Join the Raton Film Office in celebrating a story of restoration and resilience rooted in our own backyard.

The Raton Film Office is proud to announce upcoming screenings of Preserved, a new feature-length documentary centered on Ted Turner’s decades-long conservation work at Vermejo, a Ted Turner Reserve—right here in the Raton area. The film brings audiences into the sweeping landscapes of the American Southwest and showcases how degraded land can be healed through collaboration, stewardship, and vision.

Why It Matters to Raton, Northern New Mexico, and Southern Colorado

Preserved shines a national and international spotlight on Vermejo—a 558,000-acre reserve spanning New Mexico and Colorado—and on the people, practices, and partnerships that have made this landscape a model for restoration. For Raton, it’s a chance to celebrate our region’s role in a hopeful conservation story and to invite visitors, students, and filmmakers to experience our unique environment.

Thank you for supporting films that highlight the people and places of Northeast New Mexico. We look forward to seeing you at a screening of Preserved soon.

About the Film

Directed by Ben Clark, Preserved blends breathtaking visuals with first-person accounts from those who live and work on the land—highlighting how ecosystems rebound when given attention and care. “Too often, conservation stories are framed around loss. Preserved is about what’s possible,” says Clark.

The film is rolling out with a theatrical release in select markets, followed by worldwide digital availability, broadening access and conversation around conservation and resilience.

“Preserved” Documentary Showcases Ted Turner’s Landmark Conservation Efforts Across the American Southwest

LOS ANGELES, CA –  Preserved, a new feature-length documentary, brings audiences into the sweeping landscapes of the American Southwest to tell a rare, uplifting story of resilience. Centered on visionary media pioneer and philanthropist Ted Turner and his ambitious efforts to restore Vermejo – a vast reserve spanning more than 558,000 acres in New Mexico and Colorado – the film captures how degraded land can be healed when people come together with purpose.

The documentary blends breathtaking visuals with personal accounts from many who live and work on the land, offering an important look at how ecosystems rebound when given space, attention, and care. Preserved creates a blueprint for hope, and shows how collaboration at scale can revive habitats, protect biodiversity, and inspire new ways of living in harmony with the land.

“Too often, conservation stories are framed around loss. Preserved is about what’s possible,” said Ben Clark, director of the film. “This land was once on the edge. Today it’s teeming with life. That’s not just a story of recovery, it’s proof of resilience.”

Preserved will debut with a theatrical release in select worldwide markets before becoming available worldwide on digital platforms, ensuring that audiences everywhere can experience the film. The rollout is designed to appeal to the widest possible audience while expanding the discussion around conversation and resilience in intimate screenings.

During a time of growing urgency for climate and environmental action, the film offers a hopeful counterpoint to the prevailing narrative. Preserved demonstrates to conservationists, students, and general audiences alike that while these challenges are real, so is the possibility of recovery.

Upcoming theatrical engagements include: 

• Santa Fe, NM – Center for Contemporary Arts – September 12–18, 2025
• New Paltz, NY – Denizen Theatre – September 17–20, 2025
• Hokitika, NZ – Regent Theatre – September 18, 2025
• Sedona, AZ – Mary D. Fisher Theatre – September 19–25, 2025
• Rotorua, NZ – Wall and Basement Cinema – September 19–21, 2025
• Steamboat, CO – Bud Werner Memorial Library – September 23, 2025
• Motueka, NZ – Gecko Theatre – September 25–October 1, 2025
• Aspen, CO – Isis Theater – October 6, 2025
• Atlanta, GA – Tara Theatre – October 9, 2025
• Flagstaff, AZ – Theatrikos Theatre Company – October 15, 2025
• Walla Walla, WA – Power House Theatre – October 15, 2025
• Boise, ID – The Flicks – October 17–23, 2025
• Lake Placid, NY – Lake Placid Film Festival – October 31, 2025

About the Preserved Productions Team
Director Ben Clark is an adventure filmmaker and former Himalayan ski mountaineer. He directed The Snowman Trek, a documentary on Bhutanese and ultrarunners’ high-altitude collaboration, which screened in 400 theaters. The youngest person to lead a successful Everest expedition, Ben has filmed stories around the world highlighting endurance, climate, and exploration. He is a member of the Protect Our Winters Creative Alliance.

Executive Producer Mary Anne Potts began her career at National Geographic at 23, ultimately leading its Adventure brand from print to a major digital presence. She later helped launch a Gen Z-focused video media company and brought her content expertise to Indigo Agriculture, telling climate-forward stories about farming, science, and sustainability.

About Monkey Wrench Films

As self-proclaimed industry disruptors, Monkey Wrench Films specializes in bringing well-deserved independent films to the big and small screen. Their current and recent feature film slate includes “Girl Climber” from Red Bull Studios, “Who Is Stan Smith?” from LeBron James’s Uninterrupted studio, the BAFTA Award-winning feature “The Hermit of Treig,” the much-anticipated follow-up to “The King of Kong” called “Arcades and Love Songs,” “Geoff Marslett’s “Quantum Cowboys” starring Lily Gladstone and David Arquette, and Tom Putnam’s “The Dark Divide,” starring David Cross and Debra Messing. See their full release lineup at monkeywrenchfilms.com.