Green Film Festival presents:
FOG EATERS
On the central coast of California, environmental toxicologist Peter Weiss-Penzias and his team of researchers find dangerously high levels of mercury in mountain lions. Tracking the pollutant down the food web, they discover that mercury is coming from the fog—a beloved icon of California.
Q&A with filmmaker expected after the screening.
LEO SACER
In a mountain community where wilderness is both cherished and feared, six residents recount their encounters with a mountain lion, each responding in profoundly different ways. Together, these stories form a layered portrait of anxiety, grief, and choice, revealing how different human reactions to the same animal can shape not only personal outcomes, but the fate of the wilderness itself.
OWL HILL
They build the boxes, so we can watch them grow.
A documentary shining a light on the community of owl box keepers and preservationists in the San Francisco Bay Area and surrounding areas.
Q&A with filmmaker expected after the screening.
SENTINELS OF ENGARUKA
Across the sweeping rift-valley plains of northern Tanzania, two guardians keep the balance: endangered Masai giraffes and the Maasai pastoralists who share their land. Sentinels of Engaruka offers a rare, ground-level view of this fragile alliance at a time when invasive shrubs, shrinking pasture, and climate change threaten to tip the scales.
The story follows Baraka Lesineti, an elder determined to safeguard his cattle; his teenage son Meheti, who treks long distances to find grass; and Maria Eliaz, a young Maasai woman blending traditional knowledge with modern tools to restore rangelands. Their intertwined choices reveal what it means to “stand tall” for people, culture, and nature— together.
Forget the guilt trip, the Green Film Festival of San Francisco, the mischievous, tree-hugging cousin of the 29 year old SF IndieFest, returns Oct 15-22 to prove that saving the planet doesn't have to feel like homework. We've ditched the doom-and-gloom documentaries that make you want to crawl under a (sustainably sourced) blanket and never come out. The line-up this year pairs sharp environmental storytelling with wit, weirdness, and unapologetic irreverence. And yes, our Eco-Horror midnight movie is back!
Whether you’re an eco-curious cinephile or a die-hard activist, come join in the fun because if we're going to talk about the end of the world as we know it, we might as well laugh, gasp, and maybe even dance a little on the way there. Through this experience the festival hopes audiences can begin to engage with sustainable solutions to the problems facing the planet.