Wild & Scenic Film Festival 2025

🌿 Join us for an inspiring evening of environmental storytelling 🌎

Event Details

🕒 When: Wednesday, April 2, 2025

🎬 Films: 6-8 PM

🎙️ Expert Panel Discussion: 8-9 PM

📍 Where: Matchbox 4 at MATCH, 3400 Main Street, Houston, TX, 77002

Why Attend?

Enjoy inspiring films while supporting sustainability in the Houston/Gulf Coast region. Learn from local environmental organizations about issues that effect our region and how we can solve them in the post film discussion.

🎬 Featured Films

I AM THE NATURE

I AM THE NATURE is a poetic documentary honoring the philosophy and cultural expression of the Achuar people from the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador. Narrated by Chumpí Washikiat, a local leader, the movie dives into the insights of a man who has walked between worlds, echoing ideas of unity, empathy and harmony.

TRASHED

Landfills are an out-of-sight, out-of-mind part of everyday life in America, but in Alabama, they have long been a case for noxious odors, air and water pollution, and a lax regulatory environment that leaves communities vulnerable to environmental and health hazards. In the aftermath of a 2022 landfill fire near Birmingham that raged for months, suffocating multiple counties in smoke and odor, nearby residents demanded answers.

Return of the Manatees

Crystal River has long been a safe haven for the Florida manatee, but when an invasive algae wiped out the eelgrass that manatees need for food, the community rallied to restore the river and save the animals that call it home.

The Beauty Between

The Great Salt Lake is often overlooked and misunderstood. Through her passion for wildlife photography, Mary Anne Karren unexpectedly fell in love with the lake’s unique landscape and the 10 million birds that rely on it. She now uses her photography to bring attention to the lake’s dire situation in an attempt to save it.

The Tundra

Canada has the second-most wilderness on the planet. We grew up in between the city and backcountry influenced by what we love – downtowns, outdoor hockey, polar bears, the cabin, hip hop, skate culture, and outside misadventures. But, our creative inspiration always connects back to a simple source: the wild. Antoni Gaudi, architect of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona said: “Nothing is art if it does not come from nature.” Desert. Forest. Ocean. Mountain.

MUSSEL GRUBBING

Following a citizen scientist’s journey of discovery, the film explores the treasure hunt for finding freshwater mussels in the upper Sangamon River. Everyday people in Illinois are supporting science in ways that are important to the well-being of their local environment. Finding a diverse collection of healthy mussels means a healthy river, which in turn means healthy people in the community.

On, In & Under the Sava

Armed with a raft, snorkels and flippers, four friends drift down Slovenia’s Sava River with one mission: find the elusive finned-monsters that dwell in the deep in order to help protect the river from dams.

Flowing

The river itself speaks about its dream of flowing wilder and freer again.
Dams, weirs and other obstacles disrupt the natural functioning of rivers and are detrimental to migrating fish, other river wildlife, and ultimately us humans. The good news: We can change this.

Toxic Art

On a mission to clean up Ohio’s leaking, abandoned coal mines, Ohio University Art Professor John Sabrah teamed up with an engineer to develop a process that turns the toxic runoff pollution into paint.

Biopixels

Biopixels explores the world of evolutionary biology on the microscopic scale. Using the latest light microscope technology, butterfly wings become micro-mosaics.

Vertical Meadows

As urban expansion quickly replaces natural habitats, façade engineer Alistair Law has discovered a new way to restore native ecosystems for pollinators and create natural spaces for us all within cities – by turning the walls of buildings into meadows. Alistair has developed his “Vertical Meadows” as a way to combat biodiversity loss in the heart of cities like London.

Road Warriors

Fernanda Abra leads a crucial conservation initiative in Brazil, where vehicles annually kill about 475 million vertebrates—more than double the country’s human population. She spearheads over 300 projects targeting roads with high wildlife casualties. Her approach includes installing underpasses and canopy bridges to ensure safe travel for terrestrial wildlife, like big cats, and arboreal creatures like monkeys, effectively reducing roadkill mortality.

You Are Not Small

Lucy Hawking, award winning children’s book author, and daughter of scientist Stephen Hawking, makes science accessible and engaging through her numerous books. Her latest book series, Princess Olivia Investigates, is about a young girl who would rather be a scientist than a princess. Our film, “You Are Not Small”, is inspired by Olivia.

📢 Speakers

Jennifer (“Jen”) Hadayia, MPA

Jennifer has been the Executive Director of Air Alliance Houston since 2021. AAH is the longest running advocacy non-profit singularly focused on the public health impacts of air pollution in Houston and Harris County. Jen has worked for over 25 years in public health and health equity with state and county health departments and non-profit organizations in five states and the District of Columbia. Prior to leading Air Alliance Houston, Jen was senior staff at Legacy Community Health Services, Inc., the largest FQHC in the state of Texas, where she ran the public health department. She was also Harris County’s first-ever Health Equity Coordinator and developed their first Health Equity Framework still in use today. Jen was born and raised in Houston and is a proud resident of Houston’s Near Northside, where she lives with her husband and a variety of rescue pets, including a 37-year-old box turtle. Jen holds an MPA from Columbia University and a BA from Yale University.

Victoria Avril Matias

Victoria is the Community Coordinator, Texas Health and Environment Alliance. Victoria is originally from the Dominican Republic, is a passionate advocate for environmental justice and community well-being. Based in Houston, Texas, she works at the intersection of environmental advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and community empowerment. With extensive experience in ecological management, community engagement, and sustainability, she collaborates with diverse stakeholders to address environmental concerns and promote cleaner, healthier communities. Victoria holds a degree in Ecology and Environmental Management and has led international biodiversity projects, managed local government programs, and driven grassroots initiatives to empower communities and foster sustainable solutions.

Dr. Natacha Poggio

Natacha is a U.S. Fulbright Scholar, TEDx speaker, and design educator committed to social and planetary well-being. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Houston-Downtown, where she empowers students to become socially responsible designers. In 2008, she founded Design Global Change, a collaborative focused on creating planet-centered solutions for global health, environmental, and social justice challenges. Her work has impacted communities across Latin America, Africa, and Asia, tackling sanitation and gender equality in India, wellness for HIV+ farmers in Kenya, mobility for amputees in Peru and Ghana, and environmental education with Indigenous children to protect Ecuadorian rainforest biodiversity. A three-time recipient of Sappi’s“Ideas that Matter” award, she received a 2022 Fulbright Scholarship for a community-engaged marine conservation project in Ecuador. Originally from Argentina, Natacha holds a B.F.A. in Graphic Design from the University of Buenos Aires and an M.F.A. in Experience Design from the University of Texas at Austin. She considers herself a global citizen, committed to designing a better world.