JACKSON, Wyo. — Mountains of Color Film Festival (MOC), the first film festival dedicated to celebrating BIPOC+ (Black, Indigenous, People of Color, + other intersecting marginalized groups) in outdoors, adventure and conservation filmmaking, is returning to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, June 8 through June 9.
See the full film lineup below:
Saturday, June 8
The Truth and Dignity Project
Director: Will Truettner
Description: On July 24, Erick Cedeno, aka Bicycle Nomad, crossed into St. Louis, Missouri, after spending 41 days in the saddle: The 1900-mile journey born of a commitment to bring truth and dignity to an oft-forgotten part of history. Erick’s ride serves as not only an invitation to learn the story, but also a means of paying homage to the Buffalo Soldiers’ 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps by reliving their history.
Don’t Doubt the Trout
Director: Isabela Zawistowska
Description: Bernard and Rebecca of the band, Par Avion, are not your average surf rock musicians. They’re passionate fly fishing anglers and conservationists who are advocating for the protection of California’s endangered Steelhead trout. As ambassadors to CalTrout, they’ve become observers on the ground to document the health of Southern California’s waterways, especially around Malibu’s 100-ft Rindge Dam, a major obstacle to wildlife. Thanks to the efforts of CalTrout and advocates like Bernard and Rebecca, the Rindge Dam is due to be removed with demolition work planned to begin 2028 and finish in 2035.
One for All
Directors: Michael Stevens, Spencer Miller
Description: Tony Drees actually considers himself to have “good fortune,” despite being born into an abusive household, surviving the deadliest bombing of the Gulf War, beating cancer, and having his leg amputated up to his hip. After it all, and through his newly found passion for skiing, Tony sets an ambitious goal for this season.
Riding Han
Director: Eugene Pak
Sponsors / Presented by: Adventure Cycling, Pearl Izumi, Filmed by Bike, Outer Shell, Allmansright, Ombraz Sunglasses, Wahoo, Campfire Cycling
Description: Riding Han is an adventure cycling film, with its foundational essence based on the Korean word, “Han” (?). Han is an inherent part of being Korean. It is internalized intergenerational trauma from war, colonialism, and imperialism. Han manifests itself in creation. Riding Han captures the journey of three Korean-Americans, exploring their identities through Han as Asian Americans, in a divisive time during the COVID-19 pandemic with anti-Asian hate on the rise.
Bravo
Director: Bryana Robles
Description: Xavier Bravo identifies as a queer Chicano climber who dreams of bringing climbing to his Latiné community, and with Escaladores Unidos, he’s creating a movement. After receiving his Single Pitch Instructor certification through the AMGA’s BIPOC affinity program sponsored by Black Diamond, he set out to bridge the climbing gap he noticed in his community. While the Latine & Hispanic community comprises ~20% of the U.S. population, less than 8% identify as climbers, meaning close to 1 million Latiné folxs either have never been exposed to the sport or do not have regular access to climbing. He founded and created the first chapter of Escaladores Unidos to foster connection in the latiné climbing community.
Forward
Director: Palmer Morse
Description: While navigating a myriad number of life challenges from being her mom’s care taker, working several jobs, to facing housing insecurity, Anjelica Avella turned to the outdoors in her mid-twenties to improve her mental health. Despite feeling the benefits of time spent outside for her well-being, the lack of other plus-size women of color she was encountering on trail was noticeable. In an effort to form community, Anjelica began leading weekend hikes and trips for other women who too were seeking others with shared lived experiences. Forward chronicles Anjelica’s perspective in a space that has historically excluded individuals like her and shares a profound connection between women who once felt sidelined and are now a catalyst for change.
Moving Mountains
Director: Jessa Williams
Sponsors / Presented by: Fat Tire, WFC BIPOC Filmmaker Grant, 5Point
Description: Moving Mountains is a story about Artist & Big Wave Surfer Tre’lan Michael who found himself and found peace and purpose through surfing, and how the healing power of nature saved his life.
