ENVIRONMENTAL YOUTH FORUM

APRIL1    SMITH RAFAEL FILM CENTER • SAN RAFAEL

APRIL 2    SEQUOIA CINEMA • MILL VALLEY

WATCH TRAILER

COMMON GROUND

[CANCELLED] WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1  |  SMITH RAFAEL FILM CENTER • 11:00 AM – 12:40 PM

GRADES: 6-12 
THEMES: Earth Science, Human Geography, AP Environmental Studies, U.S. Government, Health, Psychology

PROGRAM DURATION:  101 minute film + 20 minute Q&A

​our food impacts our health, our communities, and the planet. Designed to spark conversation and critical thinking, the film examines the systems shaping modern agriculture while uplifting farmers and advocates working toward regenerative solutions that restore soil, strengthen local economies, and address climate change. For students and educators, Common Ground offers an accessible and empowering look at environmental stewardship, civic responsibility, and the power of collective action — reminding young people that the future of our food system is deeply connected to the future they are inheriting.

Directors: Joshua Tickell, Rebeca Harrell Tickell  |  US 2023  |  101 min

EYF DOC SHORTS: HOPE AND RESILIENCE

 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1  |  SMITH RAFAEL FILM CENTER • 10:30am – 12:05am 

GRADES: 8-12
THEMES: Migration, Latinx Stories, Ocean Conservation, Extinction, Land, Farming

This year’s inspiring EYF DOC SHORTS: HOPE AND RESILIENCE brings together four stories of everyday environmental stewards working at the intersection of care, science, and community. Rooted in migration, resilience, and identity, the program highlights how environmental action is often intimate and local, and these films illuminate deeply personal commitments to protecting fragile ecosystems.

PROGRAM DURATION:  61 minute program + 20 minute Q&A

SUEÑOS DE UNA MONARCA
After turning her Chicago home into a monarch butterfly sanctuary, Claudia Galeno-Sánchez, an environmental activist, Mexican immigrant, and mother is on a mission to save the monarch butterfly, an important symbol for both her family and millions of others in the United States.
Director: Julián Trejo Bax (US, Mexico 2025) 20 min.

THE CHILENO VALLEY NEWT BRIGADE
For thousands of years newts have been migrating to Laguna Lake in Petaluma, but unfortunately a road has gotten in the way. When rancher Sally Gale noticed that many were being run over she organized The Chileno Valley Newt Brigade, an all volunteer group  to help the newts get across the road safely. This inspiring film is about a grassroots effort  of community activism to save the newts.
Director: Lori Eanes (2025) 13 min.

TIPPING POINT
In the face of unprecedented coral bleaching, marine biologist Shayle Matsuda draws on the resilience he has had to cultivate as a transgender man to inform his research of increasing thermal tolerance in corals.
Director: Aaron Lemle (2025) 10 min.

THE BOY AND THE BEES
Director Arielle C. Knight (2025) 19 min. 
The Boy and the Bees chronicles the changing seasons in the life of the Ray Family as they pursue their dream of freedom; raising bees on a farm in rural Georgia while teaching their young sons what they need to steward the planet they call home.
Director: Arielle C. Knight (2025) 19 min

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WILD & SCENIC FILM FESTIVAL ON TOUR • PROGRAM 1 (K-2)

 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1  |  SMITH RAFAEL FILM CENTER • 10:00am – 11:06am
THURSDAY, APRIL 2  |  SEQUOIA CINEMA • 10:00am – 11:06am

GRADES: K-2
THEMES: Environmental Stewardship, Farming, Sustainable Living

VIEW TRAILER

This joyful and imaginative collection of short films invites our youngest viewers to explore the wonders of nature through curiosity, creativity and play. From tiny soil creatures to balcony birds, mountain sledding and small gardens, each story helps students see how they are connected to the natural world around them.

PROGRAM DURATION:  36 minutes + 30 minute California Endangered Insects demonstration by the Beetle Lady

A SMALL GARDEN BY THE WINDOW
Early Morning. Architect picks ripe cherry tomatoes from a small garden by the window to pack a lunchbox for work. Eco-energy flows from the tomato vines. This eco-energy, born from small acts of environmental stewardship, accompanies the architect as they head out to the frontlines of the climate crisis once again.
Director: Lee Jonghoon (2024) 5 min

ANIMAMUSICAL
The Animanimals want to do a big musical performance but somebody got the wrong notes.
Director: Julia Ocker (2024) 3 min

CHIRP TALKER
On her city balcony, Audrey delights in the flutter of tiny birds—fluffing their feathers, chattering, and sneaking tangerine bites. Their chirps sound like cheerful hellos and playful spats, inspiring her to invent a bird-language translator that unlocks their secret conversations.
Director: Audrey He-Qing Cheng (2025) 4 min

MIA
Ten-year-old Mia Kretzer is determined to land her biggest skating trick — again.For Mia,practice isn’t just routine; it’s progress in motion. Director Marco Noé, Chico Kretzer | 2024 | 5 min

