Wild & Scenic Film Festival Returns to Plymouth

The Wild & Scenic Film Festival will return to The Flying Monkey for another year of environmentally conscious films.

The festival, which takes place at 6:30 p.m. on March 7, will present a collection of 11 films with a wide ranges of themes. Titles include “The Accord,” “Pale Blue Dot” and “Iran: A Skier’s Journey.” PSU’s Office of Environmental Sustainability and The South Yuba River Citizen’s League have teamed up for the second year in a row to put on the event.

The festival is described as “by activists, for activist.” The 11 films center around themes concerning energy conservation, biodiversity, climate change, and the outdoors.

Last year the festival gained attention and praise, which was one of the reasons the OES office brought the festival back a second time. “It’s a big hit in the community because last year it was very popular with not only PSU students, but the Plymouth community as well,” said Jennifer Salvucci, a student employee of OES.

The films are geared toward a wide range of viewers. “This year we have a huge variety of films that will be shown,” Salvucci said. “They’re all short documentaries. We have things on environment, adventure, and there’s a comedy. There’s something for everyone.”

The Wild & Scenic Film Festival is the largest film festival of its kind, bringing its unique film experiences to locations across the country. The Wild & Scenic Film Festival aims to create an awareness of human interaction with the natural world.

Brian Eisenhauer, director of the OES, said their environmental goals are similar to those of PSU. “Addressing climate change and other environmental challenges is critically important, and to do so successfully we need to find inspiration, create community, and celebrate our connections with nature,” he said. “Plymouth State University has a strong commitment to improving our campus community’s relationship with the environment.”

Eisenhauer is hopeful that the second Wild & Scenic Festival will allow these ideals to grow stronger within the Plymouth community. “Our second hosting of The Wild & Scenic Film Festival gives us a chance to come together to celebrate nature and be inspired by amazing stories of accomplishment and adventure told through world-class films,” he said.

The festival’s motto, “where activism gets inspired,” was the exact takeaway of the festival last year. It can only be strengthened through the second year of the much anticipated film festival.