Interested in submitting a film? Film submissions are accepted via FilmFreeway. Submission Deadline: May 31, 2026.
Family Friendly
Fresh off training wheels, a four-year-old growing up in Valdez, Alaska begins to push her boundaries and explore what’s possible on her bike, her eyes naturally drifting to the mountains. We dive into the world of her fantasy and explore the mountains, glaciers, and rivers of Valdez by fat bike with a crew of boundary-pushing female athletes hailing from Alaska and beyond.
Family Friendly
As parents, how do we teach our kids that there is a world beyond social media, standardized tests and soccer practice? Join Eddie Bauer athlete David Morton and his seven-year-old son Thorne on a week-long stand up paddle boarding journey down the Karnali and Bheri Rivers in Western Nepal. “There’s a basic paradox to parenting,” says David. “You have to keep your kids safe, but you have to teach them to take risks and follow curiosity. Life is undeniably richer with a little bit of daring.”
Family Friendly
A look at pioneering soap-bubble entertainer Tom Noddy.
Family Friendly
The Biggest Little Farm chronicles the eight-year quest of John and Molly Chester as they trade city living for 200 acres of barren farmland and a dream to harvest in harmony with nature.
Family Friendly
In 1974, my 20-year-old parents and uncle Andy built their own canoes, launched them into the Pacific, and became some the first people in modern history to canoe from Washington to Alaska up the Inside Passage. My brother and I grew up paddling those wooden canoes in the Virginia rivers and the 1974 adventure became legend in our family – shaping who we’ve become, how we view our parents, and how our parents view themselves. In the summer of 2017, we renovated those canoes and with our aging parents completed their 1974 journey. The Passage is a story about growing up, growing old, and the wild places that define us.
In a small town of Knife River, Minnesota, twin sisters, Pamela Matson & Patricia Canelake, make candy the old fashioned way using recipes invented by their grandfather in the early 1900s.
Ski innovator Candide Thovex has been busy searching the globe for gorgeous, otherworldly, and undiscovered places to shred. If you assume that means wintry wonderlands, you’re mistaken.
Sometimes the greatest risk is to not follow your passion. Part pilot, part artist, this is the story of Chris Dahl-Bredine who built an experimental aircraft in his garage to help immerse himself in the landscapes he loves. For Chris the ‘ultralight trike’ isn’t just a tool for exploration, it’s a way of filtering a complicated world. Through his camera Chris has been able to bring us visions of earth seldom seen by way of aircraft or helicopter.
Family Friendly
Since 1973, the National Brotherhood of Skiers has overcome barriers by bringing soul and smiles to the mountain. Formed during the height of the black power movement, the organization is dedicated to creating a welcoming space for people of color on the slopes and supporting black youth in snowsports. Today, the NBS hosts the largest gathering of black skiers in the United States and represents 53 ski clubs with over 3,000 members across the country.
This film takes us into the heart of Big Bend, the last true Texas wilderness, to consider what effects building a border wall might have on wildlife dispersal, migratory corridors, and access to the Rio Grande, the only water source in a harsh desert environment.
A random act of kindness from a stranger changes a young man’s life. Tamba is a two-minute gem faceted perfectly by sharp editing and softly shined by a lyrical camera.
The 14-year-old BMX rider Erik Aguilar is on track to reaching professional status in just a couple years, but in the meatime, he uses biking to keep himself out of trouble and off the streets.
Subject in Attendance
Dan Schetter is a native of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and is a local legend with a love for the outdoors and Lake Superior’s wicked, winter waters. He’s not your typical profile, and the documentary showcases his charm, interesting character and dedication to surfing in below freezing, dangerous waters.
You can surf anywhere – even 1500m above sea level and 1000km away from the nearest ocean. This is the story of a group of river surfing pioneers who are building not only a world-class wave on the Kananaskis River (forty-five minutes outside of landlocked Calgary, Alberta, Canada) but also a river surfing community.
Filmmaker in Attendance
Every spring in the Upper Peninsula migratory rainbow trout, we have come to know as “steelhead” run up the glacier carved tributaries of Northern Michigan to spawn. A window of only a few weeks a year we are able to pursue these fish in these raging spring fed rivers; melt off from the Huron Mountain Range. It is hard enough to catch these fish but to capture on video is near impossible.
Filmmaker in Attendance
“Straight U.P.” is a look into the everyday life of tree climbing professionals here in Marquette, MI.
Filmmaker in Attendance
Start the Cycle is a cycling team program that introduces at risk youth to a life full of success through winter fat tire and summer mountain biking. The volunteers and mentors provide the structure for participants to achieve goals and have a sense of belonging. The goal of the program is to complete the 906 Polar Roll Fat Tire Bike Race in February and the Ore 2 Shore Epic Mountain Bike Race in August.
