Foster the Earth's Guide to Surviving the Great Outdoors (USA)

Trading the chaos of the foster care system for the grueling, majestic slopes of Mt. Whitney, seven teenagers take on the wilderness and their own limits in a light-hearted, funny portrait of resilience, joy and the healing power of wild places.

Boys of Summer (USA)

Tucked away in the Vermont woods, away from screens and societal expectations, a group of teenage boys quietly rebel against toxic masculinity. Through candid conversations, they navigate vulnerability and forge deep relationships in a world that usually hardens young men.

To My 14 Year Old Self (USA)

Did you ever make a childhood promise to yourself? Decades after vowing to meet orcas, Cody Westheimer plunges into the freezing Arctic Ocean and writes a love letter to his younger self. A Santa Barbara filmmaker, his film premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Derya Runs Many Miles (USA)

Fear of regret can be a profound motivator. Armed more with anxiety than confidence, Derya takes on her first grueling 100-mile ultramarathon through the unforgiving Colorado Rockies in an inspiring test of the human spirit.

Loving Bing (USA)

Ten years after a bitter divorce, 81-year-old Ann turns the camera on her ex-husband. This inventive meta-documentary captures the awkward, bittersweet process of distilling a lifetime of shared history and heartbreak.

The Meloneers (USA)

In small-town America, a dedicated high school wrestling coach uses the grueling demands of the sport to teach his athletes the serenity prayer: surrender what you cannot control and change what you can.

Dick's-A-Thon (USA)

Forget water stations and energy gels—this marathon is fueled entirely by fast food. Dive into Seattle's most absurd tradition: a 26-mile urban race punctuated by five mandatory burger meals.

Asante Nyuki (Kenya)

A beekeeper travels from the savannas of Kenya to the mist-shrouded cliffs of Nepal to meet the legendary Gurung honey hunters, who harvest wild honey in an ancient, death-defying ritual that reveals the bond between humanity and hive.

Forage to Table (USA)

Foraging expert Blake Williams takes the audience on a foraging adventure that pays off with a one-of-a-kind culinary experience. They must avoid poisonous hazards, rough terrain, and questionable weather to obtain the elusive delicacies that hide within the forest.

Kāinga Tupu (USA)

Through vivid, hand-drawn animation, experience the looming threat of civilization through the eyes of the Kākāpō, New Zealand's rare, flightless parrot. As lights and noises encroach, this beautiful short portrays the emotional reality of habitat loss.

Overlooked: A Silent Extinction (UK)

While conservation efforts have focused on elephants and rhinos, the tallest animal on earth has been quietly slipping away. This film exposes the silent extinction of giraffes—and spotlights the unexpected solutions that might bring them back.

You Told Us to Talk About the Weather (UK)

Starring Michael Sheen, this witty, deeply moving film filters our eco-anxiety through the eyes of a child, demanding to know why adults talk endlessly about the weather but so rarely about climate change.

Beautiful Birds (UK)

Amid the windswept beauty of Scotland's Isle of Bute, a recently widowed birdwatcher and her disconnected granddaughter enter a fiercely competitive birding event, searching for rare species and healing from shared grief.

No Coucou in the Mountain (Germany)

The jagged peaks of Chamonix offer zero margin for error. Follow a group of amateur friends as they face their paralyzing fear of heights, hanging over gaping crevasses in dizzying alpine cinematography.

Fire Lily (UK)

Against pandemic isolation, racial protests and raging wildfires, a tense street encounter between a police officer and a Black dancer spirals into a surreal, poetic reckoning—trauma expressed through visceral movement. Starring Juilliard-trained dancer Nehemiah Spencer.

The Volunteer (USA)

A local hero, Luis Yepiz has spent his life feeding families trapped in urban food deserts. But a near-death experience forces him to confront a dilemma facing many activists: how do you balance saving the world with saving yourself?

Pirate Produce (Canada)

Robbed of his taste, smell and sight by a rare disease, a pastry chef prodigy walks away from Michelin-starred kitchens, teaches himself to farm, and cultivates ingredients that transform the fine dining scene he left behind.

