The story of pioneers and conservationists Chris and Doug Tompkins is highlighted.
Thursday, May 25, 2023 11:37 PM
Los Angeles — Commit first, then figure it out.
That was one of the incantations of environmental activist Doug Tompkins and his wife, Kris. Their story, including the highs and lows of their biggest project, is chronicled in the National Geographic documentary Wildlife.
“It’s very exciting,” director and producer Jimmy Chin told On The Red Carpet. “We’ve been working on this movie for six or seven years. I think it’s a timely movie and an inspirational movie.”
Chris was an executive director at outdoor brand Patagonia. Doug was the founder of clothing brand The North Face and co-founder of Esprit. But they had another calling to help protect their first love: nature.
Doug and Chris have sought to protect millions of acres of land in Argentina and Chile. Their plan was to buy the land, create national parks, and then give it back to the people. They committed, and then figured out how they could actually make it happen.
When Doug died in a kayaking accident in 2015, Chris wondered if their dream could ever be fully realized.
“It was a complex film, it spanned many years with many interesting people involved in it. But we had to find the beating heart and that was Chris Tompkins,” said director and producer Chai Vasarheli.
In the movie, you see Chris’ tireless work creating and approving the gardens. It is a story of love, hope, dedication and achieving the impossible, while caring for our environment.
“I’m 72 and I’d say 60 of those years were really extraordinary. I’m lucky. I’m grateful for wildlife,” said Tompkins.
“Wildlife” airs on National Geographic Tonight. It will stream on Disney+ and Hulu starting Friday, May 25th.
Copyright © 2023 OnTheRedCarpet.com. All rights reserved.
[ad_2]
https://abc13.com/national-geographic-wild-life-kris-tompkins-doug/13300400/
