The Great Basin! Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Desert2023

The Great Basin! Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Desert addresses climate change, the severe drought in the Western United States, gun culture, the military’s use of the basin and range of Nevada for atomic testing, cultural stereotypes, Eric Weeks’ own personal history, and his experiences in this mostly remote area. Weeks’ short film creates complex collages of still and motion captures made in Nevada with appropriated short clips from Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, recent weather footage, historic films, cartoons, and many other cultural artifacts, in order to speak to the place and its significance.