We had a great time at the March 21 premiere and, by all accounts, the audience did as well. Butterflies & Bulldozers was extremely well received. The Q&A session that followed showed that an audience that knew little or nothing about San Bruno Mountain really “got” the story we are telling. The film looked and sounded great on the new HD projection system in the Carmichael Auditorium.
David Schooley came all the way from Berkeley to attend the screening. That was a wonderful bonus. He received a very warm ovation from the audience, and made his usual gentle but firm remarks for his cause.
After the screening we talked with some of the attendees who included folks from the Wilderness Society, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and other film festivals. All of the comments were positive and constructive.
Dr. Jeffrey Stine, head of the Environmental History program for the Smithsonian, made extremely kind introductory remarks about the film and the filmmakers. We thank him very much. He also dedicated the day of screenings the great conservationist and former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall. Mr. Udall died the previous day.
Ironically, we had been planning to interview Secretary Udall for our film on Aldo Leopold. We are very sorry to have missed that opportunity. We showed our work-in-progress preview of Green Fire: The Life and Legacy of Aldo Leopold after the B&B screening. It was also well received. Our films were preceded by Forever Wild, a new documentary about activists who have saved their local wild places — an inspiring theme for wonderful day in our nation’s capital.