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What if our last act could be a gift to the planet? Musician, psychiatrist, and folk dancer Clark Wang prepares for his own green burial in this immersive documentary. While battling lymphoma, Clark has discovered a burgeoning movement that uses burial to conserve and restore natural areas, forgoing contemporary funeral practices that operate at the ecosystem’s expense. Boldly facing his mortality, Clark and his partner Jane have become passionate about green burial, compelled by both the environmental benefits and the idea that one can remain within the cycle of life, rather than being cut off from it. The spirited pair have inspired a compassionate local cemeterian, and together they aim to use green burial to save a North Carolina woods from being clear-cut.
The film follows Clark’s dream of leaving a loving, permanent legacy, and environmentalism takes on a deeply human intimacy. Documenting one community’s role in the genesis of a revolutionary movement, A Will for the Woods draws the viewer into a life-affirming portrait of people embracing their connection to each other and to timeless natural cycles. Co-directors Amy Browne, Brian Wilson and Tony Hale joins us for a conversation on a this moving portrait of a man facing his impending death and growing movement to go green as our last act.
For news and updates on A Will for the Woods go to: awillforthewoods.com
TED blog named us one of “9 documentaries that you need to see this year” calling it a “must-see documentary” which “has the potential to affect not just individual viewers but the American way of death.”
“An immersive, heartwarming tale…” Elias Savada, Film Threat
“The film has hit a cultural nerve.” Glenn McDonald, Discovery News
“A powerful, personal testament to the ‘green burial’ movement … with humor, eloquence, anguish and reflection.” Indy Week – Indy Pick, Sylvia Pfeiffenberger
Indiewire’s “Project of the Day” August 7th, 2013
“This movie will open your eyes to a new way of thinking.” John Angelico, San Francisco Gate