Looking for inspiration or a much needed boost to tackle environmental issues?
You might get to see the film this week at an intimate film festival in Santa Rosa as part of an international call for action for the planet and its oceans.
The region’s first Trees & Seeds Film Festival will be held at the Kids Street Charter School Theatre on Davis Street from 6 to 8:30 p.m., where audiences can watch five short films aimed at inspiring motivation and self-confidence.
The event is free and will be followed by a discussion about what actions the audience might take.
“My idea was to screen the film and have people discuss it, get to know each other and see what the outcome would be,” said local organizer Bridget Palmer.
Santa Rosa will be one of more than 100 communities around the world participating in the fourth annual International Film Festival hosted by Plastic Oceans International, which will provide a curated selection of films available for screening.
The Santa Rosa event will also feature a short film about the nonprofit Russian Riverkeeper organization and its programs, part of an effort to customize the event for a Sonoma County audience, Palmer said.
For Palmer, a longtime children’s theater teacher and executive director of A Theater for Children, bringing the festival to Santa Rosa is a passion project and part of a burning mission to make an impact on our endangered planet.
The mother of two adult daughters, she founded We Save the World, a nonprofit that provides a fun, easy way for young people to support environmental causes. The organization uses an online platform to help young people raise money for their causes, whether that be saving endangered animals, helping reforestation, donating to environmental organizations, or a variety of other causes.
Palmer is president and CEO of the nonprofit, which hosts an “Ecohero Launchpad” where kids can choose an avatar, define a goal and reach out to friends and family to help.
“I’m just doing whatever I can to collaborate with other environmentalists and see what can be done,” Palmer said.
The Santa Rosa Trees & Seeds Film Festival will be held Saturday, Sept. 28, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Kids Street Charter School Theatre, 709 Davis St., Santa Rosa.
Staff writer Mary Callahan (she/her) can be reached at 707-521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. X (On Twitter): @MaryCallahanB.
