Wild & Scenic Film Festival Line-up

The Wild and Scenic Film Festival was started by the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL, pronounced 'circle') to promote community building within the Yuba Watershed, as well as a way to explore environmental issues through an exciting and influential medium.  For more information on the film festival, click here.  The Copper River Watershed Project is pleased to have the opportunity to host this festival in order to raise awareness for issues and exciting projects happening here in the Copper River watershed.

Film Line-up

Papiroflexia (2:30 min.)  Joaquin Baldwin

Spanish for "origami", Papiroflexia, is the animated tale of Fred, a skillful paper folder who could shape the world with his hands.  Multiple awards.  Animation.  (US, 2007, 2:30min.) www.pixelnitrate.com

Last Frontier (19 min.) Trip Jennings

New Britain Papua New Guinea is one of the last frontiers between the industrialized world and tribal village life.  This film weaves the story of an epic kayaking expedition around the story of a culture, ecosystem and river on the brink of change. (ppaua New Guinea, 2007, 19min) www.riversindemand.com

Brower Youth Awards (10 min.) Earth Island Institute

Profiles of Jessie-Ruth Corkins and Ivan Stiefel.  Earth Island Institute established the Brower Youth awards in 2000 to honor founder and legendary environmental activist, David R. Brower and to call forth a new generation of leaders. 

Crossroads at the Columbia: Oregon Confronts America's Energy Future (16 min.) Spence Palermo, Donna Quinn

Controversial Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) receiving terminals are proposed for the lower Columbia River near the historic town of Astoria, Oregon.  The passion and power of grass roots activism set against the backdrop of the beauty, heritage and history of the Columbia Pacific Region make this a compelling story of America at the crossroads of fossil fuel dependence, renewable energy and decisions over who controls our air, water and economy. (US, 2008, 16 min.) www.interculturalimages.com, www.columbiariverkeeper.org)

Goldfish (13 min.)  Joe Wein, Jana Memel

Two girls, on Mission and a lot of fish.  Goldfish is a narrative film with plot and characters versus documentary style.  Many awards, including Audience Award, Austin FF (US, 2007, 13 min.) www.goldfish-movie.com

Sand Dancer (10 min.) Valerie Reid

Peter Donnelly lives at the beach in Brighton, New Zealand.  Hundreds of people are drawn from all over the world to watch him create vast art works.  He does not use any plotting tools or visual aids.  Beautiful as his art is, it cannot last....like a Buddhist mandala, his masterpieces vanish in an instant, as soon as the tide starts to wash them away.  Best Doc, Foursite FF (NZ, 2006, 10:56 min) www.forcefivefilms.co.nz

Intermission

I Love Trash (7:30 min.) David Brown

Two Rules: nothing purchased for three months; and living off of only the things, clothing and food  found in the trash.  Their dumpster diving experiment reveals much about our society.  (US, 2008, 7:30 min.) www.createspace.com/255290

Homegrown Revolution (15:44 min.) Jules Dervaes

In the midst of a densely urban setting in downtown Pasadena, radical change is taking root.  For over twenty years the Dervaes family have transformed their home into an urban homestead.  As a family for this new paradigm, they harvest nearly 3 tons of organic food from their 1/10 acre garden while incorporating many back-to-basic practices, as well as solar energy and biodiesel.  (US, 2007, 15:44min.) www.freedomgardens.org

Grassroot environmental heroes too often go unrecognized.  Yet their efforts to protect the world's natural resources are increasingly critical to the well-being of the planet we all share.  Thus, in 1990 San Francisco civic leaders and philanthropists Richard N. Goldman and his late wife, Rhoda H. Goldman created the Goldman Environmental Prize.  The Goldman Prize views "grassroots" leaders as those involved in local efforts, where positive change is created through community or citizen participation in the issues that affect them.  Through recognizing these individual leaders, the Prize seeks to inspire other ordinary people to take extraordinary actions to protect the natural world.  www. goldmanprize.org.

• Ecuador--Pablo Fajardo Mendoza and Luis Yanza.  In the Ecuadorian Amazon, Fajardo and Yanza led one of the largest environmental legal battles in history against oil giant Chevron, demanding justice for the massive petroleum pollution in the region.  
• Mozambique--Feliciano dos Santos. Using traditional music, grass root outreach and innovative technology to bring sanitation to the most remote corners of Mozambiqu, Santos empowered villagers to participate in sustainable development and rise up from poverty.  

In a remote corner of the Pacific, the nation of Kiribati has created the world's largest marine reserve, the Phoenix Islands Protected Area.  The reserve covers 410,500 square kilometers and is home to thriving coral reefs and abundant sea life, including sharks and manta rays.  The film follows scientific expeditions to create the reserve.  (US, 20min., 2005) www.neaq.org, www.phoenixislands.org

A businessman and a fisherman on a small island.  He tries to teach the fisherman about business but the fisherman teaches him about life.  (US, 2008, 3:06) www.makingalife.com, www.freerangestudios.com

Total Run time (128 min.)