Adult Content, Filmmaker in Attendance
The year is 1977 and the custom van movement was at full-tilt-boogie. Midwest Vans Ltd. was a club at the center of everything. Over 500 members strong and with multiple chapters, Midwest Vans set out to throw a truck-in to best all truck-ins. At a small campground in Monticello, Indiana, they set about building a ramshackle resort town around a small pond they christened “Sleeze Lake”. They expected a few thousand people and a good time. When over 6000 vans and upwards of 20,000 people showed up that’s when the sh*t hit the fan! Sleeze Lake: the greatest party you’ve never heard of. Coming in 2019 from Little Cabin Films.
Each fall our skies fill with the wings of migrating raptors, a migration that relies on two hemispheres worth of wild and healthy ecosystems. Join ecologist and filmmaker, Charles Post, as he shines a light on the network of backcountry scientists and sentinels at the front lines of raptor conservation.
Filmmaker in Attendance
The Story of Sleeping Bear Surf and Kayak highlights one of the first surf shops in Northern Michigan and their story of the growing surf community on the Great Lakes.
Four western ski and snowboard athletes, invited into the restricted Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China to explore the untapped Altai Mountains, interact with a 2000 year old skiing culture, learn how to make ancient traditional skis and make first ascents as they discover what has been hiding in the back country of China’s remote mountains.
Explore how farmers are working toward better land and water stewardship through managed grazing and other practices.
A glimpse into the life of Salsa riders Eszter Horanyi and Scott Morris as they travel the country by way of their home, the Scamp.
Filmmaker in Attendance
Brief history of Sandy Lake tragedy and story of memorial ceremony from this past summer. The Sandy Lake tragedy is the story of how 450 Ojibwe people died in 1850 waiting for the Federal Government to distribute annuity payments and food.
Spring is a time when life returns to the woods. Saint John’s has been crafting Maple syrup since the sugar shortages of World War 2 and their story has largely remained unchanged. Explore the history and individuals behind the timeless process of turning sap into syrup.
Adult Content
The residents of Louisiana never know what will attack them next: floods, hurricanes, even monstrous swamp rats. Gigantic orange-toothed nutria are eating up the coastal wetlands, destroying the landscape, and threatening the very existence of the human population. This invasive South American species breeds faster than the roving squads of hunters and trappers can control them. But the people who have lived here for generations are not the type of folks who let their land—and their livelihoods—recede into the Gulf without a fight. Meet fisherman turned bounty hunter Thomas Gonzales and a pack of colorful diehards as they defend their land, culture, and way of life against the unforgiving forces of nature. It is man vs. rodent. May the best mammal win.
Rajesh Magar has been obsessed with bikes since he was a small child growing up in Kathmandu, Nepal. When the other kids were studying, he’d be dreaming about, designing and drawing bikes. As the son of a construction worker and housemaid, however, a bike wasn’t easy to come by. Undeterred, he built one, a clunky Frankenstein, but a mountain bike nonetheless. He started racing, and his drive and raw talent got noticed, leading to a job as a mountain bike guide and a path to professional racing. Today, Nepal’s National Champion is living proof that it pays to stick to your passion, no matter how implausible it seems.
Filmmaker in Attendance
Ice climbing was previously a male dominated sport. Now women are rising up to the challenge and making their own headway in the sport. Anissa and Nicky have just begun partaking in ice climbing and both have felt the intimidation with the presence of the opposite sex.
Ride of the Dead takes us into the world of the Mexican mountain bike culture during the famous annual celebration known as Dia De Los Muertos. This film follows Oaxacan, born and raised rider and trail builder Yefra Ram through some of Mexico’s best mountain bike trails as he honors the passing of loved ones and competes in the first annual Transierra Norte 3 day endure race.
Filmmaker in Attendance
This was a fun little collaborative project. In October of 2017 surfers and filmmakers Pat Noyes and Rusty Malkemes circumnavigated Lake Michigan in the Grey Potato (Rustys’ Van) with a half dozen surfboards, a tent, a few cans of soup, some veggies, and a dozen eggs. Setting out from St Joeseph, MI and driving up the state of Michigan and across the Bridge, they camped and surfed on the Garden Peninsula for two days as well before surfing in front of the historic Seul Choix lighthouse where Pat interviewed Rusty about his unique Midwestern Surfing roots. After that they slowly made their way back to The Southend of Lake Michigan through Wisconsin, stopping in Milwaukee to surf with friends along the Illinois/Wisonsin state line, and eventually through Illinois, and Indiana, where they met up with Ryan Gerard to surf in front of a newly reopened Mt Baldy, and then finally back to Rusty and Ryan’s hometown of St Joeseph, MI just in time for one of the best swells of 2017. Surfing the Great Lakes is incredibly fun. So we hope you have as much fun watching.
When it comes to storm chasing, you can’t give up. But that also applies to life. Keep chasing, keep pursuing. Whatever it is. That’s the only way to get what you want.
Meet Venice Williams, executive director of Alice’s Garden, a community garden in Milwaukee. Venice shares her connections with rivers and water, and shows how the garden is using innovative water solutions that are a model for other communities nationwide.
