“The Lost Wolves of Yellowstone” was screened at Eckerd College in February as a part of the Visions of Nature/Voices of Nature Environmental Film Festival. Photo courtesy of Grizzly Creek Films
Under the stars at the Eckerd College Community Farm and inside the Dan and Mary Miller Auditorium, students, faculty, and community members gathered Feb. 20, and Feb. 25–27 for screenings in the College’s annual Visions of Nature/Voices of Nature Environmental Film Festival.
Curated by Assistant Professor of Film Studies Katrin Pesch, Ph.D. and Christian Nielsen Professor of Film Studies Christina Petersen, Ph.D., the event brought documentaries, animation, and experimental films to campus, each exploring the different dimensions of environmental change and human relationships with the natural world.
The program opened with “Flow” (2024) by Gints Zibalodis, a wordless animated story of animals navigating a flooded landscape. The event also included two documentaries— “Teenage Wasteland” (2024), which followed high school journalists in their pursuit to uncover environmental contamination tied to a landfill in their town; and “No Sleep Til” (2024), a quiet portrait of Florida residents waiting for an approaching hurricane.
One of the festival’s outdoor events at the Community Farm included a screening of “Apple Cider Vinegar” (2025), which follows a voice over artist’s exploration of stone alongside the short documentary about the Eckerd College Community Farm titled “Liberal Arts Farm”, created by Nielsen Assistant Professor of Film Studies Nick Corrao and students in the film studies department, Davis Brooks.
During the discussion, Faculty Farm Director, Instructor of Environmental Studies and Internship Coordinator Dave Himmelfarb, Ph.D. described the space as more than just a place to grow food. “The number is 194 classes in 31 disciplines that have utilized the farm since 2021,” he said, “whether for assignments, class visits, service learning, or research.”
“No Sleep Til” movie poster
Davis, a senior film studies and creative writing student from Ormond Beach, Florida, was involved in the production of “Liberal Arts Farm”, and said that filming came with a schedule that was both unpredictable and exciting.
“We would get emailed to ask about a shoot time and whether we could do it or not,” Davis said. “Sometimes they were early in the morning, before dawn. Other times, they were midday or dusk. But no matter what, it was so cool to be able to take a camera out there and shoot the processes on the farm.”
The festival also included a screening of “Lost Wolves of Yellowstone”, followed by a discussion with director Tom Winston. The documentary examines the controversial reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park in 1995, following the scientists and policymakers involved, using archival and present-day interview footage.
Chris Passig, the Emmy-nominated editor of the film “Teenage Wasteland” participated in a post screening Q&A led by Nicole Vogler ’26 and Davis Brooks ’26. Photo by Izzy Wild Merl ’28
“I’ve been making my living in conservation films for about the last 20 years,” Winston said during the post-screening discussion.
Although he had worked on many wildlife films in Yellowstone, he said he always felt there was an untold “origin story” behind the wolves’ return.
Students from Eckerd’s Environmental Filmmaking class attended each screening at the festival, getting the opportunity to ask questions with the filmmakers involved.
“It was eye-opening to experience films that don’t fit the action-packed Hollywood narrative, especially the more abstract films, where we had the opportunity to decipher the human-nature relationship and determine its personal significance,” said Emily Hawken, a first-year environmental studies and visual arts student from Tallahassee, Florida.
“My favorite part of the film festival was the Q&A afterwards—it was really cool hearing what everybody else thought of the movies,” said Izzy Green, a first-year management student from Sarasota, Florida
