Having trouble registering? Try registering on Eventbrite directly using these links [in-person] [virtual]. If that doesn’t work, email [email protected], and we can help you register.
Register: In-Person (SOLD OUT) Register: Virtual Viewing
9/15/26 update: Our main in person festival is sold out, but we’ve added a new screening at Sports Basement Redwood City on Friday, October 9! Learn more and reserve your free spot.
Join POST and SYRCL’s Wild & Scenic as we host the 4th annual Representation Matters Film Festival, featuring inspiring short films that celebrate diverse voices and experiences in the outdoors.
Choose How You Join
📅 In-Person Event: Saturday, September 26 from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. | Devil’s Canyon Brewery in San Carlos
💻 Virtual Screening: Available on demand from Saturday, September 26th at 6 PM through Friday, October 9 at midnight.
About the Films
Our films are selected from the Wild & Scenic Film Festival, one of the nation’s premier environmental and adventure film festivals. This year’s Representation Matters selections highlight diverse voices and experiences in the outdoors, with stories exploring recreation, accessibility, community, Indigenous culture, belonging, and more.
In-Person Event Details
- 🎟️ Registration: Advance registration is required and free.
- 🎬 Outdoor screening: Films will be shown outdoors, so dress in layers for the evening weather.
- 🍕 Food: Free pizza will be available while supplies last.
- 🍺 Drinks: Beer and other hot and cold beverages will be available for purchase.
- 👨👩👧👦 Families welcome: Kids are welcome to join the fun.
- 🐕 Pets: Service animals and well-behaved pets are welcome.
- 🌿 Community partners: Stop by partner booths to connect with local organizations and learn about ways to get involved.
- 💻 Watch again at home: In-person attendees will also receive access to the virtual screening after the event.
In-Person Schedule
6:00 p.m. | Event starts, come early to find a good seat, visit partner booths, get pizza, order drinks, and meet community members
7:00 p.m. | First half of film program
7:50 p.m. | 15-minute intermission
8:05 p.m. | Film program second half
8:50 p.m. | Closing announcements and prize giveaway
9:00 p.m. | Event ends
Virtual Screening Details
Prefer to watch from home? Enjoy the same film program on your own schedule during the virtual screening window.
- 🎟️ Registration: Free advance registration is required to receive the virtual screening link.
- 💻 Watch on demand: Stream the films anytime during the virtual screening window.
- 🎬 Full film program: Watch the same films featured at the in-person event.
- 📩 How to watch: Registered attendees will receive the screening link and viewing instructions by email on September 26.
- 👨👩👧👦 Invite friends and family: There’s plenty of room! Make sure they register in advance to receive the virtual screening link.
Film List
Freya (5 mins)
Feel inspired by 9-year-old Freya, who shares how she uses climbing as a practice to lean into discomfort and fear to help her navigate her neurodiversity. The strength she gains through both are applicable and inspirational to us all.
Beyond Beliefs (5 mins)
A young woman from Cleveland, Ohio earns a scholarship to attend a 4-day river trip through the wild Green River’s Gates of Lodore Canyon. The only catch … she doesn’t know how to swim and is terrified of water. Join Danielle and her peers on this wonderful journey, and bear witness to her inspiring first-hand account of what it took to go beyond her beliefs about water, and how that expanded the vision for her future.
The Book of George (15 mins)
From Brooklyn’s concrete jungle to the heart of the Everglades, meet George McKenzie Jr., a Black photographer transforming his lens into a beacon of change. Swapping the weight of a gun for the promise of a camera, George found his calling amid nature’s raw grandeur, capturing everything from city pigeons and rats to elusive panthers. His unique perspective earned him the title of National Geographic Explorer, but his mission runs deeper than recognition.
George, a rare gem in the predominantly white canvas of wildlife photography, is empowering kids of color to shift their gaze to conservation. He’s proof that the color of your skin shouldn’t define the wild dreams you pursue, nor the impact you aspire to make.
Gigiigemin Baaga’adoweyang “We are healed by stickball” (11 mins)
In its creation story, the game of Baaga’adowewin is given as a gift and tool for life. After forced assimilation, the game was suppressed and remained dormant for almost a century. This film follows the return of Baaga’adowewin, or stickball, as Ojibwe communities walk the path of cultural revitalization and exercise their treaty rights to continue healing from historical traumas and overcome today’s challenges.
Featured Film: Best Day Ever (48 minutes)
Best Day Ever follows the stories of adaptive mountain bikers Greg Durso and Allie Bianchi as they navigate the relentless challenges of their disabilities and embrace the tremendous support, friendship, and joy they find in their rural Vermont riding community. Allie and Greg navigate disability and regain independence with humor, attitude, and grit on mountain bike trails that dismantle ableism, build community, and become a blueprint for trails anywhere.
Event Location
Devil’s Canyon Brewing Company, Outdoor Beer Pavilion (use address below)
Address: 990 Bayport Ave, San Carlos, CA 94070
Directions and Parking
Map to the address above for the back entrance to the beer pavilion, where the event will be held. There may be another event in the main hall. If you accidentally end up in the front, that’s okay. A staff member will guide you to the correct area. Plenty of street parking is available.
Accessibility
We want everyone to feel welcome and comfortable at the event. Accessibility features include:
- ♿ Accessible parking: Limited accessible street parking will be available near the venue.
- 🚻 Accessible restrooms: ADA accessible restrooms will be available on site.
- 🪑 Reserved seating: Seating will be reserved for guests with disabilities or limited mobility.
If you have questions or require accommodations to participate, please contact us at [email protected]. We’re happy to help.
About the Hosts
Peninsula Open Space Trust protects and cares for open space, farms, and parkland in the Peninsula and South Bay. Since 1977, POST has protected over 97,000 acres in San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz Counties.
Wild & Scenic Film Festival inspires environmental activism and a love for nature through film.
About our Event Partners
You’ll have the chance to meet representatives of these groups before the start of our films, as well as during the film festival intermission:
Bay Area Ridge Trail plans, promotes, and sustains a connected hiking, cycling, and equestrian trail on the ridgelines around San Francisco Bay—linking people, parks, and open space for today and future generations.
Climate Resilient Communities provides community-based solutions that center local voices to empower community action.
San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory. For 40 years the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory has conserved birds and their habitats through science and outreach.
San Mateo County Bird Alliance protects native birds and other wildlife and their ecosystems in San Mateo County by engaging people of all ages in conservation, education, advocacy and enjoyment.
Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance promotes the enjoyment, understanding, and protection of birds and other wildlife by engaging people of all ages in birding, education, and conservation. POST and SCVBA partner on monthly birding events.
Things that Creep provides accessible, high-quality, hands-on science education to build an understanding of foundational STEM concepts, grow a connection to local ecosystems, and spark curiosity and passion for community-centered conservation.
