Wild and Scenic Film Festival showcases splendor, adventure

By Reader Staff

For the 20th year, the Wild and Scenic Film Festival will come to the Panida Theater in Sandpoint, with live and online screenings scheduled for Friday, Feb. 25.

Produced by the South Yuba River Citizens League and presented in Sandpoint by the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness, the screening begins at 6:30 p.m. and will feature a curated collection of 10 films about the natural world and the people working to keep it wild. 

A collection of still images from upcoming films at the Wild and Scenic Film Festival. Courtesy photos.

According to FSPW organizers, “It will be a celebration of wild places, human resilience and communities built on compassion.” 

The theme of the 2022 festival is “Currents of Hope,” and, according to SYRCL, was selected because it “speaks to momentum toward a brighter future.”

“Coming out of what has been a challenging year for all, we are eager to return to an in-person festival and feel optimistic about the growing groundswell of the environmental movement,” the organization stated. 

Among the films in the screening, one follows Riverhorse Nakadate as he canoes through endless miles of Boundary Water wilderness, while another focuses on an unruly elephant named Shaba who is rehabilitated back to the wild in Northern Kenya. Audiences will also hear from the woman who has held several of the most coveted thru-hiking records on Earth, and learn about one-star reviews of America’s most beloved National Parks, among many other selections. 

Tickets cost $15 for general admission — both in-person and online — with raffle tickets available for $5 each. FSPW will be raffling off a basket valued at more than $500, which includes a painting donated by Ed Robinson, a backpack from Six Moon Designs and a wide variety of outdoor gear. 

Superstar Supporter tickets cost $200, including premier seating for the in-person screening, five raffle tickets and access to the pre-show reception hosted at Outdoor Experience. Superstar Supporter ticket holders for the online show will receive 10 raffle tickets and a care package from FSPW. 

Tickets to the live show are limited, and available at panida.org or scotchmanpeaks.org/event, and all ticket holders will have access to a recording of the show 24 hours after the event.

The festival has been made possible with support from local business sponsors: Idaho Forest Group, KRFY 88.5 FM, the Reader, KPND 95.3 FM, Williams and Schiller CPAs and Consultants, Sandpoint Property Management, All Seasons Garden and Floral, Evergreen Realty, Idaho Conservation League, holistic chiropractor Dr. Mark William Cochran and personal life mastery coach Cricket Windsong, Keokee Publishing, Six Moon Designs, Trout Unlimited, Sandpoint Area Veterinary and Emergency Services and Selkirk Press.

This is the third year the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness is hosting the Wild and Scenic Film Festival locally. All proceeds from the night will go toward trail building, outdoor education and keeping goats wild in the Scotchmans.

Wild and Scenic Film Festival (NR) • Friday, Feb. 25; doors at 6 p.m., show starts in-person and online at 6:30 p.m.; $15 general admission, $200 Superstar Support admission. All ticket holders can view a recording of the show for 24 hours afterward. Panida Theater, 300 N. First Ave., 208-263-9191. Get tickets at panida.org or scotchmanpeaks.org/event.

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