Two projects produced by freelance filmmakers and Mongabay’s video team will be shown at a popular film festival in northern California, The Wild & Scenic Film Festival, during the third weekend of February 2026, and multiple Mongabay staff will be in attendance to discuss the films and related projects.
For nearly 25 years, this iconic event held in Nevada City and Grass Valley has inspired environmental activism and a love for nature through film. Wild & Scenic encourages festival-goers to learn about the issues and take action in their own lives.
Featuring 100+ films, workshops, visiting filmmaker and activist talks, family-friendly programs, art exhibitions and parties, it’s an inspiring and fun event which Mongabay has attended in the past: in 2021, this festival screened the film Our Mothers’ Land about Indonesian women whose rural communities are in conflict with corporations seeking control of their natural resources. It won the “Spirit of Activism” award during the event, and this year, two films produced by the team will also be shown and are likewise in the running for awards.
A 2025 Mongabay documentary by filmmakers Andy Ball and Marta Kasztelan about young Cambodian activists fighting for environmental and social justice, The Clearing, has already been announced as the winner of this year’s “Green Spark Award” by the American Conservation Film Festival, where it will be screened in March, but it will reach a whole different audience in California this month.
The second documentary to be screened is Thailand’s last sea nomads confront a changing world, by filmmakers Thomas Cristofoletti and Chidapha Srai. The project chronicles the uncertain future of the Moken, a nomadic seafaring people living in the Andaman Sea off the coast of Thailand and Myanmar. This Indigenous community’s aquatic lifestyle is becoming untenable in the face of climate change, tourism, fishing restrictions and natural disasters, and many have been forced to settle on land. Some of these settlers have now turned to an unlikely income source to keep their traditions alive: collecting plastic bottles washed ashore on the remote islands they now call home.
The Wild & Scenic Film Festival is organized and produced by the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) which was founded in 1983 by grassroots activists determined to protect the nearby South Yuba River from being inundated by dams. Ultimately, SYRCL won permanent protections for 39 miles of the South Yuba River under California’s Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
Event details
The Clearing is scheduled to be shown during the Mobilize screening event on Saturday, February 21, which will be followed by a Q&A session. While the filmmakers are unable to travel from Southeast Asia to speak about their project, California-based Mongabay staff will represent them during this vibrant exchange with the festival audience.
The film about the last sea nomads will be shown during the Facing Climate screening event that same day, and Mongabay staff will likewise be present in lieu of the Thailand-based filmmakers.
Each of these films will be considered for awards during the event, including the People’s Choice Award, which is given to the audience’s favorite.
So, if you are located in the Bay Area or are otherwise near northern California, consider buying a day pass or the full weekend pass to see these inspiring documentary projects and many more during the 24th annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival.
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Banner image: Still image from the film “Thailand’s last sea nomads confront a changing world.”