Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour

Tickets on sale now for this special Earth Day celebration! $15 Circle members or $20 non-member adults, $15 seniors, and $10 for kids. Additional food and drink sold separately at event.

Sponsored by The Carrie Dickerson Foundation, L.E.A.D. Agency, Inc., Circle Cinema, Tulsa Area Arkansas River Advocates, and Terry Stewart

With thanks to community partners OK Earth Coalition, Green Country Guardians, Green Country Sierra Club, Electronic Synergy Foundation, Spring Creek Coalition, and Tulsa Peace Fellowship.

Concerned citizens worldwide know the urgency of the many environmental crises facing our planet today, but most don’t know how they can contribute to the fight. Now, those in Tulsa can support their own local advocates for the environment by attending this Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour event.

Guests may arrive beginning at 1pm for a social gathering in the lobby. Our community partners will have info and vendor tables for people to learn how to get involved with and support local environmental efforts. There will be live music from The Mother Earth String Band, a special Earth Month art gallery exhibit, and the Comida Sol y Vida food truck parked out front with delicious food on sale. The Electronic Synergy Foundation will be on premises all morning, parked out back collecting electronics for recycling. Complimentary light bites will be available during the reception, but concessions and food truck items are sold separately.

At 3pm, the celebration will move into the big screen for the Wild & Scenic Film Festival screenings! Enjoy a curated selection of environmental activism films from around the world – including one made right here in Oklahoma, “Meet Me at the Creek” directed by Loren Waters and featuring Rebecca Jim (LEAD Agency Executive Director & Tar Creekkeeper). Loren and Rebecca will be in attendance for a post-film panel discussion on water preservation joined by Barbara Van Hanken (co-founder and board member of Tulsa Area Arkansas River Advocates), Katie Smith-Easter (Spring Creek Coalition).

Film Screening List
GARDENER TO GUARDIAN - 13:15 – Theme: Biodiversity/Farming
Amid collapsing biodiversity worldwide, Mary Reynolds of Ireland is building a movement to turn gardeners into guardians of the planet, by returning our own patch of land to nature and restoring hope that individual action can create lasting change.

A RENEWABLE FUTURE - 6:35 –Theme: Climate Change
In this film, land stewards and wildlife experts from across The West explore issues surrounding renewable energy projects on public land and encourage the outdoor community to take action and continue to protect the wild spaces we hold dear.

VERTICAL MEADOWS - 7:41 – Theme: Biodiversity
As urban expansion quickly replaces natural habitats, façade engineer Alistair Law has discovered a new way to restore native ecosystems for pollinators and create natural spaces for us all within cities – by turning the walls of buildings into meadows. Alistair has developed his “Vertical Meadows” as a way to combat biodiversity loss in the heart of cities like London.

DANCING WARRIOR - 10:57 – Theme: Health
For the Lakota youth, living on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation can be a struggle. But many find hope and purpose in the traditional sport of horse racing known as “Indian Relay.” Witness the coming-of-age story of Lakota teens, as they find strength in tradition and passion in competition.

FARM GOES WILD - 8:41 – Theme: Farming
Derek Gow is a farmer in western England, or at least he was. Now, he’s using his decades of experience in conservation to return his land to its original state, as a healthy, biodiverse ecosystem. He’s also breeding native species now rare in Britain for reintroduction across the country.

6000 MILES - 11:02 – Theme: Water/River Issues
In 6,000 Miles, Kayla Lopez, a multifaceted artist and river activist, and Steve Evans, the impassioned Wild Rivers Director at CalWild, offer an exciting and educational exploration of California's Wild Rivers, blending expertise and passion to illuminate the essence and threats to our precious waterways. Their journey unfolds a narrative transcending advocacy, revealing the intricate connection and profound significance of preserving wild rivers.

INTERMISSION

ALL WATER TOUCHES ALL WATER - 4:09 – Theme: Water Issues
A lyrical mini-documentary about the underwater photo and video process of artist Monica Lacey.

