Damnation makes one-night stand

What: “DamNation,”Patagonia-produced documentary on the nation’s aging dam structures
When:  July 31, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m.
Where: Animas City Theatre

Tickets: $10 pre sale; $12 at the door. Available at Pine Needle Mountaineering, 4Corners Riversports and animascitytheatre.com

Local audiences finally have a chance to see the film that has been making waves across the country. “Damnation,” a documentary produced by clothing manufacturer Patagonia, is coming to the Animas City Theatre for two show on Thurs., July 31.

Three years in the making, the film was released in May to critical acclaim, including the Audience Choice Award at Austin’s South by Southwest Film Festival and the People’s Choice Award at the Telluride Mountain Film Festival.

The film was directed by former Telluride resident Ben Knight, who will be on hand to answer questions after both Durango showings.

According to Knight, an estimated 45 million tons of sediment are trapped behind Glen Canyon Dam every year, starving the Grand Canyon’s ecosystem downstream. Every year, 8 percent of the Colorado River’s flow disappears as Lake Powell, the second-largest reservoir in the country, evaporates under the desert sun and seeps into the porous sandstone.

Using archival footage, vintage photos and interviews, the film paints a picture of our nation’s former fascination and growing disdain over big dams. Not only does it include rarely seen footage of the archaeological “salvage” team working to recover priceless Anasazi artifacts before the flooding of Glen Canyon in 1958, it also follows the fate of two recently decommissioned dams in the Northwest.

In the film, audiences meet folk singer Katie Lee, among the last to float Glen Canyon, who, at 95, still vividly recalls its beauty. Lee also recalls her nemesis, Floyd Dominy, the longtime Bureau of Rec czar who dammed Glen Canyon. We also hear from dam defender Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., and dam critic, ex-Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt.

“This film is nothing short of amazing, every time I watch it I get goose bumps,” film promoter Marcus Smith, Community Events Coordinator with Durango’s Business Improvement District, said. “I think the river people of Durango will love this film.”