THE FILMS:

LIVE MONUMENTAL

Nine weeks and 7500 miles of canyons, petroglyphs, starry nights and breakdowns – KEEN Footwear’s 1976 Live Monumental RV embarks on a classic American road trip to protect the places we play. Teddy Roosevelt is the guiding star urging citizens and a gridlocked political system to create lasting change through the creation of five new national monuments. As the RV heads home, the Live Monumental movement continues driving immense support from a passionate public responding to Teddy’s message:  “It is not what we have that will make us a great nation; it is the way in which we use it.”

Join the movement at livemonumental.com

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The ACCIDENTAL ENVIRONMENTALIST

John Wathen was just an average guy until coming into contact with toxic chemicals, stumbling upon a video camera, and discovering his passion for protecting Alabama’s waters.

RABBIT ISLAND

One man’s quest to protect an island he loves leads him to ponder great questions: Is there an opposite to development? An antonym to subdivision? This film is a brief study of an island set on the majestic Lake Superior, and the artists who gather there for inspiration.

The ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

In our modern busy world – we all seek a place of refuge. In the northeast corner of Alaska, there is such a place – the Last Great Wilderness – otherwise known as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. For thousands of generations, the Gwich’in people have lived off of the Arctic Refuge, what they call “the Sacred Place Where Life Begins.” In a world that remains wholesome and beautiful – lives unique species like the musk oxen, caribou, polar bears and migratory birds. A place of refuge and wonder – but, it is under threat. At the edge of this Refuge, the world is burning – what we are taking from the land is far greater than what we are giving back. The eyes of the future are looking back at us – it is time to save this place once and for all. 

BRINGING BACK THE BROOKS

A poetic look at a forgotten native of Appalachia, the Southern Appalachian Brook Trout, which is being brought back from the brink… by hand, bucket, and hoof.

The WORLD BENEATH THE RIMS

The impact of our great natural spaces on humankind has been undeniable since the days of Thomas Moran. Follow painter Bruce Aiken, writer Kevin Fedarko, and photographer Amy Martin as they are immersed in humility surrounded by the Grand Canyon’s immense power as they explore natural springs, towering vertical walls, and the silty Colorado River as it flows through one of Earth’s treasures, the Grand Canyon. Through this process, their artistic vision is awakened

ABOUT W&SFF

“The Wild & Scenic Film Festival is the largest film festival of its kind in the United States. Whether depicting the struggle for environmental justice or an educational tale about an endangered species, the films expose people to forward-thinking ideas and global awareness. We want the Wild and Scenic Film Festival to be as big as success for other communities as it has been for our own and in doing so inspire a sense of activism which the festival promotes.”