SYRCL’s WILD & SCENIC FILM FESTIVAL UNVEILS 2025 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

Tickets Now On Sale – Buy Before January 12, 2025 and be entered to win a 2-day whitewater rafting trip! 

The South Yuba River Citizen League (SYRCL) has unveiled the full lineup for its 2025 Wild & Scenic Film Festival. Taking place February 13-17, 2025, in Grass Valley and Nevada City, CA, the 23^rd annual film festival will feature over 100 environmental and adventure films including: 

• 14 world premieres 
• 7 U.S. premieres 
• 4 West Coast premieres 
• 7 California premieres 

Tickets and passes to the festival are now on sale at WSFF.eventive.org — just in time for people to give the gift of inspiration this holiday season.  

This year, SYRCL’s Wild & Scenic Film Festival is thrilled to be partnering with OARS for a special giveaway of a 2-day whitewater rafting trip for two on California’s Wild & Scenic Tuolumne River! Purchase a pass to the Wild & Scenic Film Festival by January 12th for a chance to win. This adventurous getaway serves up 18 miles of thrill-stacked Class III-IV whitewater, refreshing hikes up side canyons carved by cascading waterfalls, and a hassle-free backcountry camping experience near Yosemite. 

For over two decades, SYRCL’s Wild & Scenic Film Festival has welcomed audiences to the picturesque Sierra foothills of Nevada County, CA for this annual event. The 2025 edition will feature a program including 15 features and 102 short films, while bringing together top filmmakers, activists, and social innovators to inspire environmental awareness and action.  

The festival will also feature an array of non-film programming, including activist workshops, art exhibitions, youth programs, outdoor excursions, the community EnviroFair, Q&A sessions, and countless opportunities to interact with filmmakers and special guests. One special festival event will be a Dinner & a Movie program on both Saturday and Sunday evenings at the Stone House in Nevada City. Make it a special Valentines weekend at the festival by embracing the 2025 theme of Wild at Heart and enjoying an intimate three-course meal paired with a specially curated selection of films. Stay tuned for the full announcement of non-film programming to be released in January. 

The 2025 festival’s theme of Wild at Heart speaks to the power of wild places to spark inspiration, compassion, and understanding of the world around us. The official 2025 artwork – created by woodcut artist Nick Wroblewski – celebrates this idea, and audiences can expect to see it reflected throughout this year’s programming.     

The full list of non-film programming will be announced in the coming weeks. 

As part of its commitment to decreasing its environmental impact and carbon footprint, SYRCL’s Wild & Scenic Film Festival continues to go largely paper-free for their 2025 program guide. The guide will be available to all as a digital PDF file on the festival’s website. For those who prefer a hard copy, there will be a print version of the program available for an extra charge when purchasing passes and tickets. There will be an extremely limited quantity of the print version available, so attendees are encouraged to purchase them early to guarantee they get one. 

Summing up what audiences can expect during the event, Wild & Scenic Film Festival Director Eric Dunn says:

“Wild & Scenic is excited to bring an inspiring selection of films and programming to our audience for the 23^rd annual event. Be it stories of wildlife, adventurers, scientists, activists, or artists, WSFF programming empowers audiences to have a wide variety of experiences that embrace stories that are less often told. At a time where the world can sometimes feel divisive and imperiled, Wild & Scenic helps cultivate compassion, empathy, and understanding of the world around us while providing pathways and solutions for moving forward. We can’t wait to ignite inspiration again this February while enjoying all that our magical foothills community has to offer.” 

Some of the films highlighting this year’s festival theme include:   

Wild Hope: Mission Impossible tells the inspiring story of how a late-career epiphany led “wacky genius” Pat Brown to abandon his academic career and commit himself to fighting global warming and biodiversity collapse, starting with a surprising product – an impossibly delicious plant-based hamburger.  

Footprints on Katmai – Following his grandmother’s footsteps to one of the most remote and bear-strewn beaches in Alaska, painter Max Romey discovers that an ocean of problems is closer to home than he could have imagined. 

How the Land Remembers Us – Amidst Yellowstone National Park’s 150th anniversary, an unprecedented event unfolds: “Yellowstone Revealed.” Indigenous artists, deeply connected to their ancestral land, share projects steeped in traditional ecological knowledge, the act of rematriation, and ceremony. Teepees arise on the landscape for the first time in 150 years. What surfaces is a profound revelation: how they exist in relation to this living, breathing landscape is interwoven with the memories of their ancestors and the enduring legacy they are crafting for generations to come. Here, the land itself cradles their memories, recognizing them as integral threads in its rich tapestry. 

Canyon Chorus – Set against the backdrop of Desolation Canyon, UT, Mikah Meyer, a world-record traveler and LGBTQ+ advocate, reflects with three close friends and his mentor, Larry Edwards, on their stories and the power of mentorship within the queer community. As a child, Mikah believed he could never have a successful life AND be publicly out and gay. When he moved to college and met Larry, his openly gay choir professor, a lifelong mentorship was born. Amidst conversations and joy along the river, we understand the power and importance of their friendship. As Larry enters what he calls the ‘final chapter’ of his life, he reflects on the lifelong fight for openness and vulnerability within the queer community, and through the desolation of nature, finds contentment in a job well done. 

About Damn Time – Amidst the roar of rapids and the serenity of the Grand Canyon, About Damn Time chronicles the journey of trailblazing boatwomen who, guided by legacy and determination, challenge a male-dominated world, protect sacred rivers, and pass the oars to the next generation. Dories—delicate, hand-crafted wooden boats—are known as the ballerinas of the river. They first danced on the Colorado River in the 1970s, introduced by environmentalist Martin Litton to immerse people in the Grand Canyon’s majesty and rally support against damming and destruction. Today, as the fight over Colorado River rights intensifies, river guides carry on this legacy, advocating for the protection of the Grand Canyon, the Colorado River, and its sacred places. Powerful, poetic, and action-packed, About Damn Time takes viewers on an exhilarating journey through churning rapids and serene starry nights. Along the way, it delves into the rich history and inspiring present of boatwomen who are reshaping the river-running world for generations to come. 

The Bird in my Backyard follows a window salesman turned hummingbird expert as he documents the secret lives of the hummingbirds that nest in his urban backyard. 

2 Legs is 2 Easy – Mountain town culture is all about highlighting the ones that are the most adventurous and inspire others to push their limits in their outdoorsy lives. In Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, specifically in the Roaring Fork Valley, one resident stands out as an inspiration to many. Steve Karczewski was born with bone cancer in his left leg. After a year of chemotherapy and traveling around the country in search of a cure, his leg was amputated above the knee in order to prevent cancer from spreading. Since the amputation happened when he was young, Steve has never known what it is like to have two legs, and that hasn’t prevented him from doing anything and everything he’s ever wanted as an outdoor athlete. 

Cycling Without Age – There is something about riding a bike that makes you feel like a kid again. All too often, we lose touch with that magic as we get older. Through the stories of pedal-powered rickshaw pilots and their elder passengers, Cycling Without Age explores the importance of feeling the wind in your hair at all stages of life’s journey. 

To learn more about the festival, please visit wildandscenicfilmfestival.org 

To review the 2025 schedule and purchase passes or tickets, visit WSFF.eventive.org.