ICE TOWN
Molly Loftus and Emily Mansfield
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LOGLINE
Documentary Short
Located on the shores of Squam Lake in New Hampshire, Holderness has upheld the old tradition of ice harvesting for over a century, which uses ice from the winter to cool the town’s residences in the summer. However, environmental factors and dwindling community support has left the ice harvesting tradition in danger.
SYNOPSIS
Nestled between the foothills of the White Mountains and the shores of the Squam Lakes, Holderness, NH (population 2,000) is a town centered around the old practice of ice harvesting. Every winter, when the lakes freeze over, people cut the ice into big blocks. The blocks of ice are used to keep food cold even after the weather. Even today, the town uses their ice blocks to cool rooms over modern methods, to save energy and create comfortable cabins.
But as the years go on, towns members worry about the future of their beloved ice practices. Jane Kellogg and her husband Ron have been harvesting ice for over 6 decades, and they’ve noticed two reasons why ice harvesting feels threatened to today’s world: Firstly, with environmental factors making it harder to harvest the ice, it becomes less frequent that the lake freezes completely over. Secondly, the town feels less united and community-oriented than it used to. Younger people leave the town after high school, and people feel less committed to keeping the community together.
However, two Holderness Millennials, Neil and Ryan, are on a mission to save the practice of ice harvesting.
Director Statement
After reading an article showcasing the dying tradition of ice harvesting, I started to get really interested in the two separate reasons for this downturn. Firstly, I am drawn to subjects surrounding small town America, and exploring the concept of community. In today's world, it's harder and harder to see the camaraderie that is so central to communities like Holderness, and in essence, is the reason the ice harvest works each year. Without everyone from the community coming together, the labor and scope of the tradition would be too large to manage for the camp staff.
Secondly, I am fascinated by how such a community looks at climate change, sees its impact it has on this centuries old tradition, and tries to adapt. Every year becomes more and more stressful for the camp staff, because the window of time to harvest is almost too small to handle. They are trying to adjust by investing in new contraptions that won't put so much weight on the ice, and therefore won't require the 12-inch ice thickness. But it's the beginning of the long road for this community.
PITCH DECK
Emily Mansfield. Director
Emily is a New York based producer, writer, director and casting director. With over 10 years of experience, Emily has worked in both development and casting, as well as production and post-production in television, documentary, commercial and film. She began her career in the world of TV, starting on Food Network’s “Chopped,” and casted shows such as “House Hunters,” and “Beat Bobby Flay.” Emily also developed series for Rachael Ray, Hawa Hassan and other celebrity talent. In addition to working in non-scripted television, Emily has produced documentaries and docu-series in the education, food, travel and true crime spaces.
On the commercial side, Emily has produced digital and linear ads for international brands such as Laura Mercier, Google, Lincoln Town Car, Amazon Music and VRBO. Her ongoing goal is to create bold, mission-driven and genre-bending creative projects. Emily is a graduate of The George Washington University with a dual degree in international affairs and political science.
Molly Loftus. Producer
Molly is an award-winning writer, producer, director and assistant director with a decade of experience creating commercial, documentary and narrative video content. She got her start as the lead producer of Worth magazine, where she managed a $1 million annual budget and founded Worth's first ever multimedia branded content studio. The video, audio, live and print content that she produced and directed features incredible talent such as SNL's Lindsay Shookus, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, CEO of Cornerstone Capital Inc. Erika Karp.
With a honed interest in producing high quality video content, Molly became a production consultant at Google and Skillshare, where she produces and directs educational videos with celebrity artists and influencers. She is a storyteller at her core, and is especially passionate about uplifting women and highlighting their stories on screen.
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