Wild & Scenic Film Festival

We’re pleased to host the Denver stop of the 2013 Wild and Scenic Film Festival On Tour! Enjoy a 2-hour film program, as well as local food, drinks, and opportunities to network with like-minded members of your community. This evening is designed to leave you feeling inspired and motivated to go out and make a difference in your neighborhood and around the world. We’ll feature a variety of short award-winning films about nature, community activism, adventure, conservation, water, energy and climate change, wildlife, environmental justice, agriculture, Native American and indigenous cultures. Be prepared to have your “batteries recharged” by beautiful sweeping landscapes, awe inspiring animals, and stories of local individuals working to save the places they love. Film Program Moonwalk – Dean Potter is nothing if not creative. In this short piece, he highlines across a desert landscape with a massive full moon as his backdrop. Eyes in the Forest: The Portraiture of Jim Lawrence – Follow experimental filmmaker Miriam Needoba in this rare view of British Columbia’s remote Selkirk Mountains as seen through the eyes of wildlife photographer Jim Lawrence. Interweaving the startling imagery of Lawrence’s still photography with Needoba’s sublime cinematography. Chasing Water - Follow the Colorado River, source to sea, with photographer Pete McBride who takes an intimate look at the watershed as he attempts to follow the irrigation water that sustains his family’s Colorado ranch, down river to the sea. Traversing 1500 miles and draining seven states, the Colorado River supports over 30 million people across the southwest. It is not the longest or largest U.S. river, but it is one of the most loved and litigated in the world. Today, this resource is depleted and stressed. Follow its path with an artistic, aerial view on a personal journey to understand this national treasure. McBride teamed up with his bush-pilot father to capture unique footage and also shadowed the adventure of Jon Waterman who became the first to paddle the entire length of the river. The Gimp Monkeys – What has four legs, five arms and three heads? The Gimp Monkeys. Craig DeMartino lost his leg after a 100-foot climbing fall. Pete Davis with born without an arm. Bone cancer claimed Jarem Frye’s left leg at the age of 14. While the three are linked by what they are missing, it is their shared passion for climbing that pushed them toward an improbable goal – the first all-disabled ascent of Yosemite’s iconic El Capitian. 13th German Deer Calling Championship (13th Deutsche Hirschrufermeisterschaft) – The short film “13th German Deer Calling Championship” shows the annual championship of the german deer caller community, taking place at the hunting fair “Hunt and Dog” in Dortmund. During the competition eight gentlemen and firstly one lady battle against each other in three categories: “the young deer”, “two deers in a calling battle” and “old deer with two hinds”. Public Lands, Private Profits: Too Special To Drill – The Center for American Progress, in partnership with the Sierra Club, undertook a series of video mini-documentaries that revealed three places held in the public trust threatened by pending proposals to mine and drill in or around them. In this film natural gas drilling would bring an ignoble end to Wyoming’s spectacular Noble Basin and it’s residents’ exceptional way of life. Wild Things – Native carnivores balance ecosystems and keep wilderness healthy. But they are also seen as a threat to livestock, and for decades ranchers and government trappers have slaughtered them. The Wildlife Services program within U.S.D.A. kills a hundred thousand coyotes, wolves and other native carnivores annually. It is a battle against nature that is costly, brutal, and not very effective. Does the battle really need to be fought? Wild Things introduces audiences to progressive ranchers learning to peacefully coexist with these animals and features scientists, conservationists, and even former Wildlife Service trappers, who believe it is time for a major change in the way we treat our magnificent native carnivores. Song of the Spindle – In this animation, a man and a sperm whale have a conversation about who is smarter. Each one lists various upsides and downsides of human and cetacean brains, but eventually come to an understanding.