2020 Wild and Scenic Film Festival

A good musical score is key for setting the tone of your film—and finding the right composer can be tricky. In this panel, join Founder and Lead Composer of Cleod9 Music Ian McLeod in a conversation with filmmakers on how they work together to set the scene and what it takes to compose a killer film score.

Sponsored by California Solar Electric Company. Wild & Scenic Film Festival is proud to work with many amazing organizations that are devoted to protecting the earth and its inhabitants and creating sustainability for all. Large and small, hometown groups and ones with international scope, you’ll find them here! We host our annual EnviroFair to let all of these important organizations showcase their work and inform us about how we can engage in a meaningful way. Find us on York Street in Nevada City, between Commercial and Broad Streets.
Have something to say about the films you are seeing at the fest? Be sure to check out Sidewalk Talks, set up on York Street (also in SAEL School) Saturday 11am-3pm and Sunday 9am-11am https://www.sidewalk-talk.org/
Weather permitting.
Learn more and get involved at the Wild & Scenic EnviroFair!

Climate Change is here and is the existential threat to our community. But what does that mean for the Sierras, California’s valuable headwaters? We are already experiencing a decline in snowpack, atmospheric rivers, increased risk of catastrophic wildfires, and more. A panel of experts in water management and environmental activism will discuss their concerns about impacts on water supply, infrastructure, and our communities as a result of climate change. Join us to learn more about how we can make California’s headwaters safe, sustainable, and resilient for all.

Activist Center workshops are sponsored by Earthjustice.

Sunday Morning, Miners Foundry Stone Hall

Exploring Soundscapes - Sequoia & Kings Canyon
Steven M. Bumgardner | 2019 | 9 min
The dramatic landscape of Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks testifies to nature's size, beauty, and diversity - rugged foothills, deep canyons, towering mountains, and the world's largest trees. Weather varies by season and elevation, ranging from 1,300 to over 14,000 feet. With this diverse landscape comes a wide variety of natural sounds. Explore and enjoy the unique soundscapes of these magnificent parks!

Insect Guardian
Tim Visser, Sander van Iersel | 2018 | 6 min
82-year-old Willem bought a remote potato farm field back in 1980 and transformed it into a butterfly paradise. For almost 40 years, he has worked the land with shovel and scythe in order to preserve the butterflies. Willem's paradise has become one of the most important habitats in the region for these fluttering beauties. But due to an overload of nitrogen in the air, Willem's flower-rich butterfly paradise gets slowly driven away by a monoculture of grass. Butterflies that used to be common just a few decades ago are rare these days or have completely disappeared.

Sniper
Karthic SS | 2018 | 13 min
In New Zealand, Yellow-eyed Penguin numbers have dwindled. Finding these penguins in the dense bush to monitor and conserve the population is tricky. But former ranger Leith Thomson has a way - Sniper. She is one of the 80 certified Conservation Dogs in New Zealand. Now every penguin counts, and Sniper is on an adventure to protect these critically endangered birds

The King's Keeper
Thomas Rowell | 2018 | 12 min
Prahlad lives at a place where "we work for elephants." Gajraj, a seventy year old tusker who's name means "king of elephants" spent fifty years of his life in chains. When Prahlad first saw Gajraj come out of the rescue vehicle and step into the Elephant Conservation and Care Center, Prahlad says "I had my heart set on him."

Ay Mariposa
Krista Schlyer, Jenny Nichols, Morgan Heim | 2019 | 57 min
This is the story of La Mariposa, Zulema, and Marianna–three characters in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas whose lives are upended by plans to build a US-Mexico border wall. Ay Mariposa delves into the motivations that underlie their opposition and actions, and the surprising ties that bind them all together. This film is a single symbolic tale of all that is being lost in the rush to build border barriers along the 2,000-mile meeting place of the United States and Mexico.

Sunday Morning, SAEL School 

Kashia Pomo Tribal Traditions in the MPA
Kevin White, David Donnenfield, Full Frame Productions | 2019 | 6 min
This short film illustrates how the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians are uniquely positioned through their long history and traditional practices and values to be an important partner with Sonoma Marine Protected Areas in the recovery of our coastal resources.

Dulce
Guille Isa, Angello Faccini | 2018 | 11 min
On Colombia's Pacific Coast, a mother teaches her daughter, Dulce, how to swim. It is an essential skill in this remote region, where livelihoods are made on the sea and where rising tides, made worse by climate change, have swept entire villages away in recent years. Overcoming her fear of the water is just one element of Dulce's budding awareness of her natural and cultural surroundings.

Motherfish
Rusty Grim, Theo Parkinson, Amy Rosko, Fletcher Hukari, Owen Jones | 2019 | 11 min
Through a mother's spoken-word thoughts on the meaning that fishing has brought to the lives of her son and his best friend, Motherfish isn't about catching fish - it is a quiet celebration of the lost art of patience, and how a mother can help bring meaning to her children's lives by enabling adventure.

Homecoming - A Boundary Waters Story
Joe Fairbanks | 2019 | 8 min
Joe Fairbanks was born and raised in Northern Minnesota. In Homecoming, he travels through the waters where he learned to paddle as a boy. Today, these are some of America's most endangered waters. Joe reflects on his battle with cancer and draws on connections

Last Call For The Bayou
Dominic Gill, Nadia Gill, Encompass Films | 2019 | 53 min
Louisiana’s delta is a veritable bounty of rich estuarine life, but it is disappearing fast. The erosion of Louisiana’s wetlands is one of the greatest environmental threats the US faces today. This 5-part series chronicles the lives of individuals who are experiencing that loss in the deepest parts of the Bayou. Through them, we learn that Louisiana is the canary in a coal mine for the coastal land loss that will happen worldwide and what the Bayou means to the people who live there, as we watch them wrestle with the survival of their home.

