Thirsty Land

Thirsty Land is a documentary film that tells the story about extreme drought, agriculture, & the water crisis in the western United States and how these challenges impact farmers, local communities, and the environment.

The depleted water resources in the American Southwest is one of the most urgent challenges of the 21st century facing agriculture and growing urban communities. The drought on this region has local, national, and global impacts not only for the present, but also for future generations.

  • Conrad Weaver
    Director
    Great American Wheat Harvest
  • Conrad Weaver
    Producer
    Great American Wheat Harvest
  • Jim Whitt
    Producer
  • Sam Tressler, IV
    Cinematography
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    56 minutes 34 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 22, 2016
  • Production Budget:
    150,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    4k
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4096 × 1742
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Tallgrass Film Festival
    Wichita, KS
    United States
    October 14, 2016
  • Clifton Film Celebration
    Clifton, VA
    United States
    November 12, 2017
    Official Selection/ Nominated for Best Documentary
Director Biography - Conrad Weaver

EMMY® Award-winning producer, Conrad Weaver is President and owner of Conjostudios, LLC, a video production company based in Frederick County, Maryland. Weaver received Mid-America Regional EMMY® Award for his 2014 documentary feature, the Great American Wheat Harvest. The film was also an Official Selection in the 2014 LIFE SCIENCES FILM FESTIVAL in Prague, CZ and it was a featured selection at the 2014 Tallgrass Film Festival in Wichita, Kansas.

Weaver is a seasoned pro known for his compelling cinematography and one who knows how to tell a story about agriculture. Working with farmers and harvesters and other ag industry professionals has led him to turn the focus of his company exclusively to agriculture. He believes in advocating for the industry that helped form his upbringing.

Weaver’s interest in agriculture comes from his background of growing up on a small dairy farm in northeastern Ohio. He spent every summer of his youth working on his grandfather’s farm. While milking cows, baling hay, and cultivating corn, Weaver grew a love for agriculture and farming and developed a healthy work ethic. Although he doesn’t live on a farm today and resides near Washington, D.C. Weaver’s roots are firmly planted in his rural upbringing and still thinks it’s the best place to raise a family. He and his wife, Jodi, take their two children to Ohio to visit the family farm as often as they can.

Weaver’s experience and philosophy in crafting stories through video is to tell the story from the first person perspective; he believes in using every possible resource to tell the story in the best possible manner using the best equipment the budget allows.

When he’s not filming, Weaver enjoys photography, sailing, hiking, cycling, and traveling.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I'm excited to be working on Thirsty Land, it's an important story the world needs to see and hear.