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'Trans Pecos' Is a Cautionary Tale About Land and Water Rights at the Virtual KCET Cinema Series on July 8

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Q&A immediately following with Nicol Ragland (director and producer) Anna Rau (producer) and Corbett Jones (producer, director of photography and editor).

The film documents the impact of the Trans-Pecos Pipeline during the two years of its construction, as oil and gas interests trample on land and water rights and endanger residents along 148 miles in West Texas. As a beautifully rendered cautionary tale, it asks viewers to contemplate not just this specific incident, but the broader meaning of nature and the question of proprietorship.

Director and producer Nicol Ragland shared, “Protecting the rights of the land has now become a health imperative. Private companies taking land for private gain not only violates basic property rights but invades ecological systems, violates the integrity of species and contributes to industrializing our world by exploiting land for profit. The characters we followed within the region of the Big Bend in far West Texas represent a boundless relationship to place. These voices along with an insider who sheds light on the nature of the political system that allows a pipeline to steal 41 landowners land without due process is our story and timely intervention. We look forward to sharing the film along with furthering the collective effort in protecting land and human rights.”

Immediately following the screening, Deadline’s chief film critic Pete Hammond, who can also be seen on KCET’s Must See Movies, will moderate a Q&A with Ragland as well as Anna Rau (producer) and Corbett Jones (producer, director of photography and editor). Ragland is a successful photographer and filmmaker based in Jones, Oklahoma who has spent time with Indigenous people around the world. Through stories and imagery that evoke humanity while advocating for social justice, Raglan aligns her creative work to push boundaries and bridge differences, and serve numerous international non-profit organizations. Rau is a creative producer and co-founder of The Range, a creative production company based in Austin, Texas. Her work has included feature-length documentary and narrative works as well as award-winning commercials for National Geographic, VICE Media, and Atlantic Records, among others. Jones is a co-founder with Anna Rau of The Range, and lives in Austin, Texas. He received a Golden Mike Award in 2020 for his cinematography on the KCET/PBS environmental series “Tending Nature,” and a 2017 Emmy Award as a producer on the “Third L.A. with Architecture Critic Christopher Hawthorne” episode of "Artbound" on KCET. His freelance work has taken him around the world, for clients such as Apple, Cartier, Chevrolet and Spotify.

The film screens on Wednesday, July 8 at 7 p.m. PDT. Only $10 per viewing link. Limited space available.

To sign up, click here.

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