LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The critically-acclaimed environmental feature documentary, KISS THE GROUND, recently garnered its 25th film festival award after the Red Nation International Film Festival (RNIFF) bestowed its humanitarian honor, the Chief Dan George Award, to directors Josh Tickell and Rebecca Harrell Tickell (Oscar® short list for “Fuel,” Official Selection Cannes Film Festival for “The Big Fix”) acknowledging their contributions and commitment to environmental justice. To date, KISS THE GROUND has been invited to 46 film festivals as an official selection, including the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival.
The Red Nation International Film Festival’s Chief Dan George Award is its humanitarian award named for the famous Canadian actor, author, and activist who is known for his advocacy for First Nations and environmental rights, and as the first Native American to earn an Academy Award® nomination for his supporting role in “Little Big Man” (1970). Previous recipients of the award include filmmaker Theda NewBreast and Dr. Jane Goodall.
“Nurturing the land is a sacred tradition in Native American cultures, and ‘Kiss The Ground’ shows how we, as a people, are in desperate need to reconnect and repair our relationship with our original mother—Mother Earth,” said Joanelle Romero, Executive Director of the RNIFF. “Josh and Rebecca expertly crafted an inspirational, urgent, and hope-filled documentary showing us exactly how to stop climate change and ensure our Mother is healthy enough to provide for future generations. Their film embodies the humanitarian values of the Chief Dan George Award, and the Red Nation International Film Festival is thrilled and proud to celebrate it with one of our highest honors.”
Adds Ray Archuleta, renowned Conservation Agronomist and one of the lead subjects of the documentary, “As a soil educator and a person of both Native American and Latino heritage, I’m proud to be part of the ‘Kiss The Ground’ family and find it appropriate that our 25th award is from the Red Nations International Film Festival. The documentary is a message of hope and forgiveness for the people and the land, and I congratulate Josh and Rebecca on their latest honor.” Archuleta served the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for 30 years and is a respected expert on topic of soil health and the principle of Agroecology.
KISS THE GROUND, narrated by Woody Harrelson and directed by critically-acclaimed directors Josh Tickell and Rebecca Harrell Tickell, unveils a game-changer: We can reverse global warming and the Earth’s soil is the solution. By regenerating earth, we can completely and rapidly stabilize our planet’s climate, restore lost ecosystems, and create abundant food supplies. With epic footage shot on five continents, striking visuals from NASA and NOAA, and stunning animation, the documentary conveys this critical message through the voices of leading scientists, ecologists, and experts including Nobel Laureates in climate, members of the International Panel on Climate Change, top scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), as well as environmental activists such as Gisele Bündchen, Tom Brady, Jason Mraz, Ian Somerhalder, Patricia Arquette, and Rosario Dawson. As an urgent call to action in addressing the world’s climate crisis, KISS THE GROUND artfully illustrates an accessible, relatively simple solution to humanity’s greatest challenge. Originally intended for a world premiere at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival followed by a theatrical release, KISS THE GROUND is currently playing on Netflix and Vimeo on Demand.
The KISS THE GROUND trailer is available on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. The full list of 2020 awards to date for the film is listed below:
4th Dimension International Film Festival – Winner, Documentary Film
BEYOND: The Cary Film Festival -- Beyond Ordinary Filmmaker Award, Josh and Rebecca Tickell
Canadian Cinematography Awards (CaCA) – Best Documentary Cinematography
Coronado Island Film Festival – Emerald Award (For films that remind people they can be a force for good)
Crown Wood International Film Festival – Best Documentary Feature Film
DOC L.A. Los Angeles Documentary Film Festival – Best Documentary Award, Josh and Rebecca Tickell
DOC L.A. Los Angeles Documentary Film Festival – Storyteller Award, narrator Woody Harrelson
Druk International Film Festival – Best Documentary Film
Florence Film Awards – Best Feature Documentary
Golden Gate International Film Festival – Best Documentary Film
Golden Gate International Film Festival – Best Actor Male, Woody Harrelson
L’Age d’Or International Arthouse Film Festival (LIAFF) – Documentary Feature Award
LA Live Film Festival – Best Documentary Film
London Independent Film Awards – Best Picture
London Independent Film Awards – Best Documentary
Los Angeles Film & Script Festival – Best Documentary Feature
Moonwhite Films International Film Fest – Best Documentary Feature International
Moonwhite Films International Film Fest – Special Mention: Woody Harrelson
New York International Film Awards – Best Documentary Feature
New York Movie Awards – Best Feature Documentary
Oniros Film Awards – Best Documentary Feature
Red Nation International Film Festival – Chief Dan George Award (For contributions to environmental justice)
Rome Independent Prisma Awards – Best Feature Doc
Venice Film Awards – Best Feature Documentary
Vyre Film Festival – Best Documentary Feature Film
“INSPIRES A RARE FEELING OF HOPE”
– The New York Times
“DIRECTORS JOSH TICKELL AND REBECCA TICKELL GIVE YOU A GLIMPSE OF HOPE DURING A DARK TIME.”
– Los Angeles Times
“A POWERFUL SOLUTION TO THE GROWING EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE”
– Civil Eats
KISSTHEGROUNDMOVIE.COM
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ABOUT BIG PICTURE RANCH
Nested in the Los Padres National Forest in Ojai, California sits Big Picture Ranch – an organic avocado farm which also operates 24/7 as a soup-to-nuts film studio. Founders Josh and Rebecca Tickell are Sundance Award-Winning documentarians. Big Picture Ranch creates content that changes the global narrative around important environmental issues. Filmmakers Josh and Rebecca Tickell won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival with their first film FUEL, premiered their oil spill documentary THE BIG FIX as an official selection at Cannes, and are launching their first scripted feature film, HEARTLAND soon.