Wild & Scenic Film Festival

MISSION & OBJECTIVE
At SYRCL’s Wild & Scenic Film Festival, we show environmental and adventure films that illustrate the earth’s beauty, the challenges facing our planet, and the work communities are doing to protect the environment. Through these films, Wild & Scenic both informs people about the state of the world and inspires them to take action.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
In January 2020, SYRCL’s (South Yuba River Citizens League) 18th Annual Wild & Scenic® Film Festival returns with an incredible selection of films to change your world. Each year, the Wild & Scenic Film Festival draws top filmmakers, celebrities, leading activists, social innovators and well-known world adventurers to the historic downtown of Nevada City, California.

Our films combine stellar filmmaking, beautiful cinematography and first-rate storytelling to inform, inspire and ignite solutions and possibilities to restore the earth and human communities while creating a positive future for the next generation. Festival-goers delight in seeing award-winning films about nature, community activism, adventure, conservation, health, water, energy and climate change, wildlife, environmental justice, food and farming.

While all films will be considered, we are especially interested in films that interpret our theme this year: (re)generation. (Re)generation celebrates the power of renewal, both in our personal hopes for positive change in the world and in our collective actions for a healthier planet. (Re)generation references the work this commitment requires—at human and landscape scales.

In addition to these empowering and for some, life-changing films, the Wild & Scenic Film Festival hosts many of the top filmmakers in environmental and adventure filmmaking today. Such luminaries include Craig Childs, Amy Goodman, Yvon Chouinard, Gary Snyder, Debra Winger, Sir Patrick Stewart, Peter Coyote, Daryl Hannah, Winona LaDuke, Tim DeChristopher, Ron Kauk, Colin Beavan, Julia Butterfly Hill, and Jeremy Jones. Last year, over a hundred filmmakers and activists traveled from around the globe to speak to festival-goers following their respective films and in workshops held in the festival’s activist center. The event also includes a variety of happenings in town: free workshops, parties, wine tastings, book signings, street events, and art shows. Nestled in the Sierra Nevada foothills, the beautiful and historic town of Nevada City is a perfect backdrop for this winter weekend of festivities.

Following the January film festival in Nevada City, CA, the festival goes on tour and travels to over 180 locations throughout the United States and internationally, inspiring individuals to take action and help in the environmental movement year-round. Only 2020 Official Selections will be considered for the Tour; most films selected are fewer than 40 minutes.

Wild & Scenic raises resources and awareness for SYRCL’s initiatives to recover California’s wild salmon and to protect and restore the Yuba River Watershed. What began as a grassroots fundraising effort in 2003 for the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) in Nevada City, California, this event is now the largest festival of its kind in the US. A favorite among filmmakers and film lovers alike, Wild & Scenic is a festival by activists and for activists. Our tagline is "Where activism gets inspired," and we truly believe that and will continue to strive in our efforts to provide inspiring, quality storytelling and opportunities to get involved.

We recognize that we cannot achieve our mission of uniting the community to heal the earth without seeing the intersection of social justice with the environmental movement. If we want a better planet for all, we must invite and include all voices. We are committed to providing diverse programming and fostering a welcoming experience for festival-goers. We provide equal opportunities and consideration to all filmmakers and artists. We do not discriminate based on any identity.