Wednesday, March 26th
A film by Sarah Sharkey Pearce and Simon Schneider
Resident Orca tells the unfolding story of a captive whale’s fight for survival and freedom. After decades of failed attempts to bring her home, an unlikely partnership between Indigenous matriarchs, a billionaire philanthropist, killer whale experts, and the aquarium’s new owner take on the impossible task of freeing Lolita, captured 53 years ago as a baby, only to spend the rest of her life performing in the smallest killer whale tank in North American. When Lolita falls ill under troubling circumstances, her advocates are faced with a painful question: is it too late to save her?
Come join us for a screening of this powerful testimony about what it means to honor all of our relations. After the screening, we will have a Q&A period with Raynell Morris, enrolled Lummi tribal citizen and renowned activist who played a key role in bringing home the southern resident orca (Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut) from the Miami Seaquarium.
There is a $10 screening fee, which you can select when you register.
March 26th | 6:45 pm to 9:00 pm
Panelists
Raynell Morris
Events and Gatherings Producer | Children of the Setting Sun Productions
Squi-le-he-le (aka Raynell Morris), a Lhaq’temish matriarch and enrolled Lummi tribal member, is the Events and Gatherings Producer at Children of the Setting Sun Productions and a board member of the Friends of Toki. A former Vice-President of the Sacred Lands Conservancy and Associate Director of Intergovernmental Affairs under President Clinton, Raynell was the first Native American staffer appointed to the White House. She also served as Chief of Staff for the Chairman of the Lummi Nation, and, as Director of Lummi Nation’s Sovereignty and Treaty Protection Office, she was a key strategist in the successful campaign to block a proposal to build North America’s largest coal port terminal on Lhaq’temish (Lummi) sacred ground. Her work for Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut (Toki/Tokitae), the famed orca, and to save her home waters, the Salish Sea, is the subject of the film, Resident Orca, being shown at Bioneers this year.
Thursday, March 27th
Bioneers is delighted to be able to offer you this “sneak peak” preview of a soon-to-be-released episode of Tangled Bank Studios’ widely acclaimed Wild Hope Series (www.wildhope.tv) that tells the inspiring story of how the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation, landless since they suffered the worst massacre in U.S. history in 1863, managed to purchase their ancestral homeland and begin, using ancient wisdom and modern science and technology, restoring the now degraded land back to its pre-colonial lush, vibrant biodiversity, helping revitalize their culture, language and traditions in the process. (Running time: 15 minutes)
March 27th | 6:40 pm to 6:55 pm
An immersive and poetic film centered on iconic shaman Davi Kopenawa and the Yanomami community of Watoriki in the Brazilian rainforest, based on the book co-authored by Davi Kopenawa and anthropologist Bruce Albert, invites us to participate in the sacred ritual of Reahu, and challenges all of us in the industrialized world whose economic structures exploit nature for financial gain to rebel against the damage wrought by predatory extractive industries on the Amazon rainforest. Directed by Eryk Rocha and Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha. (Running time: 110 minutes)
March 27th | 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Told through the eyes of Grammy-nominated DJ and marine biologist Jayda Guy and accompanied by a great musical score, Blue Carbon is an environmental feature documentary that spins music, science and an appreciation for world culture into a vibrant call to action to protect the planet. Blue carbon refers to coastal habitats—mangroves, salt marshes and sea grass—that soak up copious amounts of planet-warming carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, while protecting coastal communities from rising seas and powerful storms. A clear-eyed look at what’s at stake that offers tangible solutions and hope that we can boost nature’s ability to heal itself, the film tracks Jayda’s quest to uncover blue carbon’s potential on a global adventure across six countries and five continents from Senegal to Colombia to Vietnam.
Blue Carbon is a Make Waves and HHMI Tangled Bank Studios production directed by Emmy/BAFTA-winning filmmaker Nicolas Brown; executive-produced by a team including Sarah Macdonald and Sean B. Carroll; supported by Conservation International and other funders. (Running time: 84 minutes)
March 27th | 9:00 pm to 10:30 pm
Friday, March 28th
6:40 pm: Film Screening: No Other Land
Academy Award Nominee®, Best Documentary Feature 2024
A collective of Palestinian and Israeli activist/filmmakers chronicled the Israeli military’s incremental expulsion of the West Bank community of Masafer Yatta — home to 20 ancient Palestinian villages, over a period of five years (2019–23) in this tightly focused, powerful documentary film, that also explores the complicated friendship and hopeful partnership that develops between the Palestinian and Israeli activist creators of this film in their efforts to resist a government-sanctioned mass eviction.
