A Will for the Woods

Full Frame Audience Award Feature 2013Nicholas School Environmental Award 2013

NEW DOCS

If living green is sometimes difficult, what about dying green? Is our collective legacy to be buried in such a way that we flood the environment with toxic chemicals and encroach on fragile woodlands, harming the ecosystem for generations to come? This intimate and thought-provoking film takes a personal approach to green burial, focusing on psychiatrist Clark Wang—a Duke alumnus, accomplished cellist, and passionate folk dancer—as he battles lymphoma while simultaneously challenging the traditional death-care industry. Supported by his partner and a loving community, Wang courageously fulfills his spiritual duty to protect green land even after his death. The film situates Wang’s crusade within the context of the widening green burial movement, shedding light on the work of the Green Burial Council and interviewing cancer survivor Kelly Lennon Weaver, who teaches her children about living and dying in harmony with nature. This rewarding film shows us how our difficult choices around the rituals of death impact the world we leave behind.  MP

Directors

Amy Browne, Jeremy Kaplan, Tony Hale, Brian Wilson

Producer

Amy Browne

Editors

Tony Hale, Brian Wilson

Cinematographer

Jeremy Kaplan

Release Year

2013

Festival Year

2013

Country

United States

Run Time

103 minutes

Premiere

World Premiere