Reflecting on the Journey of MIRASOL: Cultivating Greater Understanding and Support for Conservation

The vision for MIRASOL, Looking at the Sun, originated in 2022 with a goal to amplify the importance of conservation by sharing the story of Pueblo’s multi-generational farming community through a short film. To capture the beauty of this community—and share the urgent need to safeguard water and agriculture in our rural communities—we knew we needed to take bold action and partner with an exceptional filmmaker—and we knew it had to be Ben Knight. 

Palmer approached Knight during a screening of his film, Learning to Drown, a partnership film project with The North Face. As Kristie Nackord, VP of Agricultural Impact, recollects, “I wasn’t going to leave until I gave Ben my 30-second pitch. I saw him sitting alone and seized the moment. Turns out, we were neighbors, and that opens a special door in a rural community—and I wasn’t going to take no for an answer.” 

With Ben on board, filming began during the harvest season of the same year, and editing of MIRASOL took place throughout 2023. MIRASOL had its world premiere at the prestigious Big Sky Film Festival in Missoula, Montana, in February 2024. 

MIRASOL then came home to Pueblo in April for its sold-out Colorado premiere, welcoming more than 400 people. The film received cheers, tears, and a standing ovation. We couldn’t have hoped for anything more than the Pueblo community to embrace the film.

Since then, MIRASOL has been an official selection at 12 film festivals across the country, including Colorado’s Telluride Mountain Film Festival, 5Point Adventure Film Festival, and Crested Butte Film Festival. Over 7,000 people have seen the film through 30 in-person events and screenings.

The film and impact campaign have opened the minds and hearts of Coloradans and helped cultivate greater understanding and support for conservation—and highlight the need for more—and better—solutions. Palmer’s 2024 tour of MIRASOL concluded with our Denver premiere at the CSU Spur Center. We welcomed Attorney General Phil Weiser to provide opening remarks and hosted a powerful on-stage conversation with key legislators, water managers, and business and community leaders.  

Looking ahead to 2025, we are gearing up for the next tour along Colorado’s Front Range. Our goal is to continue to host screenings and conversations to help raise awareness with our urban audiences. 

But we are at an inflection point. 

Colorado stands to lose another 1,000 square miles of agricultural land by 2050 due to agricultural-to-municipal water transfers to meet the demands of the growing population.  

Adding to the crisis, farmers across Colorado and the country face enormous pressures from declining net farm income, market impacts, succession planning challenges, and much more. From a national and global perspective, the United States, long known as one of the world's agricultural powerhouses, is now facing a significant shift in its food production and trade dynamics. For the third time in five years, the U.S. became a net food importer, meaning we now rely on other countries to feed us. We are still fortunate in Colorado that many of the farms here are still independently owned by individuals and families. But this too is changing. 

The Williams Farm + Seed Store

Shortly after we finished filming, we received word that the Williams family—who are prominently featured in MIRASOL—needed to sell their beloved century-old family farm and seed store. Palmer is working to ensure the farm is protected forever.

Ultimately, MIRASOL asks, if you had the chance to do something, would you?

Join us to help share this transformative film with more people in Colorado and beyond. To get started, check out these four ways to protect local farmland.