Saving Walden’s World Wins Vermont Public Award at Made Here Film Festival

Saving Walden’s World won the Vermont Public Award for Best Documentary at the 2025 Made Here Film Festival. See it April 24-27 or visit savingwaldenworld.org.

BURLINGTON, ME, UNITED STATES, April 21, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Saving Walden’s World, a poignant and timely documentary that intersects climate work, gender equity, and intergenerational stories, won the Vermont Public Award for Best Documentary at the 2025 Made Here Film Festival. Presented by Vermont International Film Festival (VTIFF) and Vermont Public, the April 24-27 festival at Burlington Beer Company screens 50 creative New England and Québec films.

Saving Walden's World screens on Friday, April 25, at 1:00 PM at 180 Flynn Ave, Burlington, VT, followed by a live Q&A with director Jim Merkel.

Made by award-winning documentarian and sustainability activist Jim Merkel, the documentary follows his off-grid life raising his son Walden in his quest for a more compassionate, equitable future for people and the planet. From the hills of Maine to Kerala, Cuba, and Slovenia, the documentary reveals the necessity of empowered women, public health, and reproductive freedom to return ecological balance to the world.

“This honor is a tribute to the voices in the film—especially the women spearheading systemic change around the world," Merkel continues, "We need to move from extractive economies to care-based economies, and this film is a love letter and blueprint to that future."

“Coming to the Made Here Film Festival is like a homecoming,” says Merkel, who lived off the grid in East Corinth, Vermont, and later worked as Dartmouth College’s Sustainability Coordinator. “Being in a line-up of locally made films is a precious opportunity to meet other regional filmmakers and film lovers. I wouldn’t miss it.”

“Made Here is a beautiful way to shine a light on our region's filmmakers and the stories they tell," said Steve MacQueen, Executive Director of VTIFF. "The range of genres, styles, techniques, and perspectives is breathtaking. We also love celebrating our creative kinship with our Canadian neighbors."

Now the winner of 14 worldwide film awards, Saving Walden's World is gaining acclaim for connecting climate action with reproductive justice and the quiet strength of everyday revolutionaries. With the abortion rights, wars, ecological disaster, and systemic injustice heating up, the film arrives at a moment to get us roused and lift our hope. See the trailer and find out how to get involved at www.savingwaldensworld.org

Tickets are pay-what-you-can and are now available at www.madeherefilmfestival.org. Reserving tickets early is strongly encouraged.

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WHAT: Saving Walden's World Screening + Q&A with Jim Merkel, Made Here Festival
WHEN: Friday, April 25 | 1:00 PM
WHERE: Burlington Beer Company, 180 Flynn Ave, Burlington, VT
TICKETS (pay what you can): https://www.madeherefilmfestival.org/events-2025/
Trailer: Watch here: http://www.savingwaldensworld.org/

What Leaders Are Saying:

"Jim Merkel offers a special mix of practicality and idealism: a workable mix." — Bill McKibben

"As a former engineer working on weapons, his words have a special power." — Howard Zinn

Join the Conversation Follow our journey on Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for the latest news and upcoming screenings. Watch the Trailer here: http://www.savingwaldensworld.org/

Jim Merkel
Saving Walden's World
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