Wild & Scenic Film Festival

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
In February 2025, SYRCL's (South Yuba River Citizens League) 23rd 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 towns of Nevada City and Grass Valley in California.

ABOUT THE FILMS
Wild & Scenic features environmental and adventure films from around the world that illustrate the earth's beauty, the challenges facing our planet, and the work communities are doing to protect the environment. We welcome documentary and narrative shorts and features about nature, community activism, intentional adventure, conservation, health, water, energy, climate change, wildlife, environmental justice, food, and farming. Our objective is to inform, inspire, and ignite solutions to restore the earth and human communities while creating a positive future for the next generation through stellar filmmaking, beautiful cinematography, and first-rate storytelling. Films are curated into themed tracks, which pair projects with complimentary subject matter or ideas to create a cinematic journey for audiences.

Each year, filmmakers and activists travel from around the globe to speak to festivalgoers following their respective films for Q&A, in workshops held in the festival's activist center, and in talks throughout the weekend. There are many opportunities for filmmakers to connect with peers, audiences, and the press.

While all relevant film submissions are welcomed, WSFF always appreciates when there are ties to the annual theme, which, in 2025, will be “Wild at Heart.”

“The 2025 theme of ‘Wild at Heart’ speaks to the power of wild places to spark inspiration, compassion, and understanding of the world around us. Wild is a natural state and place of inspiration, particularly for this festival,” notes Festival Director, Eric Dunn.

With a nod to the festival’s namesake, created in celebration of SYRCL’s landmark victory to earn “Wild & Scenic” status for 39 miles of the South Yuba River, the 2025 theme encourages us all to work to stay wild in ways that enrich us and our surroundings. The theme also embraces a multitude of meanings of “heart”.

“It champions ‘heart’ as courage or enthusiasm for the environment, and the work each one of us can do to help protect it. The theme is also an homage to heart being the center and the way in which the Wild is central to all wellbeing, from biodiversity around the globe to that feeling we get exploring special places, wherever we may find them,” Dunn continued.

WSFF is excited for all the wild and heartfelt ways in which we will gather and celebrate the earth and its inhabitants in 2025!

***Information Regarding Festival Interruptions***
The Wild & Scenic Film Festival staff are in the early planning stages of our 2025 event. We are hopeful that an in-person or hybrid (virtual + in-person) event will be possible. If an in-person event cannot be held for any reason (pandemics, extreme winter storms, etc) we will pivot to a virtual festival. Updates will be posted here as more information becomes available and further decisions are made.

(Updated May 7, 2024)