Sunday Morning, Nevada Theatre

L’eau est la Vie (Water is Life): From Standing Rock to the Swamp
Sam Vinal, Melissa Cox, A Mutual Aid Media Production | 2019 | 24min
On the banks of Louisiana, fierce Indigenous women are ready to fight-to stop the corporate blacksnake and preserve their way of life. They are risking everything to protect Mother Earth from the predatory fossil fuel companies that seek to poison it.

The Condor & The Eagle
Sophie Guerra, Clement Guerra | 2019 | 82min
Four Indigenous environmental leaders embark on an extraordinary trans-continental adventure from the Canadian plains to deep into the heart of the Amazonian jungle to unite the peoples of North and South America and deepen the meaning of "Climate Justice." The Condor & The Eagle offers a glimpse into a developing spiritual renaissance as the film's four protagonists learn from each other's long legacies of resistance to colonialism and its extractive economy. Their path through the jungle takes them on an unexpectedly challenging and liberating journey, which will forever change their attachment to the Earth and one another.

Session sponsored by Samuel & Adele Mills 

Sunday Morning, NC Oddfellows

Hammer Dam
Matthew Ritenour, Jesse Dizard, The Advanced Laboratory for Visual Anthropology | 2019 | 8 min
Harold Hammer lives on his remote property in Northern California. When the Department of Fish and Wildlife discover his homemade dam used for hydropower, he has to decide if he wants to disrupt his way of life on the chance that removing his dam will increase salmon spawning habitat.

Spawning Hope
Roshan Patel | 2019 | 10 min
Coral biologists are concerned about the genetic health of many endangered coral. Spawning Hope follows a team of scientists as they attempt to use cryopreserved coral sperm to introduce coral DNA to new populations of elkhorn coral. If this technique works, it could have lasting impacts on how conservationists are able to protect and restore endangered corals from near extinction.

Hat Creek: A Wild Trout Legacy
Michael Wier | 2018 | 14 min
Back in 1971, when Caltrout was formed, the Hat Creek project demonstrated that an organization of passionate anglers could come together to restore a stream and bring back an iconic fishery. More than that though, a new concept for wild trout management was embraced - the idea that we can do without hatchery fish, that the ethic of catch and release is good for fish and anglers alike, and the idea that having a controlled set of regulations focused on wild trout could be successful.

Last Call For The Bayou Episode 2: Mud, Sweat & Fears
Dominic Gill, Nadia Gill, Encompass Films | 2019 | 11 min
Dr. Alex Kolker is the face of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, one of the premier research institutes working to understand the mechanisms and impacts of coastal land loss. He has spent the last decade studying subsidence and sea-level rise in an effort to understand whether or not restoration will be sufficient to stem the loss of land. In this episode of the 5-part Last Call for the Bayouseries, Dr. Kolker walks us through the current restoration projects and shows how New Orleans sinking and the state has a plan to save the coast.

Into the Black
Kenzie Greer | 2019 | 20 min
Many of the ecosystems in Alabama and throughout the southeast evolved with fire. Human ignited "prescribed fire", also known as controlled burns, are an essential technique to mimic this natural process to maintain and restore critical habitats. With an ever growing population and extensive efforts to restore large areas of native habitats such as longleaf pine, partnerships are critical to provide the capacity necessary to implement fire on the scale needed to accomplish these objectives.

Herd Impact
Peter Byck, Paula and Jim Crown, Carbon Nation | 2018 | 23 min
North Texas couple, Deborah Clark and Emry Birdwell, let nature dictate how they graze their cattle. They are having tremendous success in regenerating their land and their lives; providing a healthy habitat for migratory birds while raising one of the largest herds of cattle in Texas.

Sunday Morning, GV Elks Lodge

If You Can Hear My Voice: The Fight to Ban Chlorpyrifos
Martin do Nascimento, Chris Jordan-Bloch | 2019 | 8 min
Claudia Angulo's son was born with developmental delays after she was exposed to chlorpyrifos during her pregnancy. Now, she's fighting for a ban on the pesticide. "If we want things to change, we have to work together," Angulo says. "Don't stay silent. Don't just sit around at home. Stand up and make your voices heard."

Right to Harm
Matt Wechsler, Annie Speicher, Hourglass Films | 2019 | 75 min
Told through the eyes of residents in five rural communities, Right to Harm is an exposé on the public health impact of factory farming across the United States. When pushed to their limit, these disenfranchised citizens band together to demand justice from their legislators.

