NatureTrack in Goleta

The NatureTrack Film Festival is back in a big way for South Coast folks as the nonprofit’s re-mounting of its nascent festival moves to Goleta’s Fairview Cinemas for a weekend packed with nature-centric movies spanning adventures and stories via feature film and documentaries October 6-8. With new curators in place, the fest promises to be well worth watching for fans of the touring BANFF and Mountainfilm festivals, as well as anyone with an interest in nature and the environment. 

Friday’s festivities include a screening of opening night film Wild Waters, which documents intrepid female kayaker Nouria Newman, followed by a party at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara Santa Barbara, while the rest of the movies have been slotted into 17 film blocks over Saturday and Sunday encompassing shorts, feature films, or both. A number of filmmakers and/or subjects are expected to attend for further discussion. We’re told Out There: A National Parks Story, Range Rider, and My Alaskan Journey are among the flicks not to miss. 

Details about the films and times and a variety of ticket packages from individual ($12) to VIP ($200) are available at https://naturetrackfilmfestival.org/film-festival. The fest’s YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/@OfficialNatureTrackFilm) boasts trailers and more. 

Down Ventura way, the Central Coast Int’l Film Fest, which sports genre-diverse independent films adjudicated by a team of industry experts and academics from the Ventura County area, has a single debut screening at Namba Arts. Q&A sessions with the cast and crew of select films are part of the five-hour event starting at 2 pm on September 30. Admission is $10. Visit www.nambaarts.com/central-coast-intl-film-fest.