Foothills Conservancy to premiere new documentary at CoMMA on Jan. 15

If you have ever stood on the shore at Lake James and thought, “How did we get lucky enough to keep this place looking like this?” Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina wants to show you the answer on the big screen.

Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina (FCNC) will premiere its new documentary, “A Dream for the Future,” on Thursday, Jan. 15, at the CoMMA Performing Arts Center in Morganton.

The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

The premiere is more than a screening. It begins with a 6 p.m. welcome reception featuring cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, followed by a 7 p.m. film screening, and then a panel discussion with audience Q&A at 7:45 p.m.

The film looks back at FCNC’s roots and milestones, provides behind-the-scenes perspectives from its team and partners, and shares details of its vision for the future of land and water protection in our region.

Produced by western North Carolina filmmakers from Creative Campfire, the film highlights some of the region’s most recognizable protected places, including Lake James State Park, South Mountains Game Land, Catawba Falls, and Wilson Creek.

Creative Campfire, a brother-run company, describes its storytelling approach as built around a “campfire lifestyle” — family, adventure, and the beauty of nature, with an emphasis on cinematic visuals and human-centered stories.

The film’s promotional tagline promises exactly that: “Through sweeping visuals and personal stories, A Dream for the Future weaves together Foothills Conservancy of N.C.’s rich history, ongoing work, and vision for the future.”

The documentary features interviews with Founding Executive Director Susie Hamrick Jones, Founding Board Member Marsha Riddle, conservation partners, and current Executive Director Andrew Kota, all reflecting on the relationships and long-term thinking that have shaped the region’s conservation success.

In the film, Riddle points toward the core ingredient behind most conservation wins: collaboration.

“We need to join forces with others to accomplish a common goal to save the land and to conserve nature,” she says.

Kota underscores FCNC’s mission as a land trust focused on protecting places that matter deeply to people, not just maps.

“Our goal as a land trust is to protect places that are special to people. We need these lands to persist … into the future,” he says.

— AVN