Meet filmmakers and activists in the Wild & Scenic
The Media Lounge is THE place for up-to-date information, photos on the green carpet, exclusive interviews with special guests, and meet and greets with some of your WSFF favorites. Enjoy free WiFi and a comfortable setting to meet, connect, and network. (And enjoy a glass of our local wine!)
Plus, join us live on 89.5 FM starting with the opening reception. And we are streaming live on the WSFF FB page: facebook.com/WildScenicFilms/

Sunday Morning, Miners Foundry Osborn/Woods

​Join us for a tasting of Gorongosa Coffee's newest blends of sustainable coffee before the film session, from 10-10:30am in the Miners Foundry. 100% of their profits fund conservation and human development projects in and around Gorongosa National Park, helping rainforest restoration and creating local opportunity for farmers. We hope you will join us in tasting 4 different samples of their coffee.​​​

Let's Talk Trash with Faiza Hajji in Morocco
Denise Domergue, Kayla Sweet-Newhouse, Rufus Paisley, Pierre Schlumberger | 2017 | 4 min
Moroccans are the second largest consumers of plastic bags, which are casually discarded and left to litter the pristine environment. This heartwarming mini-documentary tells the story of women in a remote northern Moroccan valley who see the scourge of plastic bags as an opportunity to employ their traditional weaving expertise. They have organized themselves into a collective that both cleans up the countryside and wins them financial security and independence, all thanks to their beautifully crafted bags and decorative items.

Treasures from the Tides
Catherine Brookes | 2018 | 15 min
The incredible conservation efforts of AMBAS, a sea turtle hatchery in Barra de Santiago, El Salvador are highlighted in Treasures from the Tides. The women-led organization is protecting endangered sea turtles from illegal poaching by inviting former poachers to take part in the conservation of these valuable species. This short documentary was produced by Catherine Brookes and supported by EcoViva.

From Darkness to Light
Nicky Milne, James Bishop, Valeria Cardi | 2019 | 13 min
Life is challenging for women in Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania made up of numerous islands where half the population lives below the poverty line. Mothers and grandmothers in Zanzibar are becoming solar engineers thanks to training from Barefoot College - meaning they can bring electricity to their villages where previously they relied on paraffin.

Our Gorongosa, A Park for the People
Sean B. Carroll, James Byrne, Gráinne Keegan, Carla Rebai, Jared Lipworth | 2019 | 58 min
Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique has become one of Africa's most celebrated wildlife restoration stories. After a decade, Gorongosa's large mammal population has grown to over 100,000 animals. But the Park must find a way to co-exist with the 200,000 people living in surrounding communities. Dominique Gonçalves, a young African elephant ecologist, shares the inspiring story of how Gorongosa is becoming a new model for wildlife conservation and community development.

Sunday Morning, Vets Hall

Love, Trails, & Dinosaurs
Draft Agency, Alex Oliver, Edy Recendez | 2018 | 8min
This heartwarming film tells the story of the first person with autism to hike every trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Garan Moore. His mother, Theresa, shares their story of a journey for weight loss that developed into a passion for hiking - and 900 miles later...one historic achievement.

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating
Elisabeth Tova Bailey | 2019 | 15 min
When a woman is bedridden with a mysterious pathogen, a forest snail (Neohelix albolabris) takes up residence on her nightstand. Together, woman and snail share a captivating journey of survival and resilience. An intimate and surprising live-action true story, The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating is adapted from the award-winning memoir of the same title and narrated by Daryl Hannah.

Positive Forward Motion
Chris Gallaway, Jennifer Pharr Davis | 2019 | 14 min
Hiker and endurance athlete, Jennifer Pharr Davis, reflects on the challenges and lessons that life has brought her following her record-setting thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail. While spending time alone on the trail, Jen looks back over what she has learned and how she has grown through hiking, becoming a mother, and growing a business.

Venture Out
Palmer Morse, Jamie DiNicola, Matt Mikkelsen | 2020 | 15 min
This is a story of overcoming odds, the power of resilience, and ultimately, the ever-lasting effects of LGBTQ community building. The Venture Out Project, founded by Perry Cohen, is a nonprofit organization that brings LGBTQ folks together outdoors. In sharing Perry's story, and hearing from the other Venture Out Project participants, we get a glimpse into the healing qualities of nature and life-saving community bonds that are being forged as a result of Perry's work.

Iniskim
Daniel Glick, Sarah Clarke, Mariah Ore, Craig Falcon, Lauren Monroe | 2019 | 9 min
Shot on the real-life Blackfeet buffalo drive and inspired by a true story, Iniskim follows a young girl's journey from trauma to recovery. By reconnecting with the ancient power of the buffalo, the timeless landscape of her ancestors, and the wisdom of her culture, her life is changed forever.

When the Tide Goes Out
Eliot Galán, Hillary Hyland | 2019 | 32 min
Following thousands of years of sustainable stewardship by the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation, encroaching industry and development polluted their traditional territory surrounding Vancouver to the point that food harvesting had to be banned in 1972. Today, over 45 years later, the Tsleil-Waututh have restored some specific habitats within their territory to safe levels for clam harvesting, both as a means for environmental justice and for the reclamation and rejuvenation of their culture.


Session sponsored by Fred Ruhland 

Sunday Morning, Gold Miners Inn

Whitewater in Peril
Jeff Litton | 2019 | 3 min
Bear River holds a world-class stretch of whitewater affectionately called "Hair of the Bear." Sadly, this famous stretch of river would be drowned underneath Centennial Reservoir if the proposed new dam is built. There are so many reasons Centennial Dam is terrible for the community, and this film showcases the jaw dropping and hair raising recreation that is at stake.

A Stone's Throw Away
Maxwell Wolff, Jake Smothers, Evan Patrick, Jordan Hill | 2019 | 9 min
Filmmakers Maxwell Wolff and Jake Smothers explore a local Northern California farm and discover a community of people committed to living fulfilling lives outside of the hustle and bustle of the modern world.

