This month, Wild & Scenic Film Festival turns its focus toward recycling and the Indigenous voices leading the way in environmental stewardship. In recognition of America Recycles Day, we’re reminded that recycling goes far beyond sorting waste — it’s about reimagining how we live with the materials that shape our world and how we give back to the places we call home. At the same time, Indigenous communities continue to teach that caring for the Earth begins with gratitude and reciprocity — honoring our relationships to land, water, and one another.
To reflect these themes, we’ve curated a short playlist of past Wild & Scenic Official Selections that celebrate creativity, resilience, and the power of community-driven renewal.
CARBON FUNK (2016) – HONOR THE TREATIES (2012) – FROM TRASH TO TREASURE (2020)
This music video parody of the popular Uptown Funk by Mark Rowson and Bruno Mars, uses musical satire to share the realities of climate change and climate change denial in the US today.
HONOR THE TREATIES
Honor the Treaties is a short film that examines photographer Aaron Hueyʼs powerful advocacy work for Native American rights on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The film explores the idea that journalists often ʻget the story wrong.
In Lesotho—a highland country surrounded by South Africa—an artist named Nthabiseng TeReo Mohanela takes discarded materials and transforms them into unique clothing and accessories.
