Newly Funded
The Lake
Two intrepid scientists and a political insider race the clock to prevent an unprecedented catastrophe: poisoned air, a collapsing ecosystem, and a community on the brink.
The Lake—winner of the Sundance Film Festival Award for Social Impact—follows three individuals fighting to save the dying Great Salt Lake. Throwing themselves into the often mundane work of trying to stop the lake’s potential collapse, they push against bureaucracy, apathy, and the ticking clock of a looming crisis. At the same time, a quiet sense of loss lingers at the edges as dust from toxic heavy metals in the drying lakebed rises in the background, a visual reminder of what’s at stake for the millions of people who live nearby.
In a place shaped by both divinity and doom, The Lake shines a light on what it takes to create change, and the obstacles that get in the way. The story balances the perspectives and challenges of Utah’s powerful political and Mormon leaders, farmers, and scientists, revealing the complex web of interests that binds these communities together. Ultimately, The Lake explores the responsibility that comes with knowledge: not only to understand a crisis, but to find ways to communicate it and, hopefully, inspire action.