This post was written by Angie Glaser, 2013 Project Specialist.
Last weekend, Mono Lake Committee staff members traveled to Nevada City for a weekend of film, art, music, activism, and inspiration. For the eleventh consecutive year, the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) brought together engaging environmental and adventure films for the four-day, ten-venue Wild & Scenic Film Festival. Communications Director Arya Degenhardt, Education Director Bartshe Miller, Communications Coordinator Elin Ljung, and I road tripped through cities and over snowy mountain passes to attend the festival in preparation for our upcoming Wild & Scenic Film Festival in Los Angeles, which we host.
SYRCL’s flagship weekend is the kick-off festival for a year of events around the country. SYRCL brings together over 120 films from filmmakers around the world, and non-profit groups like the Mono Lake Committee host events to share the films and a message of environmental awareness with their communities. The theme for this year’s festival is “A Climate of Change,” and the films, while diverse, share themes of love for the outdoors, activism, and an awareness of change in the natural world.
This year’s films cover a slew of topics, from nuclear energy in the US, to skiing in Japan, to the fight to save the rivers of Patagonia, and are at once inspiring, adventurous, and beautiful. Audience members are hard-pressed not to find a film (or two, or three) that strikes a chord. Whether that unforgettable, personal film features a man kayaking off an 80-foot waterfall or is a lamentation for melting glaciers, viewers are sure to leave the theater with a strong sense of awareness and passion for the natural world, just as I did.
Join the Mono Lake Committee in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 9th, for the second annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival Los Angeles! Stay tuned for event details.