A short documentary that captures the migration of elk in the Yellowstone area through a multidisciplinary lens by following a scientist, Arthur Middleton, a contemporary artist, James Prosek and award winning photojournalist Joe Riis. For many of the elk herds that summer in Yellowstone National Park, home is outside the protected park boundaries the rest of the year, as far as 70 miles away. Mirroring a similar expedition undertaken in 1871 that fused science and the arts, this modern band of explorers join their ungulate counterparts on a trek from Wyoming’s rangeland through snowy mountain passes and treacherous river crossings to the rugged beauty of Yellowstone’s high-alpine meadows. Along the way, they meet backcountry guides and cattle ranchers whose lives are intricately tied with the fate of the elk and other migratory species that call the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem home.

Directed by Jenny Nichols and Joe Riis. Produced by Arthur Middleton.

Elk River

2016 US 28 min
Festival Year: 2017
Types: Documentary, Short
Topic: Parks and Protected Areas, Wildlife