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Wild & Scenic Film Festival returns Nov. 23
The sixth annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival comes to the Columbia Valley Centre on Saturday, November 23. Hosted and organized by Wildsight Invermere as its annual fundraiser, this is a festival with a purpose.
Cam Gillies, the evening’s MC, explains why the Wild and Scenic Film Festival is unique. “It sits apart from hundreds of other festivals around the world by leaving you feeling inspired and motivated to make a difference in your own community. It puts our local work – and yours, too! – into the broader environmental and social context, and serves to remind us that we’re participants in a global movement for a more wild and scenic world.”
With over 150 films to choose from, Wildsight’s film selection committee worked hard to create the perfect mix of epic adventure and environmental advocacy. The films come from the flagship festival in Nevada City, California, held every January. After that, the Festival tours to over 200 communities; the Columbia Valley show always sells out.
This year’s program of 11 films includes a focus on water, plastics, young farmers, glaciers, creatures big and small (bees and polar bears), and a quirky story about fish eggs (actually, caviar). From mountain biking in the Himalaya to paddle boarding through the Florida Everglades, you will hear and see stories about very passionate people.
As the Columbia Valley faces controversial water bottling proposals, one film in particular illuminates the global problem with single use plastics. In the documentary called JUNK, two men sail to Hawaii in a raft made of 15,000 plastic water bottles and rope made from 5,000 plastic bags in an effort to raise awareness about the proliferation of plastic waste.
Inspired by this example, the students at J.A. Laird Elementary School will participate in an Art Challenge to create a piece of artwork from recycled plastic. All submitted artwork will be exhibited at the Festival, and all entries will be eligible for a draw of a pair of Festival tickets.
Doors open at 5 p.m. with pizza, beer and wine. All waste will be composted at Blue Truck Farm, and everyone who brings his or her own plate will receive an extra door prize ticket. And as always, there will be a cash bar, a silent auction, 50/50 raffle (bring your twoneys!) and lots of door prizes. The films start at 6 p.m.
Tickets are available at wildsight.ca/invermerefilmfest2019 or at Circle Health Food. All proceeds go towards supporting Wildsight Invermere’s initiatives, including Wild Connections and SPARK (the Columbia Valley Electric Vehicle Share program). This year is especially meaningful since 2019 marks Wildsight Invermere’s 30th anniversary.
Wildsight Invermere would like to express its gratitude to all its volunteers and sponsors, especially thinkBright Homes and Columbia Valley Law, in addition to Basecamp Innovations, Cleanline Automotive, Columbia Basin Trust, Invermere Optometry Clinic, Invermere Liquor Store, RK Heliski, and Sierra Nevada Brewing.
The full film program is on the website: 2019 Wild & Scenic Film Festival
Tickets and festival info: wildsight.ca/invermerefilmfest2019
Or buy your tickets at Circle Health Food.
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