JOIN US for the 3rd Annual Monadnock Earth Day Film Fest, FREE! Running Wednesday, April 19 through Saturday, April 22nd, we are very excited to bring you award-winning and nationally recognized films that celebrate this wondrous planet we share! We offer both in-person and virtual offerings.

Featured theme: Climate change and how producers and advocates work to mitigate its effects - whether it’s farmers in the Delmarva Peninsula of Delaware or Native American tribes scattered throughout the Southwest. View Delmarva and the Ground for Change, The Seeds Are Our Children, and Inhabitants. Delmarva and the Ground for Change is our FEATURED FILM and will be screened IN-PERSON on Thursday, April 20th at 6pm at Drennan Auditorium (in Parker Hall) at Keene State College. The film’s director joins local farmers, advocates and a business owner to discuss how sustainable agricultural practices can mitigate climate change while keeping local economies robust.

A panel discussion will follow the film. Moderated by Sasha Davis, Department Chair, Environment and Sustainability, Keene State College
Panelists: Film director, Karrah Kwasnik, Gene Jonas of Hungry Bear Farm, Jack Rixey of Dog Days Farm (Tracie’s Community Farm), Sam Temple, Fire Dog Bread, Jen Risley of The Local Crowd Monadnock, and Julie Davenson of NOFA-NH.

Other film topics include: Nine black farmers take on the USDA to keep their land ( I’m Just a Layman in Pursuit of Justice) , Boston Farm to Cafeteria advocates face unwieldy regulations and corporate interests (Eat Up), Rhode Island fisherman impacted by pandemic share lessons learned and wisdom (To The Surface), river restoration in the Northeast and in the European Union (DamBusters, When Rivers Return, and The Comeback) & more. Learn more below.

Monadnock Earth Day Film Fest Schedule:

SPECIAL EVENTS:

Wednesday, April 19, 6:30pm - Join the Cheshire Co Conservation District for a discussion following the screening of two, short documentary films exploring the work of The Nature Conservancy to restore rivers in Maine and Massachusetts. When Rivers Return and The Comeback serves as a backdrop for a conversation led by Amanda Littleton with Charles DeCurtis, NH Freshwater Manager, TNC - New Hampshire and Joshua Royte, Senior Conservation Scientist, TNC - Maine, discussing TNC’s efforts in New Hampshire to improve and protect key freshwater systems such as the Ashuelot Rivershed.
Directed by Francisco E. Campos-Lopez
When Rivers Return - 7 minutes; The Comeback, 1.5 minutes, 2021
Virtual event

Thursday, April 20, 6pm —- Delmarva and the Ground for Change, IN PERSON, Drennan Auditorium, Keene State College - Discussion afterward will focus on how farmers and business owners employ sustainable practices to mitigate climate change and how advocates work to support them.
Panel discussion moderated by Sasha Davis, Dept. Chair, Environmental and Sustainability Studies will follow screening. Panelists include film director, Karrah Kwasnik, farmers Gene Jonas of Hungry Bear Farm and Jack Rixey of Dog Days Farm (Tracie’s), business owner, Sam Temple of Fire Dog Breads, and advocates, Jen Risley of AMIBA and The Local Crowd Monadnock, and Julie Davenson of NOFA-NH.
Directed by Karrah Kwasnik
1hr 29 mins, 2021

Friday, April 21, 6pm — Eat Up, VIRTUAL EVENT. Join Eliza Novick of Boston’s Shah Foundation (featured in the film) for a conversation about how to effectively overcome regulations and corporate interests to get local food into school cafeterias. Roundtable discussion led by Dr. Becky Dunn, Professor of Nutrition Education, Franklin Pierce University and Roe-Ann Tasoulas, MFCC director.
Directed and produced by Fiona Turner
1 hr, 21 mins, 2020

Other Feature-Length films:

I’m Just a Layman in Pursuit of Justice: Chronicles the injustices of the US Department of Agriculture, also known as "The Last Plantation", and the lived experience of nine Black farmers who chose to fight against discrimination to keep their farms.
2021, 59 mins
Directed by Shoun Hill

Inhabitants: INHABITANTS follows five Native American Tribes across deserts, coastlines, forests, and prairies as they restore their traditional land management practices in response to drought brought by climate change.
Co-directed by Anna Palmer and Costa Boutsikaris. Produced by Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee.
2021, 1hr. 16 min

DamBusters: Who are the most inspiring individuals working tirelessly to restore rivers in Europe? We call them the “DamBusters”. Pao Fernández Garrido from the Dam Removal Europe coalition is on a mission: to see their work at their local rivers and share these exciting stories to inspire more river restorations. DAMBUSTERS follows Pao’s journey through native Spain, France, Lithuania, Estonia and Finland. The most iconic river freeing cases so far, ready to impress you.
Directed by Francisco Campos-Lopez Benyunes
2022, 71 mins

Short-format:

Connected: Champlain/Adirondack Biosphere is a film that celebrates partners working to build a more sustainable future for communities across the Champlain Basin and the Adirondack Mountains.
The film was directed by Lia Nydes and produced in partnership with the National Park Service and the Center for Environmental Filmmaking, American University
8mins 28 seconds

To The Surface Like most things, Covid-19 wreaked havoc on the RI seafood industry. Tyler Murgo grew up seeing his family harvest seafood from wild places. As everything falls apart, it feels urgent to capture the wisdom and perspectives of local fishermen during this historical moment. Some close to home, with Tyler’s brother Kenny Murgo, and others who have been fighting for change in RI for years like Jason Jarvis.
Directed by Gnarly Bay, Aaron Schurman, Dana Saint, Dan Riordan
2020, 8 mins

Counter Mapping In this beautiful film, we meet Jim Enote, a traditional Zuni elder, farmer, and director of the Zuni Heritage Center who works with Zuni artists and farmers to provide an alternative way to understand and create maps which offer an indigenous voice and perspective rooted in place.
Directed by Adam Loften, Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee
2020, 8 mins

The Seeds Are Our Children The Hopi Tribe has had permanent settlements in their traditional homeland for thousands of years. Their ancient culture is rooted in a deep respect for farming with nature. Hopi farmer, Michael Kotutwa Johnson, has embarked on a life-long journey to gain recognition for traditional techniques by bringing together modern science and Indigenous ways of knowing. As drought continues to worsen in the southwest, Michael is dedicated to educating the public about dry land farming and the resilience of Hopi agriculture.
2021, 12 mins
Directed by Anna Palmer and Costa Boutsikaris

OTHER EARTH DAY ACTIVITIES!

Monadnock Earth Day Festival at the Monadnock Food Coop, April 21, 2023, 12pm - 4pm.
The annual Monadnock Region Earth Day Celebration celebrates some of the many things that make this region special: a commitment to ever-greater sustainability, healthy communities for all, and preserving and sustaining our planet, which is increasingly threatened by the impacts of climate change. Tables, music, food, & more.

Celebrate Earth! 5K Walk/Run
Saturday April 21, 2023
Stonewall Farm in Keene will host a 5k (walk or run) to raise funds to support their mission of teaching and demonstrating regenerative farming to people of all ages to ensure food security, vibrant communities, and a healthy planet. Details can be found here.

Shop the Farmers Market of Keene, Saturday, April 21, 9am - 1pm on Gilbo Avenue, Keene.

Volunteer for the City of Keene’s Green Up Keene, April 21, 8am - 12pm.