Select from one of the options below to register

You’re Invited to this Free Community Event

Enjoy 75 minutes of short, inspiring environmental films, meet your local community organizations and register to win fun raffle prizes!

Join Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, San Mateo County Parks, Santa Clara Open Space Authority, and Santa Clara County Parks as we co-host the Wild & Scenic Film Festival. Our in-person event will take place Saturday, March 2nd at the Smithwick Theater at Foothill College. The film program will also be available virtually to all who register for the event, available to watch from the comfort of your home anytime between Saturday, March 2nd to Sunday, March 10th.

The Wild & Scenic Film Festival is the largest film festival of its kind, showcasing the best and brightest in environmental and adventure films. Festival viewers can expect to see award-winning environmentally inspired short films and have the opportunity to learn more about POST and our partner’s work here on the Peninsula and in the South Bay.

The event is free, but please register by ordering tickets above! Stay posted for great raffle prizes you may win by registering and attending the event!

Event Program

6:00 – 7:00 PM – Pre-event reception. Plan to arrive early to park, walk up to the venue, arrive and get settled. Seats are not assigned – so arrive early for the best seat selection. Then, check out our raffle prizes and visit the sponsor booths!
7:00 – 8:15 PM – 75-minute Film Program Begins
8:15 – 9:00 PM – Raffle winners announced and more tabling from partners will continue in the courtyard.
9:00 PM – Conclusion

About the Films and Festival

Considered one of the nation’s premier environmental and adventure film festivals, Wild & Scenic features award-winning short films about nature, community activism, adventure, conservation, water, energy and climate change, wildlife, environmental justice, agriculture, Native American and indigenous cultures.

2024 Film Selections

JoJo – A Toad Musical

“JOJO” celebrates a creative and musical portrait of JoJo Nyaribo, a young nature lover and wildlife advocate as he explores the meaning of biodiversity and stewardship in his own backyard.


Song of the Hermit

The hermit thrush’s song has been a magical part of a visit to Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Researcher Allison R.P. Nelson and collaborators are working to better understand the subspecies that breeds along coastal California and identify impacts that the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire had on the park’s population of thrushes.


Giant Sequoias – Yosemite Nature Notes

Giant sequoia trees are impressive for their great size, old age, and stoic resilience, but this resilience is being tested by bugs, drought, and catastrophic wildfires. These challenges offer opportunities to research these wonderful trees and develop better ways to support their ability to thrive and survive in the face of a changing climate.


Forward

While navigating a myriad of life challenges, Anjelica turned to the outdoors to improve her mental health only to discover a noticeable lack of other plus-size women of color on trail. By posting a simple flyer looking for more women to hike with, Anjelica created a community she never could have imagined.


Paddle Tribal Waters

When the largest dam removal project in history begins, a group of indigenous youth learn to whitewater kayak in hopes of becoming the first people to paddle the restored river from source to sea. With jaw-dropping aerial cinematography and moving storytelling, Paddle Tribal Waters
is a fully immersive experience, showcasing the unbreakable bond between people and their ancestral lands. The film gives viewers a bird’s eye view as an unforgettable group of young people training for the adventure of a lifetime.


Forests Above & Forests Below

Take a deep dive into California’s unique and irreplaceable underwater kelp forests that have experienced catastrophic loss in the past decade. This piece was written and supported by scientists at The Nature Conservancy and was filmed and produced by the ColdWater Collective.


Soundscape

Soundscape features Erik Weihenmayer, a global adventure athlete and author who is fully blind, as he ascends a massive alpine rock face deep in the Sierra Nevada. Using expert camera work and emotive, novel animation to bring to life a concept by adaptive climbing pioneer Timmy ONeill, the film is a surprising and soulful adventure.

About the Co-Hosts

Peninsula Open Space Trust protects open space on the Peninsula and in the South Bay for the benefit of all. Since 1977, POST has protected over 86,000 acres in San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz Counties.

Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District is an independent special district in the San Francisco Bay Area that has preserved a regional greenbelt system of over 70,000 acres of public land and manages 26 open space preserves.

San Mateo County Parks Department operates 24 separate parks, encompassing over 17,000 acres, and 190 miles of county and local trails, including three regional trails.

Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority works to conserve the natural environment, support agriculture, and connect people to nature, by protecting open spaces, natural areas, and working farms and ranches for future generations. 

Santa Clara County Parks is a regional park district in the South Bay whose mission is to provide, protect, and preserve regional parklands for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. SCCP manages 28 regional parks encompassing over 52,000 acres of land.

Peninsula Open Space Trust Logo

Event Premiere Sponsor:

Thank you to our partners:

We are grateful to our additional community partners participating in this event. We encourage you to learn about and get involved in these organizations. Attendees of our in-person event will have a chance to meet representatives of each organization during a resource fair we will be hosting before the film program and during intermission.

Directions to the Smithwick Theatre

The Smithwick Theatre is located at Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills, CA 94022. Free parking. From the parking lot, you will need to climb about 100 feet or roughly 8 flights of stairs up through the campus to the theater.

Accessibility

  • Those who do not wish to walk up to the venue can take an ADA shuttle with wheelchair accessibility that will transport guests from Parking Lot 1 to the theater. The shuttle stop is located in the Northeast corner of the parking lot.
  • Wheelchair Accessible Parking is available in Parking Lot 5.
  • Bathrooms are available near the theatre.
  • Unfortunately, we’re unable to provide closed captioning on the films.

From San Francisco:

  • Travel south on Interstate 280; exit El Monte Road; travel west to campus entrance
  • OR Travel south on U.S. Route 101; exit San Antonio Road; left turn on Foothill Expressway; right on El Monte Road; travel west to campus entrance.

From San Jose

  • Travel north on Interstate 280; exit El Monte Road; travel west to campus entrance
  • OR Travel north on U.S. Route 101; exit San Antonio Road; left turn on Foothill Expressway; right on El Monte Road; travel west to campus entrance.

More Events

Training Post

Posted on By Paco Melo

Bair Island Walking Tour

Posted on By Alexa DeSanctis
Scroll to top