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John Muir’s Story

John Muir was one of America's most important Conservationists, he sought to preserve American forests, parks, and wilderness areas through his writings. This story uses John Muir’s own words to inspire and empower citizens to care about nature, protect ecosystems and give each other shared wilderness access for generations to come.

  • Tara Roberts Zabriskie
    Director
    Defending the Dark - Director, Producer
  • Tom Banks
    Writer
    Don't Be That Guy - Leave No Trace on the Appalachian Trail
  • Tom Banks
    Producer
    Don't Be That Guy - Leave No Trace on the Appalachian Trail
  • Tara Roberts Zabriskie
    Producer
    Defending the Dark
  • Tom Banks
    Key Cast
    "John Muir"
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    25 minutes
  • Production Budget:
    40,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Tara Roberts Zabriskie

Tara Roberts Zabriskie is an international award-winning editor and an independent documentary filmmaker. Her film Defending the Dark (2022) screened at more than a dozen film festivals and was nominated for 2 awards, one internationally, has aired on public broadcasting stations on more than 80 channels across the country reaching major markets coast to coast and audiences worldwide on the PBS app. It also continues to be shown internationally at community screenings to help educate, inform and start a conversation for change. Her documentary film, The Buzz on Native Plants (2024) has started its film festival run and will be on Public Broadcasting stations later this year. Her work as Editor/Co-Producer on Buscon Searcher/Swindler earned Best Documentary 2009 at the Sports Movie Film Festival in Milan, Italy.

Tara has formed partnerships with nonprofits to elevate important messages related to nature, science, and history through visual storytelling for PSAs, documentaries, and educational videos. Those credits include: PA/Assistant Editor - Homesteading America produced for the National Park Service. Producer/DP/Editor - Don’t Be that Guy YouTube series produced for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Editor, Waterways of the Ipswitch River produced for the Massachusetts Audubon Society.

Tara is passionate about sharing stories through documentary filmmaking that serve a purpose in informing and inspiring audiences.

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Director Statement

John Muir is most known for protecting land in the American west in the late 1800s to early 1900s. He founded the Sierra Club, was instrumental in convincing politicians to protect lands from further development and helped create the National Park Service. His writings were very inspiring and helped to change Americans’ views on wilderness and conservation. We aim to do the same with this film. Using his very own words from various works we weave together a story of John Muir’s adventurous life immigrating to America from Scotland as a boy and discovering the importance of spending time in the great outdoors. Through beautiful scenic shots of some of the places Muir spent time, and reenactments of John Muir himself we aim to continue to use his words to inspire citizens of our planet to care about nature, protect ecosystems, and provide shared wilderness access for all.

We made a trailer from the first round of filming in Olympic National Park where John Muir spent many summers. We are currently raising money to film the second half in Yosemite National Park in summer of 2025. The completion date for the film is projected for early 2026.