MIRAGE FILMS presents
The Green Desert
Water is The Lifeblood
The Film
The Green Desert is a public television documentary about the collapse of the Colorado River
system and the American food supply that depends on it — available as a turnkey screening
event for conferences, customer gatherings, and internal programs.
Ninety percent of the winter vegetables consumed in the United States are grown in three
desert valleys on water delivered from the Colorado River. The film tells that story from the
growers who farm it to the officials who allocate it. Directed by Leo Zahn. Broadcast nationally
on public television via NETA. Video Librarian called it "informative and thought-provoking."
Trailer
Sizzle
The Green Desert - available in 25-minute, 56-minute, and 85-minute versions
Why Now?
Lake Mead is 27% full. Lake Powell has fallen to 22% — both at record lows.
• Federal rules recently issued cut Colorado River use by 12% in California, 31% in Arizona,
and 28% in Nevada through 2028.
• If reservoirs keep falling, the ten-year plan allows mandatory cuts of up to 40% of the three states' combined allotments.
• Roughly three-quarters of the water drawn from the river goes to agriculture.
Every customer you have in the Basin is making capital decisions against these numbers now.
Most of them have read the headlines. Very few have seen what it looks like on the ground.
Packages
INTERNAL LICENSE - $2500
Perpetual internal use. All versions, secure intranet hosting, unlimited internal screenings.
SCREENING LICENSE — from $1,500
One event, up to 250 attendees. All versions, promotional kit, moderator guide
HOSTED SCREENING — $4,500
Everything above, plus the director attends to present and join your panel.
One year internal streaming. Post-event summary. Travel at cost.
ANNUAL PARTNERSHIP — from $25,000
Three events, underwriting credit on the annual update,
4K footage library licensed for your marketing, custom internal cut
Included
Every license comes with a complete kit, so your team runs the event without building materials from
scratch.
Promotion — email invitation template · key art in all formats · trailer (90-second and 2.5-minute versions) · short and long description copy · social posts · printable poster · digital signage slides
Day of — event program template · run of show · moderator guide with prepared questions · speaker
introduction · technical rider and AV checklist
After — attendee survey · post-event summary with attendance, survey results, and photographs for your reporting
On Camera
Pat Mulroy — General Manager, Southern Nevada Water Authority and Las Vegas Valley Water District, 1989–2014. She built the Las Vegas water strategy now at the center of Nevada's lawsuit against the federal government.
Terry Fulp — Regional Director, Bureau of Reclamation, Lower Colorado. Thirty-one years at Reclamation, including drought contingency planning and binational agreements with Mexico.
JB Hamby — Colorado River Commissioner for California and the state's lead negotiator in the current federal talks. Vice President, Imperial Irrigation District.
Patrick O'Toole — President, Family Farm Alliance, 2005–2024. Former member of the Wyoming House of Representatives. Cattle and sheep rancher on land his family has held since 1881.
Jack Vessey — Fourth-generation operator, Vessey & Company. More than 10,000 acres in the Imperial Valley.
Trevor Tagg — West-Gro Farms. A 3,000-acre forage operation in the Imperial Valley.
Anthony Bianco — Anthony Vineyards, Coachella Valley. Elected board member, Coachella Valley Water District.
Also featuring: Brad Lee - Belk Farms and Andrew Leimgruber - Leimgruber Farms
Reviews
"The Green Desert keeps audiences thoroughly engaged and
covers a lot of ground. Its intense presentation of environmental
degradation makes for an informative and thought-provoking
documentary." — Video Librarian
"It's an important film for the country to see."
— Bruce Fessier (The Desert Sun)
The Director
Leo Zahn directed more than 600 national commercials across a
thirty-year career, earning the International Cinema Advertising CLIO
and the Creativity Award from British Art Direction Magazine.
A member of the Directors Guild of America since 1988 and a graduate
of the USC film school, he served on the Motion Picture Academy's
Science and Technology Council in 2014. The Green Desert is his
fourth feature-length documentary which he directed and
photographed, including all of the drone aerials. His films have earned 20+ official film festival selections worldwide and enjoy global distribution across major streaming platforms.
Working in irrigation, engineering, agricultural finance, or food production?
Email me and I'll send the version for your sector.
Contact Leo Zahn · Mirage Films · (818) 398-1704 · leo@miragefilms.tv