The 2020 Eugene Tour edition of the Wild and Scenic Film Festival is happening online on November 19th, hosted for the second time by the Upper Willamette Stewardship Network. Since we could not meet in person this year at the McDonald Theatre (who was kind enough to donate the venue last year!), the committee decided to curate films around the theme of traveling the world from your living room.
Admission is $10 and all proceeds to go towards wildfire recovery in local Oregon watersheds. Help us restore wildlife habitat and protect our drinking water while enjoying 11 exciting films created to inspire your love of the outdoors.
Here’s a preview of the films we’ve selected:
Land Without Evil
Throughout history, people have always been searching for a perfect place. This short film, based on Guaraní mythology (Tierra sin mal), offers another point of view on paradise: The real paradise is inside us and lies in the harmony and unity of everything alive.
Where Life Begins
Along the Arctic Coast, at the northmost point on American soil, we explore the inseparable bond between mother and child, the sacred and fragile moments after birth, and the importance of protecting the place Where Life Begins.
Fighting Fire with Fire
In an effort to restore the role of Native people as land stewards and mitigate the threat of wildfires, UC-Davis professor Beth Rose Middleton Manning fires up a hands-on lesson in cultural burning. Tribal Chairman Ron Goode leads students in preparing the land, igniting the fire, and carrying out indigenous traditions that have restored California landscapes for centuries.
The Guardian Elephant Warriors of Reteti
Reteti Elephant Sanctuary is the first ever community-owned and run elephant sanctuary in Africa. This oasis where orphans grow up, learning to be wild so that one day they can rejoin their herds, is as much about the people as it is about elephants. It’s a powerful story about the changing relationship between people and the animals they are protecting.
Stand with Indigenous Peoples of Brazil, the Amazon and the Climate
The Amazon plays a crucial role in the planet’s health and it’s indigenous communities hold the key to protecting it. In this short film, the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) shows how the rainforest and its people are under attack and the importance of advocating for the rights of Indigenous Peoples and the climate.
From Camel to Cup
Extreme weather has pushed wandering nomads to bank on camels and their milk as a drought-safe investment with Kenya, now the world’s second-largest producer of camel milk after neighboring Somalia. Camels are highly adapted to climate change, while their milk has been dubbed “white gold” by food experts who say it could help conquer malnutrition.
See Animals
This short film illustrates the beauty of animals in amazing animation, and shows what could happen if we don’t act to protect the natural world that they inhabit.
Detroit Hives
East Detroit urban beekeepers Tim Paule and Nicole Lindsey are a young couple working to bring diversity to the field of beekeeping and create opportunities for young Detroit natives to overcome adversity. Detroit Hives has been purchasing vacant lots and converting them into buzzing bee farms. ‘Detroit Hives’ explores the importance of bringing diversity to beekeeping and rebuilding inner-city communities one hive at a time.
Plastic Warriors
Kristal Ambrose also known as “Kristal Ocean” battles plastic pollution in The Bahamas. Watch a community come together to clean up local beaches.
Herd Impact
North Texas couple Deborah Clark and Emry Birdwell let nature dictate how they graze their cattle. They are having tremendous success in regenerating their land and their lives; providing a healthy habitat for migratory birds while raising one of the largest herds of cattle in Texas.
In Your Hands
Visceral imagery, emotional score, and a powerful speech by John F. Kennedy underscore a timeless theme: we come from the sea. ‘In Your Hands’ invites viewers to look inward and rediscover our connection with – and responsibility to – the natural world.
The UWSN is made up of the following conservation nonprofits working together and with communities to care for land and water in the Upper Willamette: Coast Fork Willamette Watershed Council, Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council, Long Tom Watershed Council, McKenzie River Trust, Friends of Buford Park & Mt. Pisgah, and the McKenzie Watershed Council
Thank you to our sponsors for the 2020 Wild and Scenic Film Festival!