The Best of Both Worlds: Cohousing's Promise
John de Graaf, Doug Stanley, Greg Davis | 2019 | 27 min
Cohousing is a living arrangement providing both privacy and community. This film explores how a Danish model of intentional living has taken root in the US. Photographed by Doug Stanley, of Greatest Catch fame, the film includes insights from architect Charles Durrett and the experiences of cohousing residents in Nevada City, Grass Valley, Davis, and Fair Oaks, California.

From 9-10am, there will be a tour of Nevada City Cohousing (200 Redbud Way, Nevada City) led by the architect, Charles Durrett. Also from 1-2pm, a second tour will be offered at Wolf Creek Senior Cohousing (800 Freeman Lane, Grass Valley). Both will last for about one hour. Allow another 15 minutes to also see the gardens. Please park on the street (unless you choose to walk to Nevada City Cohousing for this near town tour.)

A Bird in the Hand
Sarinah Simons, Allison Paules Nelson | 2018 | 5 min
Birds amaze us with flight, song, and beauty, but their abundance in North America has declined by almost a third in the past 50 years. A team of committed volunteers is working together at Empire Mine State Historic Park to understand local songbird populations and inspire the next generation of environmental stewards.

Legacy
Joe Flannery, Tahoe National Forest, Kyle Lancaster, Gigantic Film Co | 2019 | 21 min
150 years ago, Chinese Railroad Workers blasted and chiseled their way through the rugged Sierra Nevada Mountains while completing the Transcontinental Railroad. Despite this monumental achievement, the Chinese Railroad Workers' contribution was excluded, ignored, and forgotten from history. Today, grassroots groups are working together to retell the story of these workers' lasting legacy.

The Sacramento, at Current Speed
Tom Bartels, Round House Productions, Mitch Dion | 2019 | 38 min
The Sacramento River is a workhorse, hemmed in by freeways, channelized for agriculture and drinking. But there is a hidden river, where you can launch a boat and float 300 miles to the sea. This is a place of surprising beauty, home to otter, eagle, osprey, and endangered salmon. Can this river be a model for balancing human needs with a natural ecosystem?

Session sponsored by Diane Robertson 

Journey into the memories of a 400-year-old Japanese White Pine bonsai that witnessed and survived the atomic blast in Hiroshima, glide amongst the Canadian Rockies on untamed ice first-hand with figure skater Laura Kottlowski, and immerse yourself in the sounds of Olympic National Park, one of the quietest places in North America, with acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton. These three unique Virtual Reality experiences - The Atomic Tree, To Return, and Sanctuaries of Silence - will transport you to remote corners of the globe without having to leave your seat.

Join filmmakers Laura Kottlowski and Devin Tellatin from 11am-12pm to learn about the films and have an opportunity to ask questions!


The Atomic Tree VR
Adam Loften, Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee | 2019 | 10 min
Journey into the memories of one of the most revered trees in the world - a 400-year-old Japanese White Pine bonsai that witnessed - and survived - the atomic blast in Hiroshima. From Japan's ancient cedar forests and Buddhist temples to the family home in Hiroshima where the pine was nurtured for five generations, this Virtual Reality experience explores the unbroken chain of living stories held within the rings of this tree. The delicate shape of this bonsai contains sacred forests, human family, and deep time, inviting us to reflect on the living strands of kinship that are woven between human and non-human worlds.

To Return
Laura Kottlowski | 2019 | 6 min
For figure skater Laura Kottlowski, exploring and skating on wild ice is like returning to gold—a state of innocence, curiosity, and humility as well as the roots of figure skating. Through her lens and a poetic narrative you’ll experience the multi-sensory joy and curiosities of untamed ice first-hand.

Sanctuaries of Silence VR
Adam Loften, Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee | 2017 | 8 min
Silence just might be on the verge of extinction and acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton believes that even the most remote corners of the globe are impacted by noise pollution. In the Virtual Reality experience Sanctuaries of Silence, join Hempton on an immersive listening journey into Olympic National Park, one of the quietest places in North America.

Author and photographer Tim Palmer will present a spectacular slide show about his latest book, America's Great Mountain Trails. Many of us know Tim for his ability to connect us to wild rivers, but this time, come and enjoy his scenes of mountain grandeur and hear some of his engaging stories as he takes us on the best among 100 mountain trails featured in his new book. Tim is the award-winning author and photographer of 28 books about the environment, river conservation, and adventure travel, and he speaks to audiences nationwide. He worked as a pivotal consultant to SYRCL in our successful campaign to designate the South Yuba as a California Scenic River. There will be time for lively Q&A and discussion after the slide program.

Activist Center workshops are sponsored by Earthjustice.

Sunday Midday, Miners Foundry Stone Hall

After the Fire
Derek Knowles, Spencer Seibert | 2019 | 18 min
The residents of Sonoma Valley struggle to find their places in a community that has been reshaped overnight by the historic Northern California wildfires. After the Fire is an intimate look at what they've lost, what they've gained, and what happens next - after the fire.

Mossville: When Great Trees Fall
Alex Glustrom, Daniel Bennett, Katie Mathews, Catherine Rierson | 2019 | 75 min
Mossville, Louisiana is a shadow of its former self – a community rich in natural resources and history, founded by formerly enslaved people and free people of color – where neighbors lived in harmony, insulated from the horrors of Jim Crow. Today, Mossville is surrounded by 14 petrochemical plants, and is the future site of apartheid-born South African-based chemical company Sasol’s newest plant. The community struggles to let go of their ancestral home - and at the center of it all is a man named Stacey Ryan who refuses to give up.

