36 | FRONTDOORS MAGAZINE A Film With Purpose While “Wild Arizona!” celebrates the state’s natural beauty, “Rising Together” is more urgent and emotional. It’s a call to connect the dots — between water and food, between cities and ecosystems, between people who may never have met, but are solving the same problems in parallel. The film will premiere ahead of a major environmental convening this December, hosted by ACF and named “122°” in recognition of the highest temperature recorded in Phoenix on June 26, 1990. The idea is to use the film to build momentum, spark connection and show what’s already happening across Arizona, from rural watersheds to urban heat hubs. “People working in nonprofits are often so head down,” de la Fuente said. “They don’t always get to connect with others doing similar work. This film helps change that.” Traditional farming techniques offer a blueprint for survival in an increasingly arid Southwest. It’s a call to connect the dots — between water and food, between cities and ecosystems.

FRONTDOORS MAGAZINE | 37 New Tables, Shared Ground ACF is also working to change how collaboration happens. Instead of stiff boardrooms and power dynamics, their first accelerator gathering took place outdoors — in cabins, with informal sessions in the forest. “It put everyone on equal ground,” de la Fuente said. “Municipal leaders, nonprofits, universities, foundations — we all came together, as peers.” Lacy takes the same approach to filmmaking. “My goal is to create intimacy,” he said. “To put people inside the landscape, inside the effort. Visual storytelling becomes the connective tissue.” ACF hopes the film shows that every conservation effort made today is a legacy gift to the next generation.