NORTH SHORE, Calif. – The 10^th annual Tahoe Film Fest concluded this Sunday and early numbers show they’ve raised nearly $20,000 for the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC).

The Tahoe Film Festival is unique among others, as ticket sales go to an organization and environmental cause. This year, Gavin Newsom recognized it for using film to “raise awareness of environmental issues and further serves as a gathering point to celebrate the community which is dedicated to protecting the Lake Tahoe Basin.”

Rather than being a judged film festival with a panel or jury, Robert Roussel, the director of the film festival, curates the selection himself. As someone who’s been involved in the film industry since 1981, he says he has an eye for films he believes will capture Tahoe audiences or have a strong shot for awards season. For instance, he chose the feature documentary The Mustangs: America’s Wild Horses for its environmental themes and September 5 for its award potential. Roussel clearly knows what he’s doing: of the 27 films screened in Tahoe theatres from December 5 to 8, five were announced to have Golden Globe nominations.

Many attendees of the festival are from out of town, drawn to the location and the selection of films—purportedly, nearly 70 attendees were from outside of the Basin. One such audience member was Nate Ashley, who grew up in Reno. “I learned about the festival earlier this year and flew out from New York to see the festival.” Ashley has gone to other film festivals and even worked on some—he was excited to attend one near where he grew up and spoke of possibly getting involved with it in the future. “Having a local fest do premieres so soon, when some films won’t even be shown on the East Coast for a few more weeks, is something that’s really special.”

Heather Segale, education and outreach director of the TERC, was excited for this season. Segale had pushed for one film, ODESZA: The Last Goodbye to show this year. For about half a decade, the TERC has been the recipient of the money raised from ticket sales from this event. These proceeds go to their unrestricted funds, allowing them to fund AmeriCorps members and cover the budget where necessary. Segale said that they went to ensure the TERC could show and maintain numerous exhibits. “It’s so helpful for us to have those funds,” she concluded.

But there were hurdles this year. Roussel told the Tribune that he was interested in the film festival having more support from businesses. In previous years, Northstar Resort was involved in supporting the festival. This year, reportedly, they promised support in February, but rescinded in April after a new employee that Roussel spoke to asked for what the return on investment was—and realized there was none. “Ever since day one, 100% of the ticket sales have gone to an environmental cause. We all volunteer and do it for the environment,” said Roussel.

Still, the festival sold slightly more tickets than last year, and attendees donated on top of their ticket sales. “It’s not all counted yet, but we’re hoping to hit around the $20,000 mark. And it’s looking that way,” said Roussel.

Looking toward the future, Roussel said he wouldn’t be planning for the next festival just yet—he generally plans after the Tribeca Film Festival concludes in May. “It’s just too early to think about it, especially because ours happens in December, and the fall has other festivals like Telluride or Toronto,” said Roussel. “And the first week of December, lots of studios want to promote their films for awards, so there’s that.”

But he’s planned to keep the first weekend of December as the festival’s time. “We’re trying to promote tourism. The destination of a film festival is very important. People want to come to Tahoe—and they get an opportunity to attend and see great films at a time with low occupancy in town,” he said.

Roussel’s passion for the festival truly shines through when he speaks about what watching films can do. “When you go to a theater with an audience and see a film on the big screen, when the lights go down… you get taken away. You can escape from your problems… go somewhere far away… and walk out of that theater feeling better. You can talk with your neighbor or in the lobby about what you thought. It’s a memorable, truly memorable experience, and there’s nothing quite like it.”

Eli Ramos is a reporter for Tahoe Daily Tribune. They are part of the 2024–26 cohort of California Local News Fellows through UC Berkeley.