Adas Falasteen (State of Palestine)

Amid the devastation and looming famine of Gaza, a Palestinian chef uses his limited supplies to cook for his community—a testament to the human spirit and the hope and resilience found in sharing a meal.

Poisoned Skies (USA)

In 1954, a scientist is about to present research identifying the cause of a deadly smog disaster. Days before, the mining company culprit launches a ruthless campaign to silence her—a precursor to modern climate disinformation. Screened at the Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at Cannes.

Constellations of the Sea (USA)

Embedding with a research team in the turquoise waters of the Maldives, a 17-year-old "next generation" filmmaker documents endangered whale sharks, a perilous ecosystem and a booming tourism industry.

Point Molate: A Classroom on the Bay (USA)

Twenty-five young people spend a summer learning the biology, history and ecology of Point Molate, a hard-won, newly protected park on San Francisco Bay—an uplifting witness to community-led land preservation.

I Dream in Blue (USA)

Surrender to the current in this visually intoxicating, poetic journey along the rugged coast of Baja. Abandoning traditional narrative, the film immerses you in the ocean and the weightless freedom beneath its surface.

The Witness of Yara (Nepal)

The people of Nepal grapple with the haunting ghosts of memory, loss and grave injustice. This redemptive documentary captures a community discovering that reclaiming their narrative is not just a path to healing, but an act of political resistance.

Roots (USA)

Clocking over 200 days a year on extreme backcountry lines as a Vermont ski patroller, Ethan Parrish is driven by a deep desire to build a sustainable future rooted in the landscape and people he calls home.

Grassroots: The Re:wild Your Campus Story (USA)

When a collegiate beach volleyball player realized she was playing in sand laced with toxic herbicides, she created student-led nonprofit Re:wild Your Campus. Taking on chemical giants and winning, it shows Gen Z can drive environmental change.

Talking to Owls (USA)

When the sun sets over the "sky-island" forests of West Texas, nocturnal biologists follow the haunting calls of native owls to uncover their surprising lives and why their habitat needs protecting, in low-light cinematography and immersive sound.

Samaná: The Last Free Flowing River of Antioquia (USA)

The Samaná is the last undammed major river in Colombia's Antioquia region. This lush documentary charts the fierce battle to protect it from a hydroelectric project and to preserve its biodiversity and indigenous communities.

Listen (USA)

What if the answers to humanity's crises were engineered 3.8 billion years ago, not in our search for savior technologies? Visionary leaders tune in to the ancient wisdom of the natural world to heal, restore and reimagine our planet.

The Rusty Fish (Iran)

In this vivid, allegorical animation, a ruthless hunter views nature as a bottomless resource for his exploitation. As his actions tip nature's balance, he pays the price for his avarice—a cautionary tale of human hubris.

Restoring the Headwaters (USA)

Biologists race to repair an eroding stream in Montana's Big Hole Valley before it drains wetlands and sage-grouse habitat.

Wild Rescue (USA)

Highlighting local non-profit treasure the Wildlife Care Network, this heartwarming documentary gives frontline access to the surgical tables and recovery enclosures where veterinary teams use groundbreaking medical technology to restore animals to health.

Like Friend, Like Deer (Iran)

A tense confrontation in the wilderness leaves a poacher dead at the hands of a wildlife ranger. In the agonizing aftermath, this morally complex narrative unravels the hidden bonds between people, animals and the land they share.

Bears in Hot Tubs (USA)

As development encroaches on natural habitats, the black bears of Los Angeles have adapted by living as our neighbors and luxuriating in suburban hot tubs. This highly entertaining documentary takes a humorous look at our closer coexistence.

A Skijoring Life (USA)

In Bellevue, Idaho, skijoring is more than a sport; it’s a collision of cowboy heritage, horsepower, winter exhilaration, and community. Tara and her 10-year-old daughter Bella live at the center of it. Tara is a 4th-generation Idahoan ex-professional skier turned competitive skijor racer who competes not for recognition, but for the pure immediacy of the moment.