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Wild & Scenic Film Festival returns to Lake Tahoe’s MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa

Autumn Whitney
awhitney@tahoedailytribune.com
"Operation Moffat" puts the life of Britain's first female mountain guide on display.
Courtesy / South Yuba River Citizens League |

Tahoe’s adventure film saga continues — on Friday, March 24 the 12th annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival returns to MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa, bringing with it two feature-length, action-packed movies that showcase outdoor adventures and increase environmental awareness.

“The Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour is part of the larger Wild & Scenic Film Festival put on by SYRCL [South Yuba River Citizens League] in Nevada City every year in January. They have a selection [of movies] we can choose from, and we choose which ones the local crowd in Tahoe would be interested in. We look for adventure with a message,” Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership program director Lynn Baumgartner said.

This year’s two feature films are “Great Lakes, Bad Lines” and “Operation Moffat.”



The former follows two Michigan natives as they travel 500 miles (fossil-free) across the state’s Upper Peninsula. The adventure takes them on the route of Enbridge Oil’s Line, a “63-year-old pipeline that threatens our inland waters and Great Lakes,” according to a press release from the Sierra Nevada Alliance. The movie highlights scenic beauty and discusses the ecosystems at risk, inspiring viewers to take action.

“Operation Moffat” is about the life of Gwen Moffat, the first female mountain guide in Britain. Watch as she struggles with risks, the wilderness and her fondness for mountains over people.



“Including candid interviews with 91-year-old Gwen, previously unseen archive material and unashamedly real action sequences, this film captures Gwen’s infectious excitement for a life constantly seeking something strange or beautiful around the next bend,” continues the press release.

“We want people to learn something from this festival as well — be inspired by ‘Operation Moffat,’ which is about one of the first woman climbing guides in England. ‘Great Lakes, Bad Lines’ shows the beauty of the region and eroding of an old pipeline that could be devastating,” Baumgartner explained.

The Wild & Scenic Film Festival will also show a handful of short films, all with environmental messages.

“Generally we don’t release those ahead of time because we want them to be surprises. We do have a local one that features Truckee and Tahoe pretty heavily, and people who will be recognizable to locals.

“Another really great film we have is about the Yuba River, a shorter film of great interest to local people. We have a short climbing film about a mother and daughter who climb together. We have a film about ultra runners who do citizen science monitoring, which is a really cool combination of adventure and science,” Baumgartner said.

The Sierra Nevada Alliance, South Tahoe Earth Day Committee and Patagonia Lake Tahoe are set to host the event, which is known as Lake Tahoe’s premiere environmental and adventure film festival because it promotes local activism.

“This year we’re showing a film about our AmeriCorps members. To celebrate the AmeriCorps partnership we’re bringing some members to do outreach about their project. They’ll show a short film and talk more about the program,” Baumgartner noted.

The 12th annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival Lake Tahoe is a benefit for the Sierra Nevada Alliance and Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership. Doors open at 6 p.m. and films begin at 7 p.m. in the MontBleu Showroom. The event also features a silent auction and giveaways.

Purchase tickets (which range from $10-$20) and learn more online at http://www.sierranevadaalliance.org/events.


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