The Grand Canyon is a world heritage site of breathtaking beauty and deep history, where many natives believe life begins. Where two rivers meet in the canyon, two drastically opposed viewpoints converge and clash. A developer from Scottsdale, Arizona has plans to build a gigantic tourism settlement on the Navajo site, known as the Confluence, while a local activist group fights to protect the land they hold sacred. Yet across the reservation, ravaged by poverty and alarming suicide rates, many believe the project can help pull their communities out of despair. Put in context of severe drought across the west, the development becomes cause for concern to everyone.
Keep it Grand is a short documentary film I directed and edited in 2015. The film made the rounds in the festival circuit, winning the Best Documentary Short award at the 2016 Phoenix Film Festival. Keep it Grand was produced for the non-profit Tzu Chi Foundation.
Press
Climate Change at the Grand Canyon Grand Canyon Trust Article
Short Film Raises Concerns About Escalade Project KNAU Radio Interview
Confluence Project Inspires Film Navajo-Hopi Observer Article
Phoenix Film Festival Cult Film in Review Podcast Interview
“Keep it Grand” Opens Sedona International Film Festival Tzu Chi Foundation Article