Sunday Midday, SAEL School

In the Land of My Ancestors
Rucha Chitnis | 2018 | 9 min
Beloved Ohlone elder, Ann Marie Sayers, has devoted her life to preserve the stories and culture of her indigenous ancestors. In the Land of My Ancestors shines light on the perilous impact of colonization and settler colonialism on Ohlone people in the San Francisco Bay Area. Sayers created a refuge for many indigenous peoples in her ancestral land called the Indian Canyon to reclaim their culture, spirituality, and indigeneity. This film celebrates Sayers' resiliency and living legacy, and is produced by South Asian photojournalist, Rucha Chitnis.

Eating Up Easter
Sergio M. Rapu, Elena Rapu | 2018 | 76 min
Native Rapanui (Easter Island) filmmaker Sergio Mata'u Rapu narrates to his son about the modern dilemma of their people, who risk losing everything to the globalizing effects of tourism. Eating Up Easter follows four islanders, descendants of the ancient statue builders, who are working to tackle the consequences of their rapidly developing home. Mama Piru leads recycling efforts to reduce trash, Mahani and Enrique use music to reunite their divided community, and Sergio tries to understand the motivations of his father who embraces the advantages of building new businesses. 

Sunday Midday, Nevada Theatre

This Land
Whit Hassett, Chelsea Jolly, Faith E. Briggs, Addie Thompson | 2019 | 13 min
Runner and advocate Faith E. Briggs used to run through the streets of Brooklyn every morning. Now she's running 150 miles through three National Monuments that lie in the thick of the controversy around United States public lands.

Into the Canyon
Peter McBride, Amanda Pollak, Stephen Ives, Tyler H. Walk, Lauren DeFilippo | 2019 | 85 min
In 2016, filmmaker/photographer Pete McBride and writer Kevin Fedarko set out on a 750-mile journey on foot through the entire length of the Grand Canyon. More people have stood on the moon than have completed a continuous through-hike of the Canyon. McBride and Fedarko took a sectional approach, achieving a feat that many adventurers have taken decades to complete. Others have lost their lives trying. But their quest was more than just an endurance test – it was also a way to draw attention to the unprecedented threats facing one of our most revered landscapes.

Session sponsored by Peak Design 

In September 2019, California Solar Electric Company became the first worker-owned cooperative in Nevada County. Join Cal Solar, Project Equity, and Flying V Farm, as they discuss how worker cooperatives are models for a sustainable future by helping cities retain business assets, growing community wealth, and ensuring business longevity.

Activist Center workshops are sponsored by Earthjustice.

Hirschman’s Pond Trail 
Meet Perry outside the Vets Hall after the Sunday Morning film session (ending at 12:45pm) and together walk from town to the trailhead
Join Perry Cohen (Founder of The Venture Out Project, a nonprofit organization that brings LGBTQ folks together outdoors) for a midday hike. We'll hike for about 1.5 hours and will make sure that along the way there is plenty of opportunity to talk with others on the hike, stop for photos, snacks, and rest and enjoy the beauty of Nevada City. The hike is open to everyone. We'll be hiking 1 mile on the trail, with an elevation change of less than 150’, and the terrain is easy. Please be sure to bring water, snacks, sunscreen, and a rain/warm coat.

Capacity: 30 people *SOLD OUT*

Sunday Midday, NC Oddfellows

A Walk Through The Land of 1,000 Hills
Chema Domenech, Kelly Carpenter, Ian McLeod | 2019 | 11 min
Claver Ntoyinkima, a native park ranger, shares the secrets of Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda as he guides us through the forest, one of the most biodiverse places in the world. Twenty-five years after the devastation of the Rwandan Civil War, the park is now one of the best-conserved montane rainforests in Central Africa. As Claver walks through the forest we uncover the origins of his conservation values and the history of an ecosystem that survived one of Rwanda's darkest periods.

Horse Rich and Dirt Poor
Ben Masters, Charles Post | 2019 | 16 min
Wild horses are caught between an incredibly polarized and emotionally charged debate aiming to write their future in the American West. The result of this debate is a legal stalemate causing wild horse numbers to continue rising well beyond unsustainable levels, causing irreversible damage to public lands. Horse Rich and Dirt Poor follows ecologist Charles Post as he explores America's pressing wild horse issue and the affects it has on the surrounding ecosystem.

(Re)Connecting Wild - Restoring Safe Passage
Jake Willers, Alyson Andreasen, NineCaribou Productions, LLC | 2019 | 12 min
This is the remarkable story of the decade-long effort by the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) and its partners to improve human safety by re-connecting a historic mule deer migration that crosses over both US-93 and I-80 in rural Elko County, Nevada. Witness the wildlife crossing structures along I-80 from construction to the restoration of safe passage for migratory mule deer to more than 1.5 million acres of summer and winter habitat.

Bears of Durango
Dusty Hulet | 2018 | 59 min
Dive headfirst into bear dens with the biologists studying how human development affects bear behavior. In 2011, Colorado Parks and Wildlife initiated a major research effort to address increases in human-black bear conflicts. A team of wildlife researchers led by Dr. Heather Johnson has spent the past six years investigating the factors driving those increases and the effects of expanding human development on bear populations.