Directed by: Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, and presented with support from The Richard Brick, Geri Ashur, and Sara Bershtel Fund for Social Justice Documentaries. (96 minutes)
March 28th | 6:40 pm to 8:30 pm
This 15-minute pilot episode of the upcoming documentary series From Soil to Soul delves into the heart of food justice and community-led food sovereignty initiatives in Los Angeles, highlighting case studies, including a community garden in Compton, a food forest in a former abandoned alleyway in Fullerton, and the planting of native edible and medicinal plants in lawns for local food resilience.
The From Soil to Soul series will present powerful stories of Black, Indigenous and People of Color farmers, regenerative practitioners, food activists, thought leaders and communities reclaiming their right to control their food systems and transforming their relationships with food, land, and each other.
The From Soil to Soul co-founders, Ankur Shah, Margaret To and Jahnavi Mange, along with producer Rachel Allen and cinematographer Eldon Arena, will be on hand to introduce the film. (Running time: 15 minutes)
March 28th | 8:35 pm to 9:00 pm
Introduced by
Ankur Shah
Co-Founder | From Soil to Soul Documentary Series
Ankur Shah, born in Mumbai where he witnessed food insecurity and pollution firsthand, is a geospatial data scientist using satellite data to assess climate hazards and environmental issues and is the Director of Operations at Mycelium, where he has designed sustainable food systems and taught workshops on food resilience. Currently studying biomimicry at Arizona State University, Ankur is also co-founder of the From Soil to Soul documentary series, the pilot episode of which, Food Justice in LA, is being shown at Bioneers this year.
Margaret To
Co-Founder | From Soil to Soul Documentary Series
Margaret To, a Los Angeles-based multimedia artist and filmmaker, is the founder of Studio SAKA, a creative studio dedicated to social impact and climate education, and co-leads the LA Chapter of Climate Designers, hosting community events and curating climate resources, jobs, and volunteer opportunities for the LA community. She is a co-founder of the From Soil to Soul documentary series, the pilot episode of which, Food Justice in LA, is being shown at Bioneers this year.
Jahnavi Mange
Co-Founder | From Soil to Soul Documentary Series
Jahnavi Mange, a San Jose-based climate and social justice activist with expertise in sustainability, regenerative strategies, permaculture, and community-building, has worked with a number of grassroots organizations, local governments and global corporations to drive equity and environmental impact. Jahnavi is a co-founder of the From Soil to Soul documentary series, the pilot episode of which, Food Justice in LA, is being shown at Bioneers this year.
Rachel Allen
Producer | From Soil to Soul Documentary Series
Rachel Allen, MFA, a recovering advertising executive passionate about triple-bottom-line filmmaking, has produced such award-winning projects as 'Wish Upon A Disco Ball' and ‘BIPOCalypse,' with notable screen credits including 'Amend: The Fight for America' and 'Promising Young Woman.' With a background in design, storytelling, and literary management, Rachel is dedicated to creating media that uplifts underrepresented communities, fosters environmental consciousness, and inspires positive social change. She is the producer of the From Soil to Soul documentary series, the pilot episode of which, Food Justice in LA, is being shown at Bioneers this year.
Eldon Arena
Cinematographer | From Soil to Soul Documentary Series
Eldon Arena, a Los Angeles-based Filipino cinematographer and editor, co-founded Studio SAKA, a creative studio dedicated to social impact and climate education, and has led film projects with organizations such as LA Compost and Off Their Plate. An expert in cinema cameras and an experienced drone and FPV pilot, he is passionate about crafting meaningful stories. Eldon is the cinematographer of the From Soil to Soul documentary series, the pilot episode of which, Food Justice in LA, is being shown at Bioneers this year.
This powerful film by award-winning documentary filmmakers Josh and Rebecca Tickell and their company, Big Picture Ranch, fuses journalistic exposé with deeply personal stories from those on the front lines of movements fighting for healthy and equitable food systems to unveil the dark webs of money, power, and politics behind our toxic, destructive, and dysfunctional agriculture. The film, which features many past speakers at Bioneers, reveals how unjust practices forged our current system in which farmers of all backgrounds are literally dying to feed us and profiles a hopeful and uplifting movement of white, Black, and Indigenous farmers who are using alternative “regenerative” models of agriculture that could balance the climate, save our health, and stabilize America’s economy…before it’s too late. (Running time: 105 minutes)
March 28th | 9:05 pm to 10:30 pm
Saturday, March 29th
This film by Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, a stunning tribute to the resilience of Native people and their way of life, won the U.S. Documentary Directing Award at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, then garnered over a dozen prestigious awards and has now been nominated for an Oscar! It digs deep into groundbreaking investigations into abuse and death at an Indian residential school and follows community members as they seek to break cycles of intergenerational trauma by bearing witness to painful, long-ignored truths and the love that endures within their families despite the revelation of genocide. After the screening, there will be a Q+A with Impact Producer Jade Begay.
March 29th | 6:45 pm to 9:00 pm
Panelists
Jade Begay
Bio coming soon.
