About Us

Our films explore deep interconnections between human and physical landscapes in the contemporary American West and reveal how existential threat shapes communities and propels resilience.

While people with diverse backgrounds and beliefs often face abrupt change, our stories trace historic patterns that reveal surprising narratives and shed critical light on transformative events. 

Authentic and engaging characters threaded through complex, yet nuanced stories—along with a fair bit of humor—help us advocate for renewed critical thinking and active, inclusive community building during some of our nation’s most divisive times.

Our Approach

Refuge portrays a community at risk…but now it’s our own, resulting in our most personal and difficult film to realize. Our dual residency for more than three decades in Harney County and Portland, Oregon offers rare perspective into an “urban-rural divide” that exemplifies America’s political landscape of fortified extremes. Long fascinated by the troubled and inspiring legacy of the American West, we felt compelled to portray not just a local event capturing worldwide attention, but also to examine the historic sparks and lingering outcomes of the occupation, the federal trials, the community’s response, and beyond.

Unparalleled access to dozens of complex central characters, a clear analysis of the occupation and its aftermath, its broader social and historical context, and a brand of courageous conflict resolution drive this project and fuel our optimism about the potential for meaningful change.