Session sponsored by Marjorie & Lester Milroy 

Sunday Midday, GV Elks Lodge

Stand with Indigenous Peoples of Brazil, the Amazon and the Climate
Osprey Orielle Lake, Women's Earth and Climate Action Network, Teena Pugliese | 2019 | 4 min
The Amazon Rainforest and Brazil's Indigenous peoples are under increasing attack with President Bolsonaro and his regime's devastating assaults on social and environmental protections. Women's Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) International organized travels in New York for Sônia Bone Guajajara, a prominent Indigenous leader, to denounce Bolsonaro's assaults, and to advocate for the rights of Indigenous Peoples, the climate, and the protection of the Amazon.

The New Environmentalists - From Liberia to Mongolia
John Antonelli, Will Parrinello, Matt Yamashita | 2019 | 39 min
The New Environmentalists share a common goal - safeguarding the Earth's natural resources from exploitation and pollution, while fighting for justice in their communities. The film is the latest in the Mill Valley Film Group's Emmy Award-winning series featuring inspiring portraits of six passionate and dedicated activists. These are true environmental heroes who have placed themselves squarely in harm's way to battle intimidating adversaries while building strong grassroots support. Narrated by Robert Redford, The New Environmentalists illustrates how ordinary people are effecting extraordinary change.

The Undamaged
Rožle Bregar, Matič Oblak, Miha Avguštin | 2018 | 51 min
Follow Balkan Rivers Tour, a crew of whitewater kayakers, filmmakers, photographers and friends who decided to stand up for the rivers. They travel from Slovenia to Albania for 36 days, kayaking 23 rivers in 6 countries to protest the dams and show the world the secret, wild rivers of the Balkans. The Undamaged honors everyday people and local activists who are fighting to defend rivers and aims to spread the word of their plight.

Sunday Midday, Gold Miners Inn

Meadows - Yosemite Nature Notes
Steven M. Bumgardner | 2019 | 7 min
Yosemite National Park has over 3,000 meadows, which hold the greatest diversity of plant and animal species despite only making up 3% of the park. In just the past 150 years, people have negatively impacted these fragile ecosystems. Yosemite National Park, with the help of Yosemite Conservancy, is working hard to rehabilitate these meadows that are an important part of the park's natural and cultural history.

California's Watershed
James Thebaut | 2019 | 27 min
Created to place a spotlight and raise awareness within the general public and elected and public officials, California's Watershed explores the critical social and ecological importance of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the far reaching national security consequences of its rapidly evolving demise. This film presents the dangerous impact of warming temperatures and climate change on the watershed and its importance in maintaining the long-term health and security needs of families, cities, businesses, farmers, and environment locally and globally.

Fighting Fire With Fire
Sinead Santich | 2018 | 3 min
In an effort to restore the role of Native people as land stewards and mitigate the threat of wildfires, UC-Davis professor Beth Rose Middleton Manning fires up a hands-on lesson in cultural burning. Tribal Chairman Ron Goode leads students in an immersive experience preparing the land, igniting the fire, and carrying out indigenous traditions that have restored California landscapes for centuries.

Not If But When: Wildfire Solutions
Radu Sava, Rebekah Hood-Sava | 2019 | 39 min
Wildfires are becoming a global phenomenon and California is one of the places hit the hardest because of its dry climate. Experts in the Sierra Nevada are taking on innovative solutions at an unprecedented scale and if they are successful, it could influence work around the world.

Sunday Midday, Miners Foundry Osborn/Woods

Place of the Pike / Ginoozhekaaning
Finn Ryan, Dylan Jennings | 2019 | 7 min
In 1971, A.B. LeBlanc (Bay Mills Ojibwe) set a gill net in Pendills Bay on Lake Superior. The Michigan DNR arrested LeBlanc and he was later convicted of fishing commercially without a license and for fishing with an illegal device. This story highlights the treaty challenge and struggle for Ojibwe communities to maintain their identity through treaty reserved rights asserted in the signing of the 1836 treaty with the United States.

Maxima
Claudia Sparrow, Ryan Schwartz | 2019 | 88 min
Maxima, an indigenous woman from the Peruvian Andes who cannot read or write, stands up to the largest gold producer in the world, US-based Newmont Mining Corporation, who has claimed ownership of her land in order to expand its multi-billion-dollar mining operation.

Sunday Midday, Vets Hall

Plastic Warriors
Lavado Stubbs, Conchboy Films | 2019 | 10 min
Kristal Ambrose also known as "Kristal Ocean" battles plastic pollution in The Bahamas.

Paradise
Erik Petersen | 2019 | 20 min
An unlikely environmentalist, Bryan Wells, finds himself standing between Yellowstone National Park and an industrial-scale gold mine. The proposed mine sits just above his home, and not only threatens America's most iconic National Park, but his community's way of life.

Giants
Luz Carasa, Connor Stava, Northwest Documentary | 2019 | 27 min
In 2015, Everett Custom Homes purchased a property in Portland's Eastmoreland Neighborhood. On the lot stood three giant sequoias, which the developer planned to cut down. Giants details the efforts and challenges that neighbors of Eastmoreland confronted in their attempts to save these unique trees. The film brings a fresh look into local activism and highlights the importance of community organizing.

The Unfinished Fight of Seldom Seen Sleight
Chris Simon, Susette Weisheit | 2020 | 45 min
Ken Sleight, aka Seldom Seen Smith, has faced down a rampaging tractor from the back of a horse. His actions in defense of the Canyon Country have inspired thousands. But his most heartfelt fight, to restore his beloved Glen Canyon, remains unfinished. At 90 years old he is still fighting, but time is running out. The film features Tim DeChristopher, Colorado Riverkeeper John Weisheit, and new archival footage of Glen Canyon.

