DIRECTOR SPOTLIGHT: Josh ‘Bones’ Murphy
Josh' Bones' Murphy is an award-winning independent filmmaker. With a passion for the environment, storytelling, and a unique visual style, Murphy has quickly made a name for himself with his thought-provoking and emotionally resonant films.
Murphy is especially passionate about environmental activism and has used his filmmaking talents to spotlight environmental concerns like overfishing and climate change.
Coast Film & Music Festival has had the honor of showcasing several of Murphy’s award-winning films at our festival throughout the years and sparking curiosity and inspiration through conversation at Coast Summit and Q&As on how we can collectively make a larger impact on protecting and preserving our planet.
Environmental Activism through Film with Josh ‘Bones’ Murphy
‘The Scale of Hope’
Murphy directed and produced THE SCALE OF HOPE for Patagonia about aspiring alpinist, climate activist, and former Obama White House Climate Team member, Molly Kawahata, as she struggles with mental illness while trying to create a new climate narrative framed around systemic change and hope. The documentary follows Kawahata's journey, both inwardly as she grapples with her own challenges and outwardly as she fights for a better future. Now, she's traded her desk for ice picks, training as an ice climber and continuing her activism. In "The Scale of Hope," Kawahata takes on an ambitious journey through the Alaskan Range, pushing the boundaries of both physical and mental endurance. The film's powerful cinematography and stirring performances have earned it widespread acclaim, putting Murphy in the spotlight with multiple award nominations and catching the attention of industry insiders.
THE SCALE OF HOPE is available on YouTube.
Check out a special screening at the Rivian South Coast Theater on Saturday, April 6th at 6:30pm. The screening is free, but don’t forget to RESERVE your tickets!
‘Our Waters’
This film raises the main question, “How can an industrial development that a community doesn’t want, be stopped?”
From the serene Gulf of Maine to the fjords of Norway, and from the rugged coasts of Patagonia to the lush shores of British Columbia, industrial fish farming is casting a shadow over native fish species, endangered marine mammals, and the delicate seafloor ecosystem. Not to mention, it's also jeopardizing the health and livelihoods of local communities.
But here's the thing: the community is not just sitting idle. Concerned citizens, Indigenous groups, marine scientists, and ocean organizations worldwide are teaming up to raise awareness about the perils of fish farms and to defend our precious marine environments.
OUR WATERS is a short film that zooms in on the Frenchman Bay community as they fight to safeguard Maine's invaluable resources. In 2022, the film was featured at the Coast Film and Music Festival and awarded the “MacGillivray Freeman Environmental Filmmaker” award.
Check out the incredibly inspirational Q&A with Josh after the screening of OUR WATERS at Coast Film and Music Festival 2022.
OUR WATERS trailer is available on Parley.tv.
‘Purple Mountains’
In a search for a united path forward on climate policy through a shared love of the outdoors, iconic snowboarder and environmentalist Jeremy Jones stars in PURPLE MOUNTAINS presented by Protect Our Winters. The hour-long documentary directed by Josh ‘Bones’ Murphy and produced by Liars & Thieves and Teton Gravity Research was showcased at the 2020 Coast Film and Music Festival, where it was awarded the “Making Waves” award. Purple Mountains follows Jones’ journey to engage his detractors, consider the future of clean air, clean water, and a healthy planet, and search for common ground in the mountains—one voter at a time.
PURPLE MOUNTAINS can be watched online.
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