weekly salon series. You can register your interest HERE.