Wild & Scenic Film Festival
April 12th at Ashland Armory 5pm-9pm
April 14th at Grants Pass Performing Arts Center 4pm-8pm
2024 Film Lineup:
Forests Above & Forests Below
Sashwa Burrous & Justin Lewis | 2022 | 6 min.
Take a deep dive into California’s unique and irreplaceable underwater kelp forests that have experienced catastrophic loss in the past decade. This piece was written and supported by scientists at The Nature Conservancy and was filmed and produced by the ColdWater Collective.
Paddle Tribal Waters
Rush Sturges (Director) Paul Robert Wolf Wilson (Director) | 2022 | 9 min.
When the largest dam removal project in history begins, a group of indigenous youth learn to
whitewater kayak in hopes of becoming the first people to paddle the restored river from source
to sea. With jaw-dropping aerial cinematography and moving storytelling, Paddle Tribal Waters is a fully immersive experience, showcasing the unbreakable bond between people and their ancestral lands. The film gives viewers a bird’s eye view as an unforgettable group of young people training for the adventure of a lifetime.
PLACE – People, Lamprey, and Cultural Ecology
Jeremy Monroe, David Herasimtschuk | 2023 | 8 min.
Follow Cayuse Tribal Member, Gabe Sheoships, into an ancient cultural practice, and discover the connections between migratory fish, urban forests, and community stewardship… and the work one group is doing to re-build the strength of these connections for future generations.
Flowing – My Dream of More Freedom
Christine Sonvilla (Producer, Director, Videographer), Marc Graf (Producer, Director, Videographer) | 2022 | 4 min.
The river itself speaks about its dream of flowing wilder and freer again.
Dams, weirs and other obstacles disrupt the natural functioning of rivers and are detrimental to migrating fish, other river wildlife, and ultimately us humans. The good news: We can change this. Obsolete stone and concrete barriers can be removed, thereby helping river ecosystems to bounce back to full vibrating life!
6,000 Miles
CalWild (Producer) Colorfool Films (Producer) Masha Karpoukhina (Directing, Cinematography and Editing) Justin LaFleur (additional Cinematography) In partnership with (HiPark, American Whitewater) | 2023 | 11 min.
In 6,000 Miles you’ll meet Kayla Lopez, a multifaceted artist and river activist, alongside Steve Evans, the impassioned Wild Rivers Director at CalWild. This compelling duo offers an exciting and educational exploration of California’s Wild Rivers, blending both expertise and passion to illuminate the essence and threats to our precious waterways.
Kayla, an artist and devoted packrafter, has a unique and beautiful story that embodies an ardent dedication to her passions that blends with river advocacy. Alongside her, Steve Evans, with decades spent lobbying for wild rivers in Congress, brings a wealth of experience and commitment to the cause.
Join this dynamic pair in 6,000 Miles as they bring forth their connection to the Trinity River in northwest California, and all of California’s Wild Rivers, to unveil CalWild’s mission of safeguarding 6,000 miles of rivers by 2028. Their journey unfolds a narrative that transcends advocacy, revealing the intricate connection and profound significance of preserving our wild rivers.
Soundscape
Timmy ONeill (Director), Sarah Steele (Producer), Dane Henry (Editor), Mikey Schaeffer (Cinematography) | 2023 | 14 min.
Soundscape features Erik Weihenmayer, a global adventure athlete and author who is fully blind, as he ascends a massive alpine rock face deep in the Sierra Nevada. Using expert camera work and emotive, novel animation to bring to life a concept by adaptive climbing pioneer Timmy ONeill, the film is a surprising and soulful adventure.
4DWN
Danny Schmidt (Director), Chris Naum (DP), Lauren Todd (Producer), Hayley Nenadal (EP), Clay Barron (EP), Lindsey Hagen (EP) | 2023 | 17 min.
4DWN tells the unconventional and deeply personal story of a South Dallas skatepark whose mission is to change the lives of everyone who walks through the gate. The 4DWN skatepark is a resilience hub rooted in skate culture, tackling the challenges of food insecurity and social justice in one of the city’s poorest communities.
4DWN is at once punk, irreverent, and authentic. But it’s also organic, nurturing, and profound. The magic of this skatepark- turned-urban farm is brought to life through a beautiful, intimate mixed-media approach that pays homage to the canon of skate films that came before it. 4DWN chronicles the past and present lives of the Park’s founders and one budding young skateboarder who finds kinship, camaraderie, and a reason to keep pushing.
The Bear Coast
Andrew Ackerman (Director), Nick Grossman (Producer), Tim Kaminski (Editor) | 2023 | 17 min.
Tucked among towering mountains and pristine rivers on the Alaska Peninsula is a unique stretch of habitat: Alaska’s Bear Coast, home to the greatest density of wild brown bears in the world. The fractured, disconnected landscape of the national and state park systems exposes these bears to many threats, like mining, logging, hunting, oil and gas extraction, and climate change. This film centers on a diverse cast of characters to explore contentious environmental issues that have real, lived impacts for Alaska Peninsula residents and bear populations alike.
Healing Hiłsyaqƛis
Mark Wyatt (Filmmaker) | 2022 | 5 min.
Hiłsyaqƛis (Tranquil Creek) is located within the traditional territory of the ƛaʔuukʷiʔatḥ (Tla‐o‐qui‐aht) First Nation approximately 20 km east of Tofino, in Clayoquot Sound, British Columbia. The sharp decline in wild Pacific salmonids in this watershed is not well understood and has sparked research, monitoring and habitat a restoration initiatives to address knowledge gaps and restore habitat in hopes of fostering a the recovery of wild fish populations within the Tranquil Watershed and contribute to the broader recovery of wild pacific salmon. The project was initiated in 2016 and is a direct partnership between Redd Fish and the ƛaʔuukʷiʔatḥ (Tla-o-qui-aht) First Nation. Funding support for the project has been provided in-part by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and Ocean Outfitters with additional research funding provided by the Clayoquot Biosphere Trust, and in-kind support from the Tofino Resort and Marina, Clayoquot Salmon Roundtable and the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council.
Vanishing Oasis
Jaxon Derow (Director, Producer, Cinematographer, Editor), Rotem Frimer (Composer) Joseph Russell (Sound Designer) | 2023 | 11 min.
The Great Salt Lake provides for 10 million migratory birds every year, but if the lake continues to shrink, starving birds will line its shores and toxic dust storms will cloud Salt Lake City’s skies. Can Utahns prioritize public and environmental health over short term economic gain?
School of Fish
Oliver Sutro, Colin Arisman | 2023 | 19 min.
Indigenous people and salmon have been intertwined for thousands of years in Bristol Bay, Alaska. Today, kids learn from elders to fish but must also learn to fight, as pollution from Pebble Mine threatens this pristine ecosystem. Can the next generation defend the most prolific salmon run left on earth?