High Plains FilmsA project of Big Sky Pictures, LLC
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THE NATURALIST

32 minDVCAM / Super 8 / Hi82001

“Kent Bonar is no armchair environmentalist. He walks the walk--literally! This documentary offers a rich glimpse into the life of a man who is connected to the natural environment in a way that most Americans have lost. For Bonar, nature is a sacred path toward a more meaningful existence. His quest is to help others recognize that truth before the remainder of nature's great temples are bulldozed for freeways, housing developments and strip malls.”

Timothy McGettigan, Ph.D., Department of Sociology, Colorado State University-Pueblo

“Kent Bonar has been described as the John Muir or Aldo Leopold of our time. He lives with his hunting dogs in the Ozarks devoting himself to describing and studying the biota of his surroundings. His philosophy is the main subject of this documentary. The film quality and cinematography are excellent, and watching it was a peaceful and refreshing experience. It may serve to begin discussions about environmentalism, or the importance of not only taking inventory of organisms, but also studying how those organisms interact with one another (what Mr. Bonar refers to as, 'seeing the connections beyond the names').”

Educational Media Reviews Online

“Fascinating. His simple life, his profound relationship with the natural world, his startling attention to every detail of the forests and his relentless battle to protect them make Kent Bonar a unique exception in a world where conservation is so often the pragmatic conclusion of a battle between preservation and commercialism.”

Black Bear Film Festival

“Through his lens, Hawes-Davis unveils the jaw-dropping depth and breadth of Bonar's factual knowledge and reveals the man's wisdom, as Bonar espouses his philosophies on the essentiality of communion with nature.”

All Movie Guide

—Arkansas Public Television
—Byrd Theater/Richmond, Virginia
—Black Bear Film Festival
—CAT/Fayetteville, Arkansas
—Cherokee Film Festival
—Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art/Bentonville, Arkansas
—Dreamer Concepts Studio, Norman, Oklahoma
—Earth Dance Film Festival/Tulsa, Oklahoma
—EarthDance International Environmental Film Festival
—Electric Eye Cinema
—Eckerd College Environmental Film Festival
—Fitchburg Access Television, Fitchburg, Massachusetts
—Free Speech TV
—Great Falls Public Library
—Honorable Mention, Earthvision Film & Video Festival
—Hope and Dreams Film Festival
—Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
—KAID/Boise, Idaho
—KAMU/Waco/Temple/Bryan, Texas
—KAWB/Minneapolis, Minnesota
—KBDI/Denver, Colorado
—KCDT/KUID/Idaho & Spokane, Washington
—KCPT/Kansas City, Missouri
—KCSM/San Francisco, California
—KEET/Eureka, California
—KIPT/Twin Falls, Idaho
—KISU/Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Idaho
—KIXE/Chico/Redding, California
—KLCS/Los Angeles, California
—KLRU/Austin, Texas
—KMBH/Harlingen, Welasco/Brownsville/McAllen, Texas
—KOCE/Orange County, California
—KOZK/KOZJ - Springfield, Missouri
—KRCB/San Francisco, California
—KTEH/San Jose, California
—KULC/Salt Lake City, Utah
—KUAT/Tucson, Arizona
—KVCR/Los Angeles, California
—KVIE/Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto, California
—KWSU/Spokane, Washington
—Leominster-Lunenburg Access Television/Massachusetts
—Lime TV
—Market Street Cinema/Little Rock, Arkansas
—Mead Theater/Dayton, Ohio
—Mechanicsburg Earth Day World Film Festival
—MCAT/Missoula, Montana
—Montana Public Television
—Natural Heroes TV Series, PBS
—Natural State Film Tour
—New Crystal Theater/Missoula, Montana
—New Jersey Network/New Jersey & New York City
—NW Film Center/Portland, Oregon
—Ozark Folk Center/Mountain View, AR
—Ozark Foothills Film Festival
—Plymouth Independent Film Festival
—Ragtag Cinema Cafe/Columbia, Missouri
—Reykjavik Short Film Festival
—Ryder Film Series/Bloomington, Indiana
—Savannah Film Festival
—Sliven International Mountain Film Festival/Sliven, Bulgaria
—Show-Me Missouri International Film Festival
—The Vox Lounge/St. Louis, Missouri
—True/False West Film Festival
—University of Arkansas at Fayetteville
—University of Arkansas at Monticello/Documentary Film Series
—WBCC/Orlando/Daytona Beach/Cocoa Beach, Florida
—WBRA/Roanoke/Lynchburg, Virginia
—WCET/Cincinnati, Ohio
—WCFE/Burlington, Vermont
—WCVN/Cincinnati, Ohio
—Webster University Film Series
—WEIU/Champaign/Springfield/Decatur, Illinois
—WKAS/Ashland, Kentucky
—WKGB/Bowling Green, Kentucky
—WKHA/Hazard, Kentucky
—WKLE/Lexington, Kentucky
—WKMJ/Louisville, Kentucky
—WKMR/Morehead, Kentucky
—WKMU/Cape Girardeau, Missouri
—WKOH/Owensboro, Kentucky
—WKON/Owenton, Kentucky
—WKPC/Louisville, Kentucky
—WKPD/Harrisburg, Kentucky
—WKPI/Charleston, West Virginia
—WKSO/Lexington, Kentucky
—WKZT/Louisville, Kentucky
—WLAE/New Orleans, Louisiana
—WLVT/Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
—WMHT/Schenectady, New York
—WMTJ/Puerto Rico
—WMSY/Tri-Cities, Tennessee/Virginia
—WTIU/Indianapolis, Indiana
—WTVS/Detroit, Michigan
—WXEL/West Palm Beach/Ft. Pierce, Florida
—WYBE Through the Lens/Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
—Wyoming Public Television
Produced & Directed byDoug Hawes-DavisDru Carr
Camera & SoundDru CarrDoug Hawes-Davis
Additional FootageUS Forest ServiceArkansas Department of Tourism
EditorDoug Hawes-Davis
MusicNed MuddAaron Parrett
FundingMontana Arts CouncilR. Wakeham Fund
Outstanding Nature Documentary Award, Cherokee Film Festival