Crossing Borders to Share Conservation Stories
This October, we packed up our gear — not for another shoot — but for a journey across the border. Filmmaker Gregg McLachlan and co-producer Cynthia Brink of WorkCabin Films travelled to Marquette, Michigan, for the 9th annual Fresh Coast Film Festival, a gathering that celebrates the best in outdoor and conservation storytelling across the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest region.
Set against the rugged beauty of Lake Superior’s shoreline, Fresh Coast is more than a film festival. It’s a community, a meeting place for filmmakers, adventurers, scientists, and storytellers who share a deep love for wild places and the people working to protect them.
This year, we were honoured to have two of our films featured as Official Selections: The Bird House and Saving The Night Caller. Both were filmed in Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada. These are stories born in our own forests, along our trails, and beside our waters. To see them play on the big screen in Marquette, among a lineup of incredible Great Lakes and Upper Midwest stories, was a proud and humbling moment.
“Seeing so many outstanding films are the various venues, watching the audience respond to these local conservation stories, was powerful,” says Gregg. “It reminded me why we do this work — to connect people emotionally to the natural world and to those quietly dedicating their lives to caring for it.”
“The festival was such a beautiful reminder that conservation storytelling is a shared effort,” says Cynthia. “Every conversation, every screening, felt like part of a larger movement to lift up the voices of people who are doing incredible work for our planet.”
For us, this experience reinforced something simple but profound: our local stories have a place on international screens. The work happening here in southern Ontario resonates far beyond our borders. It’s proof that conservation stories, no matter where they’re from, can inspire, move, and create change.
As we made the long drive back home along the Great Lakes, the feeling was clear: The stories we tell here matter. And being able to share them at Fresh Coast was a reminder of how far they can travel and how deeply they can reach.
- A Special Filmmaker’s Cut of Saving The Night Caller - November 16, 2025
- Why Filmmaking Is Leaning Into Nimble Teams - November 11, 2025
- How to Break Into Conservation Filmmaking - October 29, 2025
