Experience the transformative energy of the Wild & Scenic Film Festival!

Ni Wapiten
Ni Wapiten (I see) is a plea to better respect Mother Earth. This poetic film follows a child’s journey through the woods to his community’s local dump. Playfully, he reuses the waste to build a bear, symbolizing nature. (3 minutes)

Van vs. Vikas (Forest vs. Progress)
“A fish cannot live without water. We cannot live without this forest.” Indigenous forest defender, Prakash Bhoir. Van Versus Vikas (Forest Versus Progress) interrogates India’s model of “vikas” (progress), which has taken a toll on Indigenous communities and created an ecological crisis. This is a place-based documentary short that centers two protagonists: Mumbai’s beloved and threatened Aarey Forest and the Indigenous Bhoir family, whose ancestors have lived in the jungle for generations. The film chronicles the resistance of the Bhoir family as they fight to #SaveAarey, a youth-led movement to stop deforestation from a contentious city metro project. (15 minutes)

Suncor Sundown — Local Film
Suncor Energy, a Canadian company, runs an oil refinery north of Denver Colorado. Suncor is one of Colorado’s largest emitters of greenhouse gasses, as well as one of the largest emitters of toxic air pollutants, and has been operating without any changes to its operations or pollution controls for years. In spite of numerous enforcement actions and settlements, Suncor continues to flout air quality laws, putting neighboring communities — who are primarily Latino and low-income — at extreme risk. This is their story. (10 minutes)

Elevating Voices — Local Film
In 2022, a group of BIPOC Colorado State University students paired up with BIPOC storytelling mentors from Next 100 Colorado, with the support of BIPOC professional filmmakers and the Salazar Center for North American Conservation, to independently produce and edit a short documentary film centered around the story they wanted to tell about the conservation movement and BIPOC Coloradans’ role in it. This is the story they wanted to tell. (17 minutes)

Calling All Pika Enthusiasts — Local Film
A new app, the Pika Patrol app, is a smartphone app that allows you to record observations of American pikas where you find them! Even if you’ve never seen a pika before, Pika Patrol will teach you to identify them by sight, calls, haypiles, and scat. By joining our team of community scientists, you will help researchers understand how pikas are coping with climate change. This is important information as we figure out how to best protect pikas and their habitat! (5 minutes)

Mussel Grubbing
Following a citizen scientist’s journey of discovery, the film explores the treasure hunt for freshwater mussels in the upper Sangamon River. Finding a diverse collection of healthy mussels means a healthy river and a healthy community. (7 minutes)

Paddle Tribal Waters
When the largest dam removal project in history begins, a group of indigenous youth learns to whitewater kayak, hoping to become the first people to paddle the restored river from source to sea. (9 minutes)

African Voices for Africa’s Forest
Ewi Lamma, a young climate activist from Cameroon, has committed her life and work to changing the status quo by working with local communities, women, and youth. Her work inspires people to speak up and participate in local decision-making while protecting the environment and Indigenous knowledge. (9 minutes)

4DWN
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. (18 minutes)