FORESTS ABOVE & FORESTS BELOW - 6:27 – Theme: Ocean/Water/Climate
Take a deep dive into California’s unique and irreplaceable underwater kelp forests that have experienced catastrophic loss in the past decade. This piece was written and supported by scientists at The Nature Conservancy and was filmed and produced by the Coldwater Collective.

HEALING HITSYAQTIS - 4:54 – Theme: Water/River Issues
Hiłsyaqƛis (Tranquil Creek) is located within the traditional territory of the ƛaʔuukʷiʔatḥ (Tla‐o‐qui‐aht) First Nation approximately 20 km east of Tofino, in Clayoquot Sound, British Columbia. The sharp decline in wild Pacific salmonids in this watershed is poorly understood. It has sparked research, monitoring, and habitat restoration initiatives to address knowledge gaps and restore habitat in hopes of fostering a recovery of wild fish populations within the Tranquil Watershed and contributing to the broader recovery of wild Pacific salmon.

PAATUWAQATSI/WATER IS LIFE - 11:00 – Theme: Water Issues
“Paatuwaqatsi/Water is Life” is a short film about the Hopi people’s ancient relationship with the Grand Canyon and Little Colorado River. Featuring the voices of running-activist, Bucky Preston, Black Mesa Trust CEO, Vernon Masayesva, and the musical advocacy of Ed Kabotie & Tha ‘Yoties, “Water is Life” challenges us to rethink our paradigm about the sacred gift of Water.

ARCTIC ICE: UNDER THE MIDNIGHT SUN - 3:11 – Theme: Climate Change
‘Arctic Ice: Under The Midnight Sun’ is a collaboration between filmmaker Michelle Sanders and composer Alice Boyd. An audiovisual exploration of the beauty of Arctic ice – and the perils it faces – the film is a love letter to an ecosystem on which we all depend, one which is rapidly disappearing.

I AM THE NATURE - 5:26 – Theme: Sustainable Living
I Am the Nature is a poetic documentary honoring the philosophy and cultural expression of the Achuar people from the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador. Narrated by Chumpí Washikiat, a local leader, the movie dives into the insights of a man who has walked between worlds, echoing ideas of unity, empathy, and harmony.

ᏗᏂᏠᎯ ᎤᏪᏯ/MEET ME AT THE CREEK - 9:12 – Theme: Water/River Issues
Cherokee elders, like Rebecca Jim, believe that what happens to the water happens to us. Without it, we cannot move culture forward and we cannot exist here. ᏗᏂᏠᎯ ᎤᏪᏯ (Meet Me at the Creek) tells a story of interconnectedness and Cherokee values through the lifelong fight of Rebecca Jim, a Cherokee Nation citizen and Waterkeeper Warrior, as she leads the effort to restore Tar Creek located in Miami, Oklahoma. U.S. government officials have designated Tar Creek as “irreversibly damaged,” but Rebecca refuses to accept that.

About the Wild & Scenic Film Festival: Held each winter in Nevada City, California, the Wild & Scenic Film Festival celebrates the beauty and wonder of our natural world and inspires audiences everywhere to take action to protect it. A fundraiser for SYRCL (the South Yuba River Citizen’s League), proceeds from the flagship festival each year go directly to fostering the science, advocacy, activism and education that are crucial to keeping the river healthy and beautiful. The Wild & Scenic Film Festival was started by the watershed advocacy group, the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) in 2003. The festival’s namesake is in celebration of SYRCL’s landmark victory to receive “Wild & Scenic” status for 39 miles of the South Yuba River in 1999. The 5-day event features over 150 award-winning films and welcomes over 100 guest speakers, celebrities, and activists who bring a human face to the environmental movement. The home festival kicks-off the international tour to communities around the globe, allowing SYRCL to share their success as an environmental group with other organizations. The festival is building a network of grassroots organizations connected by a common goal of using film to inspire activism.