Sunday, June 9
Renegade
Director: German Torres
Description: Renegade Running, founded by Victor Diaz, is an inclusive run specialty store in Oakland, CA. Bucking the norms of the industry, Diaz’s journey with running and his fierce determination led him to create a vibrant and rebellious space, where every runner, especially those often underrepresented, can find a home and be celebrated for who they are. No rules, no judgments – just pure running freedom and support.
Beyond the Salish
Director: Richard Chen, William Chong
Description: Two kayakers take on a once-in-a-lifetime journey off the Pacific Coast of Vancouver Island, breaching into relentless waves, unpredictable weather, and the uncharted depths of their own fears. The duo finds themselves in a life-altering struggle against the elements. As their journey unfolds, a near-death experience forces them to confront the raw power of the open ocean, pushing the boundaries of their friendship, endurance, and luck.
Slides on the Mountain
Director: Seth Gillis
Description: Two young brothers from the Lil’wat Nation set out to ski the sacred mountain they were raised beneath, pushing both themselves and their culture to evolve.
Stronger Together // Identity and Endurance with Alexandera Houchin
Director: Brandon Watts
Description: It has taken time for Alexandera Houchin to weave layers of her identity together. First and foremost, Alexandera is an Ojibwe woman. She’s also an artist, a farmer, a mechanic, a cyclist and a person who cares deeply about her community on the Fond Du Lac reservation near Cloquet, Minnesota. “Stronger Together” takes an intimate look into Alexandera’s life while examining concepts of identity, forgiveness and what it means to merge seemingly different aspects of your soul in order to continue moving forward, one pedal stroke at a time.
Visibility
Director and Producer: Tyler Soares
Description: Lael Johnson, Steelhead guide, navigates Washington waters while unpacking challenges faced throughout his youth and present day
Keepers of the Land
Director: Deirdre Leowinata, Douglas Neasloss
Description: In the heart of British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest, one Nation is reclaiming the power they held for millennia. As the impacts of colonial exploitation and mismanagement take an increasing toll on their territory, the Kitasoo Xai’xais Nation finds strength in its stories and culture, emerging as a stewardship leader in a new age of reconciliation in Canada. A powerful story of resurgence, the weight of hereditary leadership, and the responsibility they carry into the modern world told through the eyes of elder and hereditary chief Nismuutk, Ernest Mason Jr., and the new young leaders following in his footsteps.
Sunday, June 9 @ 3 p.m. – Special Screening
How the Land Remembers Us
Description: Amidst Yellowstone National Park’s 150th anniversary, an awe-inspiring event unfolds: “Yellowstone Revealed.” Indigenous artists, deeply connected to their ancestral land, share projects steeped in traditional ecological knowledge, the act of rematriation and ceremony. What surfaces is a profound revelation: how they exist in relation to this living, breathing landscape is interwoven with the memories of their ancestors and the enduring legacy they are crafting for generations to come. Here, the land itself cradles their memories, recognizing them as integral threads in its rich tapestry.
Covenant of the Salmon People
Description: This is a 60-minute documentary portrait of the Nez Perce Tribe as they continue to carry out their ancient promise to protect Chinook salmon, cornerstone species and first food their people have subsisted on for tens of thousands of years. As a dammed river system and climate impacts threaten the extinction of Chinook salmon, a cornerstone of their culture and ancestral diet, they continue to do their part to uphold this relationship–but will it be enough to save wild salmon from extinction?
The 2024 Mountains of Color Film Festival is funded by grants from the Bronco Wild Fund, Jackson Hole Travel and Tourism Board, National Geographic Society, Community Foundation of Jackson Hole and Wyoming Humanities Council, and sponsorship support from Outside, The North Face, Virginian Lodge, Purple Orange PR, Grand Teton National Park Foundation, Stio, Flylow, Redford Center, Orvis, Nemo and other national and local businesses. It is a program of Jackson Hole Trout Unlimited, the festival’s fiscal sponsor.
The festival is committed to being accessible for the community. Free and discounted tickets are available for the film screenings and workshops. For more information please reach out to info@mountainsofcolor.org.
