Green River Reservoir, this week's Made Here local documentary series premiere, is the newest film from Vermonter Ian Sweet. The Green River Reservoir, which sits just north of Hyde Park in Lamoille County, is a pristine body of water, full of wildlife and bountiful fishing which attracts thousands of visitors every year. Ian’s film looks at the history of this natural resource and its future in light of climate change, economics and land use.
Filmmaker Ian Sweet answered questions about the film via email with Vermont Public's Eric Ford. This interview has been lightly copy edited.
Eric Ford: Why did you decide to make a film about the Green River Reservoir?
Ian Sweet: That's an interesting question as originally I was looking at Vermont artisanal cheese but this didn't work out. A fishing buddy suggested the Green River Reservoir primarily concerning the dam and hydro relicensing issues. I did some research and decided that this was an interesting topic and worth telling the story about it.
Eric Ford: What are some surprising things you learned about the Reservoir when making the film?
Ian Sweet: I had fished the reservoir many years ago but didn't remember how remote and beautiful the reservoir was especially in the fall. I learnt a great deal about the loons and of course found out more about the problems of relicensing the hydro facility. I was also unaware of the history and the remote campsites. It truly is a wonderful state park.
Eric Ford: You've been making films in Vermont for many years. What's that been like, and what motivates you to do this work?
Ian Sweet: After spending over thirty years in sports broadcasting as a commentator, cameraman, editor, producer, and director, I was looking for something else to do using my broadcast experience. I came across the Made Here series on Vermont PBS, as it was then, and thought this was worth pursuing. My first documentary Mad Music came about as I was helping out at a local music studio here in the Mad River Valley and started to discover the diversity of music and musicians here in the Valley. I've always loved interviewing and meeting people and making documentaries is an amazing way to tell their stories. Luckily Vermont has a wealth of history, interesting places and wonderful people to talk to.
Eric Ford: What project are you working on next?
Ian Sweet: Recently my neighbor, told me about a wonderful topic for my next documentary. Dan William Reicher was with the U.S. Department of Energy during the Clinton Administration. As an avid supporter of renewable energy and wind power, Dan has authored numerous articles on the subject, including a commentary for Vermont Public, about a mountain in Vermont called Grandpa’s Knob, where in 1941 the world’s first megawatt-scale wind turbine was connected to the electric grid, generating power for thousands in the Champlain Valley. I was immediately interested to tell the story of not just about this wind turbine but the history of wind power. The working title is Wind power "Vermont leads the way."
Green River Reservoir premieres on Vermont Public's main TV channel 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19 and is available now on demand.
