The Wild and Scenic Film Festival was presented by ETSU’s department of sustainability, the department of mass communication and the Outdoor Adventure program at 6 p.m. on Tuesday in the D.P. Culp University Center Auditorium.
Several nonprofit organizations also participated in the event to take part in an environmentally-friendly fair to encourage sustainability and share how people can make contributions throughout the Tri-Cities community.
RTVF professor Rusty Sheridan said he and three students — Ryan Renfro, Kelsey Tweed and Seth Shanks formed a council to choose selected films for the event.
Renfro and Tweed are also members of a new organization on campus: Buc Films.
“There were dozens, if not hundreds of films,” Sheridan said.
Sheridan said the festival was brought to ETSU organized by the South Yuba River Citizens League in California.
The Wild and Scenic Film Festival takes place each year in Nevada City, California, on the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and then travels throughout the country.
It is estimated the festival makes more than 150 stops to feature films and encourage activism.
The films are inspired by the challenges present in several parts of the world on a daily basis, along with the work communities do to protect the environment.
There are films that also feature intense outdoor sports in a diverse array of scenery.
The festival featured 13 films with different geographical locations from the plains of Africa to some of the highest snowy mountain ranges.
As part of Sheridan’s RTVF classes, four ETSU students were also able to feature their original films.
Sheridan said his students were challenged to create their own interpretation of Earth care.
The selected student films included “Cinematography” by Kevin Jones, “The Nature of Documentary” by Ophelie Fuxa and Ines Galiano, “The story of a road trip” by Ophelie Fuxa and “Why it has to be you?” by Katherine Joy Williams.
“We started by going to the university forest and taking some images for the film,” Galiano said.
“We were asking people what is nature for you.”
Fuxa and Galiano said that they were inspired by the different perspectives people had of nature.
“Just listen to people talk about their relationship with nature,” Fuxa said.
Another RTVF student, Katherine Williams said she was inspired by a local natural attraction: Roan Mountain to create her film.
Sheridan said he hopes the films ultimately entertain, while creating an awareness and understanding for our Earth care.