Are you concerned about climate change but don’t know what you can do about it? Learn about the activities of four organizations addressing different solutions to the climate crisis, and see which approach lights a spark in you. Justine Quealy of Sierra Business Council, Climate and Energy Department will moderate a discussion including Co-Presidents Shandon and David Schmeiske of 350 Placer, Group Leader Dave Whitehead from Citizens Climate Lobby Nevada County Chapter, Debbie Gibbs of Nevada County Climate Action Now, and Darren Fisher of Nevada County's Sunrise Movement.

Activist Center workshops are sponsored by Earthjustice.

Join Obi Kaufmann, the artist for this year's Wild & Scenic Film Festival, to discuss his process, inspiration, and activism. Obi is the best-selling author of the California Field Atlas and the State of Water, Understanding California's Most Precious Resource, and travels all over the state working on his new books and paintings, meeting with communities and organizations determined to protect California's superlative natural world. At this fireside chat, Obi will be presenting his portfolio of original paintings and offering a selection of exclusive lithographs for sale.

Sunday Afternoon, Nevada Theatre

Nigerians Fight to Protect the World's Most Trafficked Mammal
Katie Schuler, Coral & Oak Studios, National Geographic | 2019 | 10 min
Pangolins are believed to be the most trafficked mammals in the world. As the four Asian species of pangolins have dwindled, poachers are increasingly turning to the African species to supply the trade. In this short film, meet the bold Nigerians who are fighting to protect this gentle and vulnerable creature

Sea of Shadows
Richard Ladkani, Wolfgang Knoepfler, Walter Koehle | 2019 | 104 min
When Mexican drug cartels and Chinese traffickers join forces to poach the rare totoaba fish in the Sea of Cortez, their methods threaten to destroy all marine life in the region, including the most elusive and endangered whale species on Earth, the Vaquita Porpoise. Sea of Shadows follows a team of dedicated scientists, high-tech conservationists, investigative journalists, and undercover agents as they risk their lives to save the last remaining vaquitas and bring the international crime syndicate to justice.

Session sponsored by Alison Jones-Pomatto & Alan Pomatto 

Sunday Afternoon, SAEL School

There's Something in the Water
Rory WT, Shannon S. Wynne, Stephanie M. Casey, Daniel Villanueva | 2018 | 8 min
"There's two kinds of lakes in the South: them that's got Giant Salvinia and them that's about to have Giant Salvinia." Caddo Lake is the only natural lake in Texas, but its delicate eco-system is threatened by a seemingly unstoppable invasive species of floating fern: Giant Salvinia. There's Something in the Water is an 8-minute animated documentary featuring interviews with people who live and work on the lake, demonstrating the damage that has been caused, and how everyone can work together to try and fix it.

Sonora Rising - A story of water, wheat, and life in the Tucson desert
Sinjin Eberle, American Rivers | 2019 | 11 min
Water and wheat - foundations of life for millennia across the American Southwest. The Colorado River water flows more than 300 miles across Arizona to quench the thirsts of four million people to sustain their food, economy, and livelihoods. We explore three Tucson visionaries who are creating and growing the circular economy of water in the arid Sonoran desert.

From Camel to Cup
Nicky Milne, Jim Bishop, Jeong-One Park | 2019 | 15 min
In 2017, Kenya declared drought a national disaster and in early 2019 announced it had allocated 2 billion shillings, about $20 million, to respond. Extreme weather has pushed wandering nomads to bank on camels - and their milk - as a drought-safe investment with Kenya, now the world's second largest producer of camel milk after neighboring Somalia. Camels are highly adapted to climate change, while their milk has been dubbed "white gold" by food experts who say it could help conquer malnutrition.

Sustainable Nation: Caring for a Water-Starved World
Micah Smith, Rebecca Shore, Imagination Productions | 2018 | 60 min
In a world where clean water is everything, Sustainable Nation follows three individuals who are doing their part to bring sustainable water solutions to an increasingly thirsty planet, and shows how solving global water issues is not only a matter of life and death, it's the start of healing the world.

Be the first to learn of the award-winning films! Limited seating. First come, first served. Enjoy Barefoot Bubbly from Barefoot Winery and cake courtesy of Flour Garden!

Join members of the Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribe as they discuss a new partnership with Nevada City Film Festival and Nevada County Arts Council through the making of a film that addresses the recovery of their critically endangered language. This partnership, in tandem with efforts towards restoring Federal Recognition, is testament to the whole community effort required to rebuild visibility. Beyond documenting efforts to revive a language previously considered extinct, the Nisenan are looking to their future. Twenty years from now, what will their homelands look like? What are our children being taught in schools about the true history of California? How will we – the broader community – experience Nisenan culture as a critical, valued part of our everyday story?

Activist Center workshops are sponsored by Earthjustice.

Sunday Afternoon, NC Oddfellows

The River Is Me
David Freid, Emmy Gyori | 2018 | 17 min
For many years, this river's ownership was under dispute. Now, it owns itself. In what is believed to be a world's first, the Whanganui River has been granted legal personhood, with the same rights and responsibilities as you and me. But determining where a river ends and the rest of nature begins - that may be up for some debate.

Rock-Paper-Fish
Connor Gallagher, Colin Arisman, Wild Confluence, Nomad Island | 2019 | 26 min
Every year, all five species of salmon return to the Chilkat River and sustain the communities of Haines and Klukwan, but now a modern day gold rush is underway in the mountains above the river's headwaters. Rock-Paper-Fish offers a vivid look into the lives of Alaskans grappling with questions as immense as the place they call home.

