Submitted by the Friday Harbor Film Festival

Love is the Way premieres this week during the Friday Harbor Film Festival. This exciting adventure film brings together the voices speaking in defense of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, highlighting the generations of stewardship by Gwich’in and Inupiaq people. Its award-winning filmmakers, Jeremy La Zelle and Kirstin Gates, will participate in a live stream Q&A at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 25. View this film on demand during the Festival, Oct. 15-25. Full details about his film and Q&A are available at www.fhff.org.

It’s always best to experience what you’re fighting for. When two adventurers embark on a dangerous four-month expedition documenting the world’s longest land mammal migration through the Arctic Refuge of Alaska, they soon discover an incredible ecosystem protected by the Gwich’in Nation for more than 25,000 years yet held on the precipice of collapse by resource development corporations.

As human greed pursues an assault on America’s last great wilderness, the Arctic Refuge, the many voices of love rise up to show the world how our collective survival depends on not repeating mistakes of the past so we can ensure social justice, Indigenous Peoples’ rights, and the rights of Mother Earth.

Là Zelle is a leading adventurer, expedition photographer and cinematographer. His documentary work has led him to the Arctic, the Himalayas, remote regions of Africa and South America, and beyond. He has won numerous international film festival awards for his documentary work.

Gates is a filmmaker who uses documentary film to tell stories that pertain to environmental and human rights issues. She has lived in Alaska for the last 10 years and has become an expert in expedition travel.

The 2020 Friday Harbor Virtual Film Festival runs from Thursday, Oct. 15 through Sunday, Oct. 25, providing on-demand access to 20 award-winning feature documentaries, 12 short films and 11 student short films. All are suitable for the entire family. Full details about the films, how to view them, and how to vote for your favorites is available at www.fhff.org.

Purchase your All-Access Pass for $75 or 5-Film Pass for $35, now at www.fhff.org. Single-film tickets for $8.50 are also available. Gather your family together, as all can watch on one pass!