NPRB Gulf of Alaska Project: Making the Connection – Seabirds and Alaska’s Groundfish was produced by Liz McKenzie and entered in the 2014 AOOS Short Film Contest. The film provides a very personal look at one component of the overall Gulf of Alaska Integrated Ecosystem Research Program (GOAIERP), through the eyes of a scientist who is not only doing research in the Gulf of Alaska, but who is also a lifelong resident of the place. Alexis Will explains her research and how it connects to the larger GOAIERP Project. She speaks with a contagious enthusiasm about both the science and the place. The video takes viewers to a spectacular and wild island that also embodies the abundance of life in the Gulf of Alaska.
Liz McKenzie is a writer and filmmaker based in Sitka, Alaska. Her work focuses on public outreach and education in the areas of Alaska nature, science, and traditional ecological knowledge. More of her work can be seen at www.encountersnorth.org and www.salmonproject.org. “Working on the North Pacific Research Board Gulf of Alaska Project videos was an incredible experience. The scientists became part of my film crew—helping me to understand their research, guiding me to important points to make in the films, and even contributing beautiful and important footage. I love that the films were narrated by some of the researchers—they speak eloquently about their work, with an authority that only they could bring to the story.”
See the full list of contest films.