Wild & Scenic Film Festival stands in solidarity with Black, Indigenous, and POC communities seeking justice, safety, and equity. Alongside so many, we mourn the death of George Floyd, an atrocity that is sadly only the most recent one in a litany of injustices facing communities of color for centuries.
As an environmental film festival, Wild & Scenic focuses on storytelling and amplifying voices that have been systematically marginalized. Films serve as a potent tool to educate about oppressive systems and to become inspired through activism–with our votes and political advocacy, in our neighborhoods and schools, and with our consumer dollars. These stories reveal our blind spots, our privileges and biases, and help us work towards deconstructing the systems that have created them.
Wild & Scenic commits to continue offering programming that addresses environmental injustice, racism, and inequity as well as lack of representation in the outdoors. Our festival would not be possible without the efforts of Black filmmakers, activists, adventurers, and athletes from around the world. We owe it to these folks to show up for them and be vocal not only when we see injustice playing out in society, but also to show that these issues are systemic and will not go away until those of us with power and privilege are willing to understand our role and educate ourselves and one another.
We are committed to learning, and transforming our festival and ourselves. If you are looking for resources to become better allies, neighbors, and advocates, please visit the links below and learn how to be of service. We do not have all the answers and we will likely make mistakes as we learn alongside others, but we will continue to use our platform to confront privilege, power, and injustice.
