2020 Wild and Scenic Film Festival

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.