Awards:
AUDIENCE AWARD — Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD — Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
AUDIENCE AWARD — New Orleans Film Festival
PROGRAMMER'S AWARD — Virginia Film Festival
AUDIENCE AWARD — San Francisco IndieFest
JURY AWARD — San Francisco IndieFest
BEST US/INTERNATIONAL FEATURE DOCUMENTARY — Kansas City FilmFest
AUDIENCE AWARD — Rhode Island Film Festival
"FORK IN THE ROAD" AWARD — Greentopia Film Festival
press coverage:
“Moving and inspiring … The film is about a life of purpose and a death with meaning.” Nell Minow, The Huffington Post
"★★★★ A Beautiful Rumination on Life, Death and Burial Choice … Advocating without preachiness and emotional without exploitation, this film is a lovely piece of work." Dan Schindel, Nonfics
“[One of] nine documentaries that you need to see this year … which no documentary fan should miss.” “Has the potential to affect not just individual viewers but the American way of death … Must-see.” Marianna Torgovnick, TED
"A truly moving experience, and a testimony to the difference that a single life can make in the lives of others." - Jen Chaney, The Dissolve
“An immersive, heartwarming tale.” Elias Savada, Film Threat
"Big-hearted and thought-provoking." “A Will for the Woods is more contemplative than preachy … that generosity makes for a finer film.” Chris Barsanti, Film Journal International
“A gorgeous, haunting, and lushly crafted meditation on one man’s coming to terms with death." "Far more impactful emotionally than just an issue documentary … what we have here is, thankfully, something far more emotionally engrossing and ultimately intellectually rewarding.” Joshua Brunsting, CriterionCast
“The film has hit a cultural nerve.” Glenn McDonald, Discovery News
“A powerful, personal testament to the ‘green burial’ movement … with humor, eloquence, anguish and reflection.” Sylvia Pfeiffenberger, Indy Week - Indy Pick
"Offers a fascinating angle on environmental equality" The Age & Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
“A Will for the Woods uplifts and inspires” in covering a subject that is “relevant in a profound way to each and every one of us.” “One felt the joy of a new beginning as deeply as the sadness of an ending. There was ample space for laughter along with the tears.” Bill Chameides, dean of Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment, THEGREENGROK
"A unique and unflinching examination." John Esther, Jesther Entertainment
“This movie will open your eyes to a new way of thinking.” John Angelico, San Francisco Gate
“Will make you reconsider how you want to die.” Eric Eidelstein, Indiewire
“An information-packed documentary … But more than that, it's an intimate and unflinching look at the journey a couple takes in planning for imminent death.” Melissa Barber, Death with Dignity
“A documentary not to be missed … [a] gem of a movie.” “I don’t remember ever so highly recommending a documentary … a powerful testimonial for why you should seriously consider green burial.” Fran Sorin (author of Digging Deep), Gardening Gone Wild and FranSorin.com
"Explores the dimensions of life, terminal illness, loss of control, premature death, legacy, burial, and letting go in a moving and profound way … it’s an important discussion that we need to address." Melanie Votaw, Reel Life With Jane
"A profound statement … a touching film and a very important one." Nell Minow, BeliefNet
"Up-close-and-personal … a documentary that environmentally conscious men and women will want to see." Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality & Practice
Additional Press Coverage:
NonFics – 20 Necessary Docs About Death & Dying
Hyperallergic
Grist
Indiewire – Project of the Day
FilmWax Radio/Rooftop Films
NY Daily News
Vocativ
Film School Radio
Green Divas
Indiewood/Hollywoodn't
The Screen Feed/The Tribeca Trib
NCFlix
The Herald Sun, Durham
90.9 WBUR Boston
The News & Observer
Australian Press:
ABC News Breakfast
Crikey
SPOOK Magazine
Broadsheet Melbourne
ABC RN Drive
Silver Screen Snobs
Educational reviews:
"++ Highly Recommended. A Will for the Woods portrays Dr. Wang’s funeral rationally and persuasively. It is worth our consideration." – Science Books and Films - "Best Books and Films List 2017"
“An intriguing portrait of American life in the search for the authentic and alternative in the maelstrom of modern life.” “Rich and multifaceted … I will use this in my teaching." Dr. Liv Nilsson Stutz, Lecturer, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Department of Anthropology, Emory University
"A must see: A Will for the Woods is a moving and consciousness-raising film about green burial. It promotes a way of bodily disposal that is spiritually enriching, environmentally friendly and helps to protect areas of natural beauty. The beginning of a funeral reform in the U.S.A. that gives new meaning to death." Dr. Eric Venbrux, Director of the Centre for Thanatology, Radboud University Nijmegen, Co-editor, Changing European Death Ways
"An impressive, captivating, and powerful film. It is both an intimate portrait of the burgeoning green burial movement and a philosophical reflection on human mortality in a time of environmental crisis." Gary Laderman, Chair of Department of Religion, Professor of American Religious History and Cultures, Emory University, Author, The Sacred Remains and Rest in Peace
"The potential for the end of life … to promote conservation and renewal is profound, in this ultimately life-affirming portrayal. Highly recommended." The Midwest Book Review
"A tender, honest, and compelling portrait of dying on one's own terms. The film affords a touching and inspirational experience to sojourn with someone who lives fully, throughout the dying trajectory. The film captures a beautiful aesthetic, the lessons of which are as instructive for living as they are for dying." Dr. Nate Hinerman, Lecturer of Theology and Religious Studies, University of San Francisco, Chair of the San Francisco Bay Area Network for End-of-Life Care
“It took four credited filmmakers – Amy Browne, Jeremy Kaplan, Tony Hale and Brian Wilson – to bring us the news that a majority of Americans are not aware of the option of “green” burials … A fine compliment to Mark Harris’s 2008 book Grave Matters, which covers some of the same ground (no pun intended), this thought-provoking documentary on end-of-life issues is highly recommended.” C. Cassady, Video Librarian