IRWA premieres ‘Story of Ipswich’ on June 23

The Ipswich River Watershed Association (IRWA) is releasing its first short film in partnership with ICAM.

Story of Ipswich: Community and Resiliency on the North Shore will be available for free to subscribers to Ipswich River’s YouTube channel, as well as appearing over the coming months on local access TV.

Produced by Patrick J. Lynch, Margot Kelly, Jaedin Guldenstern, and Rachel Schneider, the film tells the story of the town of Ipswich and its efforts to become more resilient in the face of climate change.

Centered around the Ipswich Riverbank Resiliency Project, one of many such projects happening on the North Shore, it features interviews with Ipswich residents, town staff, and business owners.

“We are really excited to make this film free for viewing online and on local access TV,” said Lynch, a filmmaker and Ipswich River’s director of policy and planning. “Filmmaking is a powerful tool for telling stories about local community resiliency.”

A recent Ipswich High School graduate, Kelly is also one of the film’s producers. “Getting the chance to speak with people from all different walks of life and experiences has helped me gain a new understanding of what it means to be a leader in coastal towns like we have on the North Shore,” she said.

For Guldenstern, another film producer and alumni of the Climate Café, the film “reveals how science, government, and intergenerational wisdom work best when deeply listening to each other.”

“I think it’s important for all the communities to work together, to work towards what’s best for the watershed,” Ipswich science teacher Lori LaFrance says in the film.

The riverbank resiliency project is a collaborative effort between several members of the Parker-Ipswich-Essex Rivers Partnership (PIE-Rivers), a coalition in Massachusetts founded in 2011 to promote restoration and resiliency planning across the North Shore.

In addition to project brochures at Ipswich Town Hall or Riverbend Headquarters a new multimedia story map has also been released online with more information about the project.

“We must remember, learn, step back, advocate, and celebrate the lessons in our moons and tides, our structures and salt marshes, our elders and young ones,” said Guildenstern.

Anyone who subscribes to Ipswich River’s YouTube Channel by Wednesday, June 23 can tune in during the premiere at 7 p.m. The group will also be hosting an online Zoom viewing of the premiere, featuring a Q&A with the creative team behind the film. Members of the public can register via the organization’s website or clicking the link here.

Link for Q&A: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0pde6pqT4oEtOoLEsNksr0jYhFls2QdO-z.