Dammed to Extinction
Michael Peterson, Steven Hawley | 2019 | 51 min
For eons, salmon-eating killer whales have hunted Chinook along the Pacific Coast. Since 1976, renowned whale scientist Ken Balcomb has closely observed them. He's familiar with a deadly pattern: as salmon numbers plummet, these whales starve. His solution: getting rid of four dams on a key tributary of what once was the largest Chinook producing river on earth.

Sunday Afternoon, Vets Hall

Conviction
Kristy Choi | 2019 | 24 min
After a high-profile bribery scandal led to the convictions of the three powerful conspirators, the community they targeted is left in the dust to find relief from decades of toxic air and soil pollution. Community members in the North Birmingham neighborhoods of Collegeville, Harriman Park, and Fairmont tell their personal stories and share their struggles as they seek a healthier life for the generations of the future.

Blowout
Zach Toombs, Kate Grumke, Kevin Clancy | 2019 | 79 min
From the oil fields of West Texas to tanker traffic busting the Panama Canal at its seems to an energy revolution across Asia, this Newsy documentary shows the human stakes of a new surge in American oil and gas production - and its impacts on profits, public health, and climate change.

Sunday Afternoon, Miners Foundry Osborn/Woods

Sounds of Survival
Katie Garrett | 2018 | 8 min
Deep in the emerald cloud forests of Cusuco National Park of Honduras, scientists are on a quest to record the never-before-heard call of the endangered "exquisite spike-thumb frog" (Plectrohyla exquisita). What ensues is both a delightful portrait of the process of scientific discovery and an inspiring example of the power of sound as a tool for conservation.

EARTHWATCH | Wildlife in the Changing Andorran Pyrenees
Andy Laub | 2019 | 21 min
In the high slopes of the Andorran alpine ecosystem, Earthwatch scientists and volunteers are studying the effects of climate change on plants and wildlife to help manage this increasingly fragile environment. EARTHWATCH | Wildlife in the Changing Andorran Pyrenees chronicles one day in the life of that research.

Bare Existence
Stept Studios | 2019 | 20 min
A behind the scenes look into the plight of the polar bear, Bare Existence showcases the biologists on the front lines of protecting these species as they battle against the effects of climate change threatening their existence. This film presents a drastic cry for immediate attention and instills the viewer with hope, illuminating present-day efforts for a brighter future.

Deer 139
Morgan Heim, Jayme Dittmar, Samantha Dwinnell, Anya Tyson, Tennessee Watson | 2019 | 55 min
She travels 85 miles of Wyoming backcountry while pregnant. This is Deer 139. Now, a team of women follow her path on foot to understand why deer migrate. As the team of scientists and adventurers experience the wild places that Deer 139 calls home, they unveil the mysteries of long-distance migration and make a case for sustaining intact landscapes.

Session sponsored by Anna Jerome 

Separate ticket required

Join us for a selection of the 2020 award-winning films. We also announce the winner of the People’s Choice Award. The line-up is:

Wild Toddler Chronicles: Legacy
Brian Lewis | 2019 | 11 min
With an endless supply of fruit snacks, plenty of extra underwear, and a pile of old photographs, two parents set out to retrace the route of an old adventure, this time with a two-year-old in tow, hoping to inspire the next generation to care about wild places.

Where Life Begins
Katie Schuler, Coral & Oak Studios, The Wilderness Society | 2019 | 10 min
Along the Arctic Coast, at the northmost point on American soil, we explore the inseparable bond between mother and child, the sacred and fragile moments after birth, and the importance of protecting the place Where Life Begins.

Honeyland
Ljubomir Stefanov, Tamara Kotevska | 2019 | 85 min
Hatidze lives with her ailing mother in the mountains of Macedonia, making a living cultivating honey using ancient beekeeping traditions. When an unruly family moves in next door, what at first seems like a balm for her solitude becomes a source of tension as they, too, want to practice beekeeping, while disregarding her advice. The most awarded film out of this year's Sundance Film Festival, Honeyland is an epic, visually stunning portrait of the delicate balance between nature and humanity that has something sweet for everyone.

Separate ticket required

Join us for a selection of the 2020 award-winning films. We also announce the winner of the People’s Choice Award. The line-up is:

Wild Toddler Chronicles: Legacy
Brian Lewis | 2019 | 11 min
With an endless supply of fruit snacks, plenty of extra underwear, and a pile of old photographs, two parents set out to retrace the route of an old adventure, this time with a two-year-old in tow, hoping to inspire the next generation to care about wild places.

Where Life Begins
Katie Schuler, Coral & Oak Studios, The Wilderness Society | 2019 | 10 min
Along the Arctic Coast, at the northmost point on American soil, we explore the inseparable bond between mother and child, the sacred and fragile moments after birth, and the importance of protecting the place Where Life Begins.

Honeyland
Ljubomir Stefanov, Tamara Kotevska | 2019 | 85 min
Hatidze lives with her ailing mother in the mountains of Macedonia, making a living cultivating honey using ancient beekeeping traditions. When an unruly family moves in next door, what at first seems like a balm for her solitude becomes a source of tension as they, too, want to practice beekeeping, while disregarding her advice. The most awarded film out of this year's Sundance Film Festival, Honeyland is an epic, visually stunning portrait of the delicate balance between nature and humanity that has something sweet for everyone.