Born and raised in Montreal, Michael Zelniker is a lifelong environmentalist as well as an award-winning actor and filmmaker. Then after more than 30 years of working on film, television, and theater stages all over the world, he decided to dedicate his efforts to helping address the climate crisis. In 2018, Michael joined the Climate Reality Project’s Leadership Corp, serving for 2.5 years as the Co-Chair of the Los Angeles chapter.
He recently completed the documentary film, “The Issue with Tissue—a boreal love story” that he wrote, produced, and directed. The film is about the Boreal Forest of Canada, the Indigenous Peoples who call it home, and the critical need to protect and conserve it. His new 6-part documentary series of the same name takes an even deeper dive into this ethereal landscape and the people determined to protect it.
During the early stages of his research for the documentary, Michael Zelniker kept coming across the name Dr. Jeff Wells, first on a website called the Boreal Songbird Initiative and then as the Audubon’s Vice President, Boreal Conservation. He decided to reach out to him and discovered that Jeff was more than willing to share his extensive knowledge and experience related to the Boreal Forest. The two talked about the conservation work Audubon has been doing across this vast landscape where billions of birds come to breed each year. Jeff introduced Michael to the First Nations communities, scientists, and activists who are at the forefront working to protect and defend this critically important biome.
The following is a conversation between the two men about the documentary series, which is streaming now on various platforms.
Jeff: Where did the idea of creating a documentary on the Boreal Forest come from? What motivated you to make it?
Michael: Having grown up in Montreal, spending summers about 100 miles north of the city in what I now know is the southern edge of the Boreal, I felt deeply bonded to these forests. So, when I learned that the Boreal was being cut down for the manufacture of toilet paper and other tissue products, I could hardly think of a more obscene example for what’s gone wrong. And I wanted to make people aware of what was happening.
Jeff: Why do you think the Boreal is worth protecting? Why should people care about what happens there?
Michael: It wasn’t until I began working on this project that I learned just how vitally important an ecosystem the Boreal is—and I grew up in Canada! As Elder Dave Porter, Kaska First Nation, says in the film: “The Boreal Forest is the lungs of the planet.” It stores more carbon than any other terrestrial landscape, it is home to iconic species like caribou, wolverines and bears. It is the America’s bird nursery, as approximately 2 billion birds nest in the Boreal every year, as many as 5 billion migrate south in the fall. Perhaps most importantly, it is home to more than 600 First Nations communities, a place they’ve called home for many thousands of years.
Jeff: Can you share a little about the experience you had while making the documentary?
Michael: Flying from my home in Los Angeles to Vancouver, I embarked on a 42 day/12,000-mile journey from coast to coast across the Boreal, meeting with more than 50 First Nations Elders and leaders, scientists and activists, all who opened their hearts and shared their stories with stunning candor and intimacy. The result is a 6-part/5-hour documentary series that is now available to stream on various platforms (see below).
Jeff: There was also a documentary film, correct?
Michael: Yes. The acclaimed feature length version just completed a run across North America and Europe screening in theaters, at film festivals and universities, garnering Best Documentary Feature nominations along with a treasure trove of great reviews.
Jeff: Any final words you want to share with Audubon members and supporters?
Michael: I hope you will watch our series. Among the many themes The Issue with Tissue explores, is a delightful segment on birds. At every step of the filmmaking process, Audubon and especially you Jeff, have been an indispensable supporter/partner, for which I will forever be grateful. But I’m also grateful to you and Audubon because you were responsible for unleashing my inner birder. I’m now the proud owner of a great pair of binoculars and birding has become an important part of my life.
You can watch the documentary series “The Issue with Tissue—a boreal love story” now on these platforms:
