The Conserve Sauk Film Festival is a daylong showcase for environmental and conservation-themed short and feature-length films that offers global stories and local actions.
“We hope people get information, but even more some inspiration,” said Justine Bula, education coordinator with Sauk County Land Resources and Environment and a member of the organizing committee of the Conserve Sauk Film Festival that takes place Saturday, Nov. 6 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. across the UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County campus. Admission is free, though attendees must pre-register via go.uwplatt.edu/conservefilmfest.
The 2021 Festival, the second on the campus, will show films in multiple spaces, offer facilitated discussions on the films and their themes, and will give attendees the chance to connect with local conservation and environmental organizations.
“Involvement means something different for every person, so there will be multiple local groups offering lots of chances to participate,” said Bula.
Representatives from local groups including the Friends of the Baraboo River, the UW-Extension, and the International Crane Foundation will be in attendance, along with many others. The campus' Bluffview Café will be open Saturday for lunch, where attendees will have a focused chance to interact and be together.
“We want the community to feel empowered and connected, which it’s been so hard to do,” said Bula.
The festival will feature the premiere of a new documentary "Running Free: The Baraboo River Restoration Story," commemorating the 20th anniversary of the removal of the area's Linen Mill Dam. Other films among the 20 on the program include "An American Ascent," documenting the first African-American expedition to tackle Denali, the highest peak in North America; "Gather," showcasing Native Americans in the growing movement to reclaim spiritual, political, and cultural identity through food sovereignty; "Fantastic Fungi," which uses time-lapse photography to show the majesty and mystery of fungi around the Earth; and "Felled," which traces the journey of an urban pine tree downed by a summer storm and saved from landfill by two woodworkers. There will also be live presentations from local and regional experts on a range of environmental and conservation topics. The full lineup is at the Festival’s website, conservesaukfilmfest.org.
Assistant Professor David J. Olson, from the biology faculty of UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County, serves on the organizing committee as well, and is very glad to have the campus serving as the host location for the Festival for the second time.
“Our campus is in such a beautiful spot in the Baraboo hills, I think it’s the perfect setting to learn so much about conservation, exploration, restoration, education, and all the important work and care for the land and environment that people are doing around the world. It will be a wonderful day to share with everyone who comes.”
The campus requires face coverings inside all buildings. See the festival’s full schedule and learn more about all the films and presentations at conservesaukfilmfest.org.
The Conserve Sauk Film Festival is supported, in part, by a grant from the Sauk County UW-Extension, Arts, & Culture Committee; and Wisconsin Arts Board, with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts. Other sponsors include Carnegie-Schadde Memorial Public Library of Baraboo; Compeer Financial; Friends of the Campus, Inc.; International Crane Foundation; Sauk County Conservation Network; Sauk County Land Resources and Environment Department; University of Wisconsin-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County; The Nature Conservancy; and Wisconsin Farmers Union.