FESTIVAL PREMIERE
DOCUMENTARY | USA | 82 MINUTES | English
Giants Rising
Director Lisa Landers
Narrated by Michael Franti
A journey into the heart of America’s most iconic forests, GIANTS RISING reveals the secrets and the saga of the coast redwoods—the tallest and among the oldest living beings on Earth. It’s an epic tale that explores the wonders of these silent giants and our dramatic, ever-evolving relationship with them. Living links to the past, redwoods also hold powers that may play a role in our future, including their ability to withstand fire and capture carbon, to offer clues about longevity, and even to enhance our own well-being. How do they do it —and how will redwoods keep working their magic as they’re pushed to their limits?
Through the voices of biologists, artists, Native peoples and others racing to understand and safeguard these trees, GIANTS RISING reveals the scientific wonders of redwoods, our deep cultural ties to them, and efforts to help these iconic forests overcome the legacy of logging that nearly wiped them out. It’s a story that offers lessons about resilience and connection, and the promise of solutions that will help us ALL rise up from the past and face the challenges that lay ahead.
CAST & CREDITS
Director
Lisa Landers
Producer
Lisa Landers
Screenwriter
Lisa Landers
Editor
Damon Claussen
Executive Producer
Nora McNeely Hurley
Consulting Producer
Dawn Fitzgerald
Production Associate/Co-Producer
Jennifer Ciraldo
Key Cast
Rosie Clayburn
As the Yurok Tribal Heritage Preservation Officer, Rosie advises on important projects ranging from land acquisitions to the protection of cultural sites. She is also the first Native woman to be on the Board of Parks California.
Zane Moore
Zane is a scientist who studies redwood longevity and resilience through the lens of genomics.
Barry McCovey Jr.
Director of the Yurok Tribal Fisheries Department, Barry is a biologist and fisherman, committed to making sure his children experience a restored ecosystem.
Sarah Bird
A multimedia artist, Sarah creates portraits of redwoods and other trees using art forms such as photography, drawing and sculpture.
Directors Bio
For more than two decades, Lisa has been developing and creating award-winning programs for television and museums such as the Smithsonian Channel, PBS/KQED, National Geographic Television, Discovery, the American Museum of Natural History, and Mexico City’s Papalote Museo del Niño. She’s traveled the globe covering diverse subjects ranging from Nile crocodiles to vertical dance, and is especially passionate about telling stories with the power to shift perspectives, spark awe and cultivate a fascination for nature. Lisa is also a certified forest immersion guide, helping people connect with nature in ways that are beneficial to their well-being. She lives, works and finds inspiration among the coast redwoods of northern California and the Andean oaks of Bogotá, Colombia.
Directors Statement
Conveying the magic of the redwoods through film is not easy. John Steinbeck famously wrote that it is impossible to capture the essence of these “ambassadors from another time.” But I believe in the power of media to spark awe and wonder, and to remind us of all that our forests do for us. Giants Rising is an invitation to slow down and listen to the trees. Redwoods hold the power not only to captivate our imagination, but to offer lessons about resilience and connectedness that could benefit all life on our planet. The redwoods’ tale is one of magic, mystery and hope — a saga that is as much our story as it is theirs.
Showtimes
Sunday, November 10
IN-PERSON
Screening: 4:35pm
Post Screening Guest Lisa Landers (Director).
Once Purchased
your name will be at ‘Will Call’
AMC The Grove 14
189 The Grove Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Parking
At The Theatre
