The LocaL, June-July 2021

FILM FESTIVAL RETURNS TO COLUMBUS With A Passion For The Environment

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olumbus is growing into a hotspot By Scott Berson for culture, art and film. That’s no secret. But it’s also a place with a strong and growing awareness for nature and the environment. We depend on our mighty and beautiful Chattahoochee River and the marvels of our river valley home.

From August 19th to the 21st, the Nature Now Cultural Arts Festival, featuring films from Wild and Scenic on Tour, will bring those two passions together for an amazing weekend of live music, art, filmmaking and fun.

Plus, this time, the only screen you’ll need is the one on the main stage; because this festival will be live and in-person.

“This is not just an event. It’s an experience.

That is a big difference, to me. That is what separates this event from others,” said Paige Swift, director of Nature Now, a new local nonprofit dedicated to inspiring appreciation and understanding of the natural environment through arts, culture and film.

“Art, in any form, moves people, and film is a powerful tool.

Participants at the festival weekend can expect to see exceptional films & documentaries in nearly 20 different genres, including adventure, conservation, sustainability, wildlife, water, animation, and more.Films run anywhere from one minute to a full-length feature,” Swift said. “We host filmmakers and special guests for audience Q&A at film screenings and panel discussions. There are talks and break-out sessions in locations throughout downtown, and art and photography exhibitions. Pluslive music at all the receptions and parties! Our guests are talented established and emerging filmmakers, artists, musicians, environmental experts, and community leaders who enhance the connective experience for our enthusiastic, engaged audience.”

The event is an evolution of the Wild and Scenic Film Festival of recent years, which Swift helped run as part of Trees Columbus. She said the event had grown so large that it made sense to create a new organization dedicated to bringing environmentally focused films to the Valley, LocaL

which resulted in Nature Now. “It’s really about education, networking, and building relationships in our community between nonprofits and environmental organizations. Our priorities are education and engagement, getting audiences engaged in current events and relevant environmental issues, and hopefully inspiring them to make a difference in small ways, big ways, whatever they can do, and learn things they didnt know before,” she said.

It helps to have amazing partners like Yalla, and an amazing city to host events in. This year, Nature Now is partnering with Columbus State University to host the event at the Riverside Theatre, right by Woodruff Park, the Banks Food Hall, and Broadway just a block away. It’s part of why more and more artists are attracted to the city, and to events like the festival.

“I came to screen my film ‘Rodents of Unusual Size’ at the festival in 2018,” said documentary filmmaker Jeff Springer. “Wow, what a surprise! The city had a delightful old industrial flare, was extremely walkable, had great food, a stunning film theater, fantastic hotel, but most of all... everything overlooked this beautiful raging river. I tell everyone I know what a special place it is.”

There will be events, discussions and exhibitions scattered throughout the day, and the films will be shown in “blocks” based on subject, so you can pick and choose the types you want to see. “ Most blocks have filmmakers, Q&A panels, or other special guests interspersed during a session to discuss a particular film or topic. Each film in a block can range in ‘run time’ from 2 minutes to feature-length,” Swift said. “Film blocks typically last between 1.5 to 2 hours, including interactive discussion breaks to engage the audience.”

Attendees can buy an all access pass to see everything, or specific tickets for what they want to see. There really will be something for everyone, Swift said.

“It’s everything from mountain biking, to adrenaline junkie slackliners. It’s everything from outdoor adventure, to content that covers veterans’ issues, to people with special needs and disabilities being involved in the outdoors.

There’s really something for everyone,” she said. “We have cute animated films that kids and adults enjoy. We have films that explore different cultures around the world. People always ask, ‘Are the films always this good?’ The answer is yes. That’s because these films have been juried two times before they enter into this library. They are official selections for a reason: the value, the quality is top notch.”

For more information, including to see updated live music lineups and schedules, visit watchnaturenow.org or check them out on Facebook at @naturenow.org.u 11

JUNE-JULY 2021