Mountainfilm opens with power-packed symposium

In The News
May 24, 2025

seven people are seated on a stage in front of a seated audience. the panelists include Deb Haaland and Brooke Woods, who is speaking into a handheld microphone

photo by Michael Mowery

Mountainfilm opens with power-packed symposium

Festival’s tone is set by films and panels focused on oppressed communities reclaiming their voices

seven people are seated on a stage in front of a seated audience. the panelists include Deb Haaland and Brooke Woods, who is speaking into a handheld microphone

Mountainfilm kicked off on a high note, with one of the first films on the schedule appropriately titled “The Opening Address.” The short, 10-minute film was followed by a powerful symposium on “A New Era of Conservation: How Indigenous Leadership is Reshaping What We Thought We Knew About Land Management,” featuring former Secretary of the Interior in the Biden administration Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) and five other groundbreaking leaders in the field.