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The Way Home: Returning to the National Parks

2011 USA / Duration: 10 mins
Directed by: Amy Marquis

“You shouldn’t have to convince people to go to paradise,” says Yosemite National Park Ranger Shelton Johnson. As an African American, he is unsettled by the fact that only 1 percent of those who visit Yosemite share his race. The Way Home: Returning to the National Parks follows the brief journey of a group of African American seniors from Los Angeles, California, as they experience these sacred lands. Made by Amy Marquis, with the support of the National Park Conservation Association, the film shows not only what people of color are missing, it also imparts their historic relationship with the park. Affable ranger Johnson — who came to Mountainfilm in 2009 with the debut of Ken Burns’s national parks series — is looking to reverse the trend by reminding African Americans that they have a long-standing connection to Yosemite: After the Civil War, the U.S. Army’s Buffalo Soldiers were dispatched to the Western frontier and became the park’s first stewards.

2012 Official Selection Mountainfilm in Telluride
    • Amy MarquisDirector

Previous Festival Appearances/Shows:

DateTimeLocation
May 26 20129:45 a.m.Details
May 27 20124:30 p.m.Details

Previous Tour Screenings

DateVenueLocation
May 3 2013Wilkie Center for Performing ArtsNewbury, MA
Apr 21 2013Center For The ArtsJackson, WY
Apr 13 2013Kenworthy Performing Arts CenterMoscow, ID
Apr 12 2013The Wilma TheaterMissoula, MT
Apr 11 2013The Egyptian TheaterBoise, ID
Apr 10 2013Bing Crosby TheaterSpokane, WA
Apr 3 2013Cafe IstanbulNew Orleans, LA
Mar 29 2013The Thacher SchoolOjai, CAWebsite
Feb 27 2013Berry CollegeRome, GA
Feb 22 2013Carolyn P. Brown Memorial University CenterKnoxville, TN
Feb 1 2013Ouray, COWebsite
Jan 26 2013Homer High School- Mariner TheaterHomer, AK
Jan 19 2013Bud Werner LibrarySteamboat Springs, CO
Jan 18 2013The Trustees TheaterSavannah, GA
Jan 17 2013Hi-Pointe TheaterSt. Louis, MOWebsite
Jan 16 2013The Blue NoteColumbia, MOWebsite
Nov 15 2012Laramie, WY
Nov 8 2012South Royalton, VT
Nov 7 2012Middlebury CollegeMiddlebury, VT
Nov 2 2012Watercolor Inn & ResortSanta Rosa Beach, FLWebsite
Oct 23 2012Fairfield Theater CompanyFairfield, CT
Oct 6 2012Francis Scott Key AuditoriumAnnapolis, MDWebsite
The Water Walker
The Water Walker
The Weight of Mountains
The Weight of Mountains

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