HP × KEEN · Public lands documentary

The Ground Between Us

2019

The premise

Three families, two sides of the public-lands divide — and the ground between them.

Bears Ears National Monument was shrunk by 85%, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was opened to oil exploration, and the Elliott State Forest in Oregon was nearly privatized. Throughout this, Americans from both sides of the political spectrum have stood up and made their voices heard in support of protecting these areas. The Ground Between Us presents these public lands debates alongside the day-to-day realities of three families who hold vastly different connections and perspectives on public lands.

Directed by Zeppelin Zeerip & Galen Knowles

HP × KEEN · Public lands documentaryCreativeProductionPost

How we did it

Started in 2017, the film is a result of two years of shooting and hundreds of hours of footage. The approach was focused on how ordinary folks on each side of the public lands argument rely on Public Lands in different ways. From loggers, to ranchers, hunters and everyone in between, we wanted to understand how all walks of life rely on Public Lands in different ways, and the validity of both sides of the argument.

Stills from the film

The Ground Between Us — photograph 1The Ground Between Us — photograph 2The Ground Between Us — photograph 3The Ground Between Us — photograph 4The Ground Between Us — photograph 5The Ground Between Us — photograph 6The Ground Between Us — photograph 7The Ground Between Us — photograph 8The Ground Between Us — photograph 9The Ground Between Us — photograph 10The Ground Between Us — photograph 11The Ground Between Us — photograph 12The Ground Between Us — photograph 13The Ground Between Us — photograph 14
3Families, both sides of the divide
2 yrsOf shooting, hundreds of hours
The Ground Between Us — key art
All Work