Films are wild and scenic in Nevada City
More than 80 films and 70 guest speakers will be part of the fourth annual Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival this weekend in Nevada City.
Presented by Patagonia as a fundraiser for the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL), the film festival starts at 7 p.m. Friday and continues through Sunday. It features films about environmental issues affecting forests and animals, as well as adventure films and movies about Native American lands.
“The film festival uses film to inspire activism on behalf of the environment and encourage stewardship of the planet,” said Kathy Dotson, the festival director. “Our mission is to educate, celebrate and inspire through the powerful and entertaining medium of environmental and adventure film.”
The goal of the festival, Dotson said, is to show people the issues they have in their own environmental areas and how those issues are experienced by people in communities all over the world.
The league will present the first John de Graaf Environmental Filmmaker Award to John de Graaf of Seattle, who has produced more than 30 documentaries and films. His work has been featured on PBS and around the world.
“It is an honor to be given the award because it shows your work is being viewed for good purposes and what I am trying to achieve is to help people learn more about the environment that surrounds them,” de Graaf said during a phone interview.
The film festival will premiere de Graaf's most recent work, “Buyer, Be Fair: The Production of Product Certification,” which deals with fair trade consumption.
“People can really learn about all types of issues from this film festival,” de Graaf said. “I want to see many of them myself because these films are a powerful way to show what's happening to the environment. The images and stories are entertaining but also very informative.”
The film festival also features guest speakers Winona LaDuke and Julia “Butterfly” Hill, two environmental and social justice activists.
LaDuke is the program director of Honor the Earth and founding director of White Earth Land Recovery Project. Hill brought international attention to old-growth logging practices in the Pacific Northwest when she spent 738 days atop a redwood tree in Humboldt County and refused to come down.
“It's an honor to be hosting these two important and inspiring activists,” Dotson said. “They will be speaking about issues that are central to our goal of empowering people to make a difference, however small, in their communities and in the wider world.”
The festival will host opening receptions at galleries throughout Nevada City.
Tickets for the movies or events range from $5 to $210. For more information about the list of films and show times, visit www.wildandscenicfilmfestival.org or call 265-5961.
Details:
What: Wild and Scenic Film Festival
When: Starts 7 p.m. Friday and continues through Sunday
Where: Nevada City
Cost: $5 to $210
Information: Call 265-5961 or visit http://www.wildandscenicfilmfestival.org
