The people who move us to care about the natural world aren’t always the ones we expect. Through clips and conversation, Gladice, The Last Dive, and The [Conserv]atives, and We Are Guardians explore how unexpected voices can change the conservation story: a sentient glacier who approaches climate change through humor, wonder, and even love; a military veteran and former Hells Angel whose extraordinary relationship with a giant manta ray transforms him into an ocean advocate; and political conservatives working to broaden the constituency for environmental stewardship.
Behind these stories is an intentional choice: start with what connects us, rather than with the environmental message itself. The filmmakers and impact makers on stage have put that idea to work in very different ways — through comedy and satire, sport and masculinity, political identity, and, in RandomGood Films’ work, Indigenous characters whose relationships with land, wildlife, music, and traditional knowledge offer perspectives rarely heard in mainstream conservation storytelling. Across these approaches is a shared question: who has the power to move people to care — and who might we reach by telling environmental stories differently?
Speakers:
- David Byars, Head of Studio, Director, Black Mountain Films
- Gina Papabeis, Founder & Strategic Impact Partner, Hearts&Minds
- Chelsea Greene, Filmmaker/Impact Producer, RandomGood Films (The Last Dive, Khosha: The New Land, Mapulu, The First Shaman, and Lih Ngolio)
- Nadia Gill, Director, The [Conserv]atives
- Benji Backer, Founder & CEO, Nature Is Nonpartisan.
- Viviane D’Avilla, Director, Mapulu: The First Shaman
Moderator: Gina Papabeis, Founder & Strategic Impact Partner, Hearts&Minds
In Partnership with Arctic Arts Project and Random Good