The Big Picture

The RVA Environmental Festival to kick off a week of free films to educate and inspire.

Seeing “Forest for the Trees” last year at the D.C. Environmental Film Festival so motivated Keith Elliott that he joined the RVA Environmental Film Fest film selection committee to ensure that the film would be shown in Richmond.

The film’s story documents the exhausting individual physical work of renewing a decimated environment in the context of a supportive community and how that combination can heal human brokenness. “I’ve seen many environmental films over the years, but this one was unique,” says Elliott, film selection committee co-chair with Sally Chambers. “Tree planters struggling with mental health, substance abuse and trauma issues found emotional healing in helping to renew the Earth.”

“Forest for the Trees ” is just one of the many films being screened at this year’s RVA Environmental Film Fest. The festival aims to cover a diversity of environmental film topics, such as the impact of wildlife and insect biodiversity loss, water scarcity issues, wildfires, rising sea levels, community displacement, forest renewal, negative impacts of the fashion industry, and developing a more respectful relationship with the natural world. RVAEFF is free and no tickets are required. The organizers hope that viewers will learn something new and come away with simple steps they can take to improve everyone’s future.

Film selection considers that individuals may have specific interests and families must be catered to as well as adults. Saturday morning through early afternoon March 11, the films shown at the Byrd Theatre will be appropriate for all ages. Saturday morning’s lineup includes the traditional RVA EFF screening of Dr. Seuss’ “The Lorax,” along with two family films, “My Garden of a Thousand Bees” and “A Life on Our Planet” by David Attenborough.

“Families should see ‘A Life on our Planet’ on the big screen,” Elliott notes. “The film is incredibly beautiful and his perspective after 96 years exploring the Earth is invaluable for kids to experience.”

But for Chambers, the film that resonated most strongly had a more local setting.

In a David-and-Goliath story, the Friends of Nelson County prevented the Atlantic Coast Pipeline from traversing their county. The ACP, which would have impacted Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina, was totally cancelled. “Sometimes an individual feels helpless when faced with the challenge of protecting the environment,” Chambers says about the uplifting story of successful environmental advocacy. “‘Friends of Nelson County: Lessons Learned’ demonstrates how a group of people can join together and take action.”

The festival’s wide-ranging program touches on a number of current films about important issues. “Newtok” highlights the threat of climate change, rising sea levels, and the displacement of an entire community. “Built to Built” illustrates the impact of overdevelopment, rising temperatures, drought, and the danger of wildfires.

Volunteer Joe Brancoli is the chair of the “festival of many” committee, which works with partner organizations to make the festival more accessible by arranging screening events at venues throughout the community. The partners for this year’s festival are the sustainability departments of University of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University; the library systems in Richmond, Chesterfield and Henrico; Maymont; Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church; First Unitarian Universalist Church; Virginia Interfaith Power and Light; and Drive Electric RVA. “It’s a wonderful experience to be able to plan an in-person festival again with the help of these engaged and motivated community groups,” Brancoli says.

The festival kicks off Friday, March 10 with the documentary “Wildcat” (a successful Amazon doc made by local directors) playing at the Dome of Science Museum of Virginia. The film captures a British military veteran’s journey to healing as he cares for an orphaned baby ocelot from a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center in the Amazon. To explore the film further, directors Melissa Lesh and Trevor Frost will be on hand for an audience Q&A post-screening.

Free admission, important and relevant topics and discussions afterward offer the public solid reasons to get out, learn something and be entertained at the same time.

“Caring for our planet earth is the most pressing issue that the world faces,” Chambers says. “My hope is that through the film lineup, our audience will be inspired to take small steps to protect nature and tackle climate change, in turn benefiting generations to come.”

RVA Environmental Film Festival runs March 10 -19 at various venues. Free admission. Visit RVAEFF.org for more information.

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