Will Fraser was educated at three contrasting universities – Dalhousie in Canada, Cambridge in the UK, and the University of Mississippi in the USA. He is a musician, writer and film-maker. He has won awards for his documentaries that make classical music fascinating and accessible (BBC Music Magazine “best DVD” twice, and the Deutschenschallplattenkritikpreis three times). These music films include Martinikerk Rondeau, The Genius of Cavaillé-Coll, Maximum Reger, The Great Toccata and Messiaen’s Musical Universe. He is fascinated by America and has made three films about the country so far – Soul Searching for the Blues, Once Upon a Time in Knoxville and Cowboy and Preacher. This last film has been his ideal project, bringing together his zeal for transformational change and his love of westerns. Outwardly, Will is mild mannered, but in his heart he loves the burning film sense of directors like Sam Peckinpah, Akira Kurosawa and Kathryn Bigelow.

Will says: “When I started work on this film several years ago I was firmly convinced that preventing climate change and other environmental catastrophes is the most important duty facing us all now. I still feel that. I now have three small children and care deeply about their future. I believe that we are actually involved in a great battle that, without sounding melodramatic, is between good and evil. Good is represented by selfless action, and bad by selfishness. The battle lines are not clear cut and we can all think of good and bad people on both sides of the debate about what to do to protect the environment. However, I feel that at some point in the future, hovering in my destiny, my children will ask me a question equivalent to that asked to the generation who fought in the Second World War – “Daddy, what did you do in the war?” I want to have done something, and be able to answer that question in an honourable way. Well, over the last seven years, the content of this film, and particularly being in touch with a Christian environmentalist, Tri Robinson, has had an effect on me and I have become a Christian myself. As Tri says, Christianity is a verb. I think Christians taking meaningful action will be noticed, and will make other people become Christians. In other words, the cause of the environment, and the moral development involved in facing its challenges, can amount to a great commission for our time.”