Nisqually film festival connects viewers with the environment
The Nisqually Wild and Scenic Film Festival will feature nearly 20 films with the goal of encouraging attendees to become better stewards of their environment.
The festival is sponsored by the Nisqually River Foundation in cooperation with the Wild and Scenic Film Festival.
“The mission of the Wild and Scenic Film Festival is to inspire people and unite communities to heal the Earth,” Justin Hall, executive director of the Nisqually River Foundation, said in a prepared statement.
“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,” Hall said. “Through these films, Wild and Scenic both informs people about the state of the world and inspires them to take action.”
Among the films that will be screened are three locally produced films: “Lost and Puget Sound,” “Canoe Way: The Sacred Journey” and “Shadow of the Salmon.”
“Lost and Puget Sound,” produced for Seattle Public Utilities, follows three teens who lose a key down a storm drain. As they search for the key, they learn that everything that goes down local storm drains has the potential to harm Puget Sound.
“Canoe Way” was produced by Tacoma filmmaker Mark Celletti and executive producer Robert Satiacum, a member of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians and son of the late chief Bob Satiacum. It tells the story of the annual tribal journey taken aboard more than 100 American Indian canoes.
“Shadow of the Salmon” is the story of a young Lakota Nation man who visits his Coastal Salish relatives in the Northwest. During his visit, he learns about salmon and the Northwest environment. The film was written by Steve Robinson, photographed and directed by Michael Pearce, produced by Salmon Defense and Three Sixty Productions in association with Northwest Straits Commission, The Potlatch Foundation and Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.
“Our goal is for people to leave the film festival encouraged and supported to be more sustainable in their daily lives,” Hall said in the statement.
In addition to environmentally focused short films, the festival also includes hands-on educational activities and a raffle.
The film festival is being held in conjunction with the Nisqually Home, Garden & Trade Show. In addition to the River Foundation, the festival also is sponsored by the Nisqually Land Trust, Thurston County Stream Team, the South Sound Estuary Association and Thurston County Environmental Health.
If you go
What: Nisqually Wild and Scenic Film Festival
When: Saturday-April 29. Booths will be open 9a.m.-4 p.m. Films will be shown 11 a.m.-3 p.m. each day.
Where: Yelm High School’s Performing Arts Center, 1315 Yelm Ave. W., Yelm
Cost: Free
Information: Go to
nisquallyriver.org/filmfestival
