Water over Nickel: ‘Ripple effects’ short film included in film festivals
By Kelly Applegate, Commissioner of Natural Resources
Water Over Nickel's short film Ripple Effects is continuing to reach new audiences across Minnesota and beyond, bringing our message of clean water, cultural stewardship, and generational responsibility to communities through film.
What began as a local story has grown into a broader conversation. Along the way, Ripple Effects has been accepted into five film festivals and earned an honorable mention, a testament to the urgency of Water Over Nickel and the strength of the voices who bring it to life.
The film has been named an Official Selection at the Crow River Film Festival, Ely Film Festival, Frozen River Film Festival, Native Lens, and Native Reel Cinema Festival. It has also received an Honorable Mention from the Awareness Festival.
Each recognition reflects a growing understanding that protecting clean water is a shared responsibility that connects us across communities and generations.
JOIN US AT THE ELY FILM FESTIVAL
We are especially excited to share that Ripple Effects will be screened at the Ely Film Festival on March 14 at 10 a.m., bringing this important conversation to a community deeply connected to Minnesota's waters and natural resources.
You're invited to join Water Over Nickel and me at the Ely Film Festival at Ely's Historic State Theater on Saturday, March 14 at 10 a.m. to screen Ripple Effects. We're eager to gather together and reflect on what is at stake when our clean water is threatened.
You may purchase tickets at: tinyurl.com/ElyTickets
About Ripple Effects and Water Over Nickel
Presented by Water Over Nickel, Ripple Effects explores the deep and irreplaceable connection between Minnesota's communities, culture, and clean water. Through the sacred Ojibwe maple sugar traditions of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, the film shows how clean water has shaped Minnesota's past and continues to sustain its present - and why it must be protected for generations to come.
At the center of the film is the proposed Tamarack Mine, a nickel sulfide mining project just 1.3 miles from Round Lake and within the Mississippi River watershed. With no history of clean nickel sulfide mining anywhere in the world, the project poses a serious threat to clean water, Minnesota's most valuable resource. Once water is polluted, it cannot be restored. The consequences of the mine would extend far beyond a single site, creating lasting ripple effects across ecosystems, communities, and cultural traditions that depend on healthy water.
Water Over Nickel is a Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe-led initiative dedicated to protecting clean water and resources from the risks of nickel mining. Guided by the responsibility to care for the next seven generations, the initiative works to ensure Indigenous voices are heard and that decisions made today protect our shared future.
Protecting clean water is a responsibility to our community, culture, and future generations.
Watch Ripple Effects at https://waterovernickel.com/ won-videos/v/ripple-effects-1 and visit www.waterovernickel. com to learn more and stand with us in protecting Minnesota's water for generations to come.
