Anonymous street artists painted a dotted line and scissors on the defunct Matilija Dam in 2011. The dam has been slated for removal for years, but additional studies are being conducted to decide how best to deal with the trapped sediment and downstream water supply. Matilija Dam is owned by the County of Ventura, California in a scene from DAMNATION. Photo: Matt Stoecker

DamNation

DamNation Receives Nigel Moore Award at DOXA

The Nigel Moore Award for Youth Programming was awarded by Youth Jury members Anna Hetherington, Jacob Saltzberg, and Steven Hawkins, to Travis Rummel, Ben Knight, and Matt Stoecker’s film DamNation. In response, the filmmakers wrote: “It means a lot to us that DamNation appealed to a younger audience. We sincerely hope that Nigel would have loved our film—from what we’ve read about him, he might have appreciated the last words in DamNation by Edward Abbey: "Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul.”

(Read the full article containing all DOXA Awards)

 

Here's the filmmakers' full response:

Dear DOXA, and the best Nigel Moore Award youth jury of all time—

We’re insanely honored and grateful for the award, and sorry about all the bad words and illegal stuff in our film. [maybe don’t tell your parents you gave us the award] We’re super bummed out that we couldn’t be there to high five the jury, but we ran out of money for plane tickets because we make documentary films, and we’re not positive Ben is allowed in Canada anymore. It means a lot to us that DamNation appealed to a younger audience, given the fact that their generation will be growing up with a more critical eye when it comes to obsolete dams doing more harm than good to our watersheds. We sincerely hope that Nigel would have loved our film—from what we’ve read about him, he might have appreciated the last words in DamNation by Edward Abbey: "Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul.”

 

Sincerely,

Ben, Travis, Matt and the whole DamNation crew


Here are all the incredible awards DamNation has received to date:

SXSW 2014 Audience Choice - Documentary Spotlight
DC Enviro Film Festival 2014 Environmental Advocacy Award
International Wildlife Film Festival 2014 Best Conservation Film
Environmental Film Festival at Yale 2014 Grand Jury Prize
Environmental Film Festival at Yale 2014 Audience Choice
5Point Film Festival 2014 Best of Festival
DOXA Nigel Moore Award
Green Film Festival in Seoul 2014 Peoples Choice and Best Feature Film



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