Local film lovers will not want to miss the upcoming screening of PLANETWALKER, a mini-documentary that outlines the story of one Point Reyes local who, following the 1971 oil spill in San Francisco, began a 22-year-long walk…17 years of which were taken in a vow of silence.
Dr. John Francis, the film’s protagonist, was born in 1946 in Philadelphia. He recalls having a wonderful childhood, especially when it came to the surrounding nature and wildlife. One of his fondest memories was of the local children taking care of the baby robins that would fall from their nests.
In 1969, Francis visited a friend in Inverness and found himself completely enthralled by the natural landscape and environment of Marin. He was especially taken by the giant trees, which he had yet to learn were only second-growth. After some back-and-forth visits between states, he officially moved out to California’s central coast…just in time to witness ecological disaster.
“Not long after that was the oil spill in San Francisco Bay in 1971, where the tankers had collided by the Golden Gate Bridge,” explained Francis. “I drove out with my girlfriend to look at the spill, but the fog made it so we could only see people working trying to clean up the spill.”
“I said we should get out of our car and just start walking because it was just so horrific that this oil had decimated so much wildlife,” he continued. “The birds in particular, because I was so attached to birds at the time from my childhood.”
But Francis’ walk did not begin until another incident involving the death of a fellow West Marin citizen. Together with his girlfriend, he decided to celebrate the life of their lost member of the community by walking to a nightclub in San Anselmo and having a dance.
“The Youngbloods were our neighbors and were going to be playing,” he said. “‘Get Together’ was an anthem for the ’60s and is still played today, and it’s a very important song for me and other people. And so we walked, and I don’t know how many people you know who have walked 20 miles…we left at 4pm to start our walk, and by the time we got there it was about 1am and the night club was closing, and The Youngbloods were singing their anthem as the closing song; they offered to drive us back and…we decided to stay and walk back the next day.”
On the walk back from San Anselmo, Francis considered life, death and the American Dream (among other things). It was during this return from San Anselmo that he decided that he was going to continue walking.
“We only have this moment, I said—there’s no guarantee that tomorrow’s going to come, or the money is going to come, and all we have is the promise of right now, not tomorrow,” he said. “I told [my girlfriend] I wanted to keep walking, so she said, ‘You do that.’”
And so, Francis began a walk that would last 22 years. But he was far from done, especially since the numerology of his upcoming 27th birthday called for something truly special.
“I read in The Hobbit that hobbits, on their birthday, they don’t get gifts from other people,” he explained. “What hobbits do is give their friends gifts on their birthday, so I decided to give my community the gift of my silence. So, on my birthday I slept outside on the mesa, and when I came into town I wasn’t talking. I just decided I wasn’t going to talk.”
“And I realized something on that day, because I was with people and I was listening to them, enough to know I hadn’t been listening before,” Francis continued. “I thought I knew so much, everything, and so I listened just enough to think I knew what someone was going to say. I was just waiting for them to stop talking to tell them what I know, and I had stopped learning by not listening. And it was great insight from two days of not speaking. And I thought I better do this another day, another day…”
And so, he traded talking for listening and motorized vehicles for walking, thus beginning an epic tale, the impact of which touched countless lives along the way. Through the short documentary, PLANETWALKER, the details of Francis’ journey are laid out in interviews with not only the protagonist of the story but also those he met during his incredible journey.
The directors of PLANETWALKER are Dominic and Nadia Gill, a married duo who have their own history of outdoor adventures and environmentalism.
“I was an environmental scientist and then lobbyist and then consultant for a while before filmmaking, so I’ve always had an understanding and appreciation,” said Dominic Gill.
“We were so excited…because it’s pretty rare to get access to a person as amazing as John,” explained Nadia Gill. “Six months just talking to him and figuring out funding, and we came to the conclusion we wanted it to be a chorus of people talking about John’s past, because I was inspired by an interview he did…where he said he didn’t know how much impact one man could have. So I was like, what happens if we have this conversation with all these people about the impact he had on them?”
Francis plans to return to his home in Point Reyes for the home-state screening of the documentary. PLANETWALKER is screening Aug. 9 through 15 at the Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael. After attending the screening, the audience will have the opportunity to engage in Q&As with the film team and Francis following the 6pm screenings on Aug. 9 through 13.
“Kindness can transcend all those barriers that we put up between ourselves to make us different,” Francis concluded. “Kindness can transcend, so my message to everyone is to just be kind…I know it seems like that’s so simple, but if we are kind to each other and if we grow up in kindness, live in kindness and practice kindness all the time, the world will change.”
For more information about the PLANETWALKER screening at the Smith Rafael Film Center, visit rafaelfilm.cafilm.org/planetwalker.
To learn more about Francis, his history and his plans for the future, visit planetwalk.org and globe.gov. He also wrote two books, ‘Planetwalker: 17 Years of Silence, 22 Years of Walking’ and ‘The Ragged Edge of Silence: Finding Peace in a Noisy World.’
