Films
A collection of films Mike has produced or contributed to, sharing stories of water, wildlife, and conservation across the Great Plains of North America.
A collection of films Mike has produced or contributed to, sharing stories of water, wildlife, and conservation across the Great Plains of North America.
Over five years, Mike Forsberg, working alongside researchers, documented the lives of this last wild population of whooping cranes. In the spring of 2022, he followed the birds on their migration north. This six-minute narrative animation uses cutting-edge science and telemetry data to follow that migration through the lens of one family's remarkable and poignant journey of 37 days and 2,500 miles up the heart of the continent, connecting critical wetland and grassland habitats along the way.
Under the Wire is about a ranching community in southern Wyoming working together to improve fencelines so pronghorn and other wildlife can move more freely. It also celebrates the wildlife that call the North Platte River Valley home and the folks living and working on this land to help keep these animals around for generations to come.
In the High Plains of western Nebraska, bighorn sheep scale the buttes above the North Platte River Valley. Once nearly hunted to extinction, they returned through reintroduction efforts beginning in the early 1980s. Today, their populations are growing but remain threatened by disease and habitat fragmentation. This film is about their comeback.
While driving down a two-track road, deep in the Nebraska Sandhills, one may be so lucky to witness a heavenly white bird gliding across one of the many spring-fed lakes. The trumpeter swan is the largest waterfowl species in the world. Almost hunted to extinction, these birds have since been reintroduced to the Nebraska Sandhills and are thriving there today. This film is about the return of the trumpeter swan and highlights the conservation challenges these birds still face.
The American dipper is North America’s only aquatic songbird, known for diving beneath clear, fast-flowing streams. This film follows photographer and conservationist Mike Forsberg as he sets out to photograph the species underwater in Colorado’s Poudre River, with the help of lifelong birder Steve Den.
In this 60-minute documentary, author and photographer Michael Forsberg and filmmaker Pete Stegen set off on a remarkable 55-day adventure. They travel more than 1,300 mile by bike, on foot and in a canoe to trace the journey of Nebraska’s Platte River from snowmelt in the mountains of Wyoming to where it finally flows into the Missouri. Follow the Water chronicles the story of where our water comes from, and why we should care.
Follow Michael Forsberg as he explores the remaining wildness of North America’s Great Plains. Once one of the largest grassland ecosystems on Earth, the Plains have been dramatically transformed by settlement and development. Produced by NET’s national documentary team, the film follows Mike into remote landscapes in search of the region’s wildlife while introducing the biologists, ranchers, and others working to conserve this remarkable place.
Click HERE to watch the full film.
Every year, some 80 percent of the world's Sandhill cranes make their way through a 75-mile stretch of Nebraska's central Platte River Valley on their spring migration. "Crane Song" weaves together striking visuals and majestic sounds of the birds' journey with the stories and insights of the individuals who observe these creatures, as well as landowners endeavoring to ensure a habitat that is welcoming to the cranes.
Click HERE to watch the full film.