5Point Film Preview: “Beyond the Backyard: The Nation’s River” Sheds Light on the Damaging Effects of Pollution
“The story of my backyard was one of pollution,” opens Beyond the Backyard, showcased at this year’s 5Point Film festival, which tells the story of what happens when two best friends’ adventures go horribly wrong.
Courtesy 5Point.
Filmmaker Michael Stevens recruited his best friend Grant to kayak part of the Potomac River to the Chesapeake Bay and bike back to their childhood homes just outside Washington D.C. — 250 miles round-trip. What started off as a chance to catch-up and explore quickly turned into eye-opening struggle against the effects of pollution on the river and a much shorter trip than anticipated.
The idea first came to Stevens in 2017 as a real passion project to shed light on his backyard, but turned into an exploration of the devastating effects of pollution. The sewage system in Alexandria (the town across from D.C.) is outdated and at water level, so floods carry waste from that area all the way to the mouth of the Bay. Met with worsening conditions, “trying to find a silver lining was hard,” Stevens explains. “Things don’t always go your way, but if they did, it wouldn’t be as exciting.”
Embracing the nitty gritty aspects of life is also what drew Stevens to documentary filmmaking. “It’s a great way to speak to people. Though documentary film making you’re telling real stories about real issues and people,” he says. This is certainly true of Beyond the Backyard, which doesn’t shy away from hardships the pair experienced on their trip.
Despite the lack of food, tornado warnings, and polluted water, Stevens still emerged with an ever-present love for nature and appreciation for his backyard — amplified by his residence in Colorado, and more recently Carbondale, for a decade. “I just want to encourage people to get out there and experience the places they love,” Stevens concludes.
You can connect with Michael on Instagram and Facebook.
The 5Point Film Festival is virtual this year and runs through Sunday, October 18, 2020. Learn more at 5pointfilm.org/festival-2020-program-guide/.