MÛ
As an essential divine water spring has dried up, a child accompanied by an otterlike creature sets out to find a cure for the life-threatening water shortage. MÛ is a 2D animated short film that poetically explores the theme of water scarcity and the importance of water as a life-giving force.
Director: Malin Neumann (2024) 6 min

SLIDING
On a beautiful, blue-bird day in the Swiss Alps, a female athlete listens to the weather report over her morning coffee. After contemplating hitting the ski slopes with the other outdoor enthusiasts, she has an idea… she will go sledding instead. She digs her sled out from the back of the gear room and heads to the top of the mountain, where she is alone on top of the world. She drops in on her sled, headfirst.
Director Katie Tannenbaum, Matiss Spaile (2024) 4 min

THE DETECTORISTS
Set against the serene backdrop of rural Wales, this short documentary follows wildlife ecologist Lee Jenkins and his two German Pointers—Neo and pup-in-training Cariad—as they search for elusive otters. Using scent detection to guide camera trap placement, the team gathers crucial evidence to protect these endangered animals. Shot from a dog’s-eye view with immersive cinematography, the film offers a poetic glimpse into conservation through the nose and eyes of a canine detective.
Director: Sarah-Jane Walsh, Natalie Clements (2024) 5 min

THE LEAP BENEATH
A lighthearted and entertaining short film about the epic quest of a tiny globular springtail navigating through the soil to find food. Narrated by the one and only Coyote Peterson of Brave Wilderness. This film is a collaboration with Venus Laowa.
Director: Roman Willi (2025) 4 min.

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WILD & SCENIC FILM FESTIVAL ON TOUR • PROGRAM 2 (3-5)

 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1  |  SMITH RAFAEL FILM CENTER • 11:30am – 12:46pm
THURSDAY, APRIL 2  |  SEQUOIA CINEMA • 10:30am – 11:46pm

GRADES: 3-5
THEMES: Conservation, Biodiversity, Community Action, Youth Empowerment

VIEW TRAILER

This dynamic collection of short documentaries and animated films introduces students to real-world environmental challenges and the people working towards solutions. From protecting the bees and otters to reimagining what “forever” means in a challenging climate, these stories highlight the power of community action, scientific curiosity, and personal courage.

PROGRAM DURATION:  46 minutes + 30 minute California Endangered Insects demonstration by the Beetle Lady

MIA
Ten-year-old Mia Kretzer is determined to land her biggest skating trick — again.For Mia,practice isn’t just routine; it’s progress in motion.
Director: Marco Noé, Chico Kretzer | 2024 | 5 min

THE DETECTORISTS
Set against the serene backdrop of rural Wales, this short documentary follows wildlife ecologist Lee Jenkins and his two German Pointers—Neo and pup-in-training Cariad—as they search for elusive otters. Using scent detection to guide camera trap placement, the team gathers crucial evidence to protect these endangered animals. Shot from a dog’s-eye view with immersive cinematography, the film offers a poetic glimpse into conservation through the nose and eyes of a canine detective.
Director: Sarah-Jane Walsh, Natalie Clements (202) 5 min

A LITTLE STORY ABOUT FOREVER
This short film about forever unfolds from the POVs of father (Max) and son (Kip) as they attempt to write a book about what forever means. The father feels overwhelmed by all of the threats to forever, like forever chemicals, and calls an unlikely hero – Mark Ruffalo – to ask for help seeing the big picture.
Director: Max Romey (2025) 10 min.

BEYOND BELIEFS
A young woman from Cleveland, Ohio earns a scholarship to attend a 4-day river trip through the wild Green River’s Gates of Lodore Canyon. The only catch … she doesn’t know how to swim and is terrified of water. Join Danielle and her peers on this wonderful journey, and bear witness to her inspiring first-hand account of what it took to go beyond her beliefs about water, and how that expanded the vision for her future.
Director: Quamae Hall (2025) 5 min.

LITTLE STORIES, BIG ECHOES: BEADS OF HOPE
A powerful animated short film set in New Orleans, following Creator Dawn Richard, as young Black girl, as she navigates the chaos of a devastating flood that threatens the life of a beloved family member. The story unfolds in a historically Black neighborhood, on the day of Hurricane Katrina-now marking its 20th anniversary. To bring our city to life, we collaborated with New Orleans artists — featuring narration by Grammy winning Tarriona “Tank” Bell of Tank and the Bangas, and original music by Grammy nominated PJ Morton.
Director: Dawn Richard (2025) 4 min.

RISKY ROUTES
Risky Routes follows a common toad on its arduous yearly journey back to the waters of birth to reproduce. Seen from the toads’ perspective, it explores how navigating a man-made world turns ordinary features into real obstacles, revealing how biodiversity loss can occur right at our doorstep—and how simple, thoughtful actions can make a difference.
Director: Jonas Steiner (2025) 6 min.

THE BEES AND THE BIRDS
California’s native bees are facing an uncertain future. The Bees and the Birds explores this unfolding environmental crisis through the lens of a vibrant community garden that has become a safe haven for native bees, birds, and other wildlife. Through macro cinematography and stories from local gardeners and scientists, we see how small-scale efforts can have large impacts for local biodiversity.
Director: Olly Johnson (2025) 11 min. 

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