Best known for "The Birds of North America," a book of every bird then known in the United States, painted life size, John James Audubon has been referred to as "the nearest thing American art has to a founding father." A one-man compendium of American culture of his time–a scientist, woodsman, hunter, merchant, artist and businessman–Audubon came to exemplify his era and his nation. He saw more of the North American continent than virtually anyone alive. Audubon's life seems invented rather than lived: from bankruptcy to dinner at the White House, from the rugged wilds of America to elite art exhibitions in London, his was a life of contradiction. This documentary profiles a man who was larger than life, providing beautiful detail of Audubon's artwork as well as a portrait of the states of art, science and environmental awareness in the first decades of the 19th century. The environmental legacy of our forefathers and Audubon's impact on the conservation movement of today are also examined.

For more information, see http://www.dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org/ [1] 

(Note that people returning from the field trip to Hughes Hollow may be late for this movie.)