A look at the World Surfing Reserve of Bahia de Todos Santos in Baja Norte, Mexico, and how the local community is working together against environmental threats.
Mona Seraji is a professional snowboarder. Which is a distinction, of course, but what really sets her apart is that her home mountain is in Iran. One of the unique delights of this endearing short film, in addition to glimpses of a country and culture we hear so little about (and rarely anything positive), is that fretted lutes, ancient Persian percussions and haunting Farsi vocals perfectly counterweight the very modern, very cool, hip-hop segments of the musical score.
Filmmaker in Attendance
Fly Fishing in Northern Michigan is a great way to get outside and enjoy nature. This film follows professional angler Brain Pitser and reveals why fly fishing in Northern Michigan is so alluring.
Surfing on a lake? Impossible, right? Wrong. Loveable wild-man Larry Cavero lives for surfing the ice-cold waters of The Great Lakes in this short documentary about the burgeoning surf scene around Toronto, Canada.
Filmmaker in Attendance
Every winter the Women Ice Angler Project gathers for a long weekend of fishing on frozen lakes in numbing temperatures. Though the conditions are far from glamorous, each member of the Project savors her time on the ice. Not only does she get to fish alongside friends, she gets to contribute to a narrative that focuses on females excelling in the sport.
Filmmaker in Attendance
A video portrait depicting the life’s work of Upper Michigan’s premiere artist Nita Engle. Her watercolor landscapes keep record of the few and fleeting wild spaces left in the world.
Filmmaker in Attendance
Five or six years ago, Marti O’Brien was feeling burned out. She was overwhelmed and pushing her friends and family away. Late one sleepless night, she took her dog Obie on a trail run and had an encounter with an owl that stunned her. She said that after that experience, she was never quite the same. Now one of Marti’s favorite ways to unwind, trail running holds a dear place in her heart and she owes it all to the Power of Nature.
Filmmaker in Attendance
Andrea has found that nature can provide tools to cope with her anxiety, depression, and overall mental health, but what if she had learned these skills during her teen years? As the Community Programs Manager for The Little Forks Conservancy, Andrea found the opportunity to bring these skills, awareness, and environmental education to local teens in alternative High-Schools. Teaching youth in grades 9 – 12, Andrea has inspired these group of students in a relatable way.
Benjamin Leclair makes the most of a bad situation wakeboarding through the streets of a flooded Paris. Gorgeous aerial footage makes it look much better than it probably smelled.
Life has a way of putting us where we need to be. For Vala, that’s in both Greenland – where she works at her family’s fishing lodge – and Reykjavík, where she teaches her daughter how to do it all on her own, too.
Adult Content
Adventure Not War is the story of three U.S. veterans traveling back into the mountains of Iraq on a mission to heal wounds and experience the country and its culture without the shadow of war.
A youngish woman has fallen out of love with her own body. Frustrated, she wishes they didn’t have to hang out quite so much. Committed to making a change she sets herself the simple goal of swimming in open water at least once a month for a year. As she braves the elements throughout the seasons to swim in wild places she also begins to appreciate the quiet heroism of a female life and it’s body. A story about womanhood, miscarriage, healing, loving your own skin & freezing your bum off in cold water.
Filmmaker in Attendance
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, musician, poet and athlete Ben Weaver set out to ride his bicycle unsupported down the country’s most formidable physical break, the Continental Divide, offering free concerts to those who live, work, and play along this iconic American corridor. Music For Free is the story of his journey to celebrate the people of these communities while pedaling 2800 miles carrying his banjo and guitar. By sharing his music and poetry, Weaver encounters the hidden soul of humanity and uncovers clues that reveal how deeply connected we all are despite what is often portrayed by mainstream media.
Twelve-year old Noah Isaac explores his passion for mountain unicycling, known as “Muni”, on the black diamond mountain biking trails in Canmore, Alberta as his mountain guide father encourages him to challenge himself and build his mountain sense.
Filmmaker in Attendance
Moving Mountains in Iron Mountain, MI is a coordinated effort between many highly energized, dedicated volunteers and Pine Mountain Resort. Instructors involved with this program have been trained by, and follow the processes and procedures of the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA). This is the story how Dorothy Paad gained confidence through Moving Mountains to brave the challenges of attending Northern Michigan University in Marquette, MI.
Adult Content
Welcome to Rockford, Illinois, in the heart of Rust-Belt America, home to debut filmmaker, Bing Liu. With over 12 years of footage, Bing discovers connections between two of his skateboarder friends’ volatile upbringings and the complexities of modern-day masculinity. As the film unfolds, Bing captures 23-year-old Zack’s tumultuous relationship with his girlfriend deteriorate after the birth of their son and 17-year-old Keire struggling with his racial identity as he faces new responsibilities following the death of his father. While navigating a difficult relationship between his camera and his friends, Bing weaves a story of generational forgiveness while exploring the precarious gap between childhood and adulthood.