Igniting Passion for Nature through Film

Congratulations!

Director/Writer Christopher R. Abbey, NTFF2020 filmmaker of Out There – Cypress Provincial Park, is releasing his latest film INSERT [JOHN MUIR QUOTE] HERE, Backpacking the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne on Monday, July 20th on Youtube.

The ABOUT page on his website explains:

Christopher R. Abbey is a Writer & Director of adventure films. He spent 15 years in motion graphics and visual effects and that experience helps to inform his forward-thinking approach to travel film. Currently, Christopher works as an Art Director with ABC Television where he leads a team of designers and animators.

Christopher is fueled by a passion for the out-of-doors. He is eager to tell stories about adventurers new and old. He believes that the wilderness is a place meant for all to enjoy and is excited to champion the use of our wild places to newcomers through compelling stories and visual essays.

He uses innovative techniques to try and tell unique and untold stories about the wild. One of his more recent successes was TGIF the 13th where he crossed genres and created a horror/travel film. This was an attempt to bring levity to the horror genre while also juxtaposing Jason Voorhees against the magnificent beauty of Yosemite.

Christopher is currently the Writer & Director for Explore More Films and is always interested in a new challenge. Say hello at hello@exploremorefilms.com to explore a new project with us!

The NatureTrack Film Festival is proud to announce they have received a significant grant from the Santa Barbara County COVID-19 Arts and Culture Nonprofit Relief grant program, a partnership between the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation, Santa Barbara Foundation and County Arts Commission.

COVID-19 has greatly impacted the entire arts community, and we are gratified to be recognized for our commitment and contribution to our cultural community.

#SantaBarbaraBowlFoundation #SantaBarbaraFoundation #CountyArtsCommission

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

The NatureTrack Film Festival has been re-scheduled for October 9-11. Our plans are to open with a live event in Los Olivos for the weekend, and a virtual event which will extend into the next week.

#NTFF2020 #NatureTrackFilmFestival

The NTFF welcomed Rio Vista Chevrolet to our sponsor family this year. Locally owned and operated for 30 years through 5 generations, and with over 100 years of combined sales and service, Rio Vista is a “destination dealership” in the Santa Ynez Valley and a generous community partner to numerous local nonprofits. They are keeping their doors open for business and taking every precaution to keep their employees and loyal customers safe, healthy and cared for at this time. Call them at 805-693-4642 or visit them at www.RioVista.com to learn more about their current offers and specials. They service almost all makes and models and offer Axxess deals! Stop by their showroom to see why we think they’re so special, and how they can help you too!

The NTFF sees more and more wildlife films featuring infra-red or thermal imaging footage every year. Our sponsor-partner FLIR is a worldwide leader in thermal imaging technology and their cameras are being used to combat Rhino poaching in Africa to whale tracking in partnership with the Massachusetts-based Ocean Alliance. OA has been using a unique and innovative thermal imaging-equipped research drone with a series of petri dishes that collect whale blow, or, snot. Cleverly named the ‘SnotBot,’ this modified drone is equipped with a FLIR Vue Pro thermal imaging camera and is flown into the blow from whales to collect samples. The whale blow collected by SnotBot contains DNA, micro biomes, pregnancy hormones, and stress hormones and helps researchers to better understand these massive mammals. Interestingly, with the Vue Pro on the aircraft, the team was also able to detect hotspots on the whales’ bodies, and observe how they bring cool water to the surface with their tail flukes while swimming. Using small drones equipped with both thermal and visible cameras allows Ocean Alliance researchers to collect comparative data without harming or disturbing the animals in their natural habitats. Learn more about the SnotBot and how FLIR is used on the Ocean Alliance website www.whale.org and www.flir.com

Photos Courtesy of Ocean Alliance.

Throughout this COVID-19 period, our NatureTrack Film Festival sponsor-partner the nonprofit Artist Advocacy Foundation (AAF) has been raising money to help performing artists who are facing many months of work cancellation or postponement. Since the shutdown began, AAF has raised more than $14,000 in donations, which they have distributed, so far, to 10 inspiring musical artists across the country to help replace lost revenue and meet basic living expenses. With venues closed and audiences unable to gather, the AAF in association with Tales from the Tavern introduced TFT-TV (Tales from the Tavern Television) – a music documentary program broadcast on the internet via YouTube. Each 60-90 minute program includes song performances, stories from the stage and backstage interviews taken from the archives of the Tales from the Tavern concert series. A new episode runs each Wednesday at 5:30 pm. This week’s historic episode features the late-great American treasure, John Stewart. All shows are free and may be viewed at: https://youtu.be/O497LwN8Tpg The NatureTrack Film Festival is proud to partner with, and support, the creative and humanitarian work of Tales from the Tavern and the Artist Advocacy Foundation. If you would like to help support the work of the AAF, you may do so at artistadvocacyfoundation.org

NTFF Sponsor, Montana Canvas, was closed for a couple of weeks at the beginning of the COVID-19 shutdown, but then got deemed as an essential business to support the transportation industry with their tarps and tents for shelters. They have been able to sell quite a few tents for COVID testing stations at hospitals, clinics, and private businesses.

They have been busy, but also have been facing a lot of uncertainty which will cause some challenges in the future, as with many of the businesses that have been staunch supporters of the NatureTrack Film Festival.

President Curt Dinges, created a wonderful thank you video (seen above). Please join us in thanking Montana Canvas for their community support!

#MontanaCanvas @MontanaCanvas

Bee’s Wrap, a long time supporter of the NatureTrack Film Festival, has come out with a new, fabulous product. A “one-size-fits-all” roll that you can trim to the size that works best for you!

#beeswrap #plasticfree #sustainableliving

Bee’s Wrap has also been making fabric masks through a partnership with Vermont Teddy Bear, and distributing them to their community. As of May 15, the Bee’s Wrap network has sewn and distributed over 1,000 masks to frontline workers around Vermont.

Pictured above are staff members Julie (left) and Sarah (right), with bags of masks destined for frontline workers.

Click Here To read more about their important community project

NTFF Director Jeremy Roberts, The Tree Farmer, shares “I was working on a larger project on long-billed curlews with The Nature Conservancy in Montana, but all further shooting was cancelled due to the pandemic.” Although disappointed, Jeremy was able to cut together a short piece from what they had shot to share with us.

We hope you enjoy this sneak peek, and join us in looking forward to the completed project!

#thenatureconservancy @nature_org

Curlews & Cows: The Big Hole Valley from Conservation Media ® on Vimeo.

While we’re all waiting for our favorite outdoor spaces to open up and for nature film festivals like ours to return, our sponsor-partner ORION magazine provides great environmental reads by preeminent authors. Subscribe to “America’s Finest Environmental Magazine” and receive 4 full-color issues per year, 100% ad free and printed on sustainably sourced paper. Each issue includes up to 10 in-depth features, photo essays, science reporting, profiles, book reviews, and interviews. Also, affixed into every issue is an illustrated broadside – a frame-worthy piece of poetry combined with beautiful artwork. Subscribe at Orionmagazine.org or call 888-909-6568 to enjoy the favorite nature-focused journal of the NatureTrack Film Festival.

#orionmagazine #environmentaljournalism #naturewriting #naturephotography #nature #magazine #reading

If this tasting room looks familiar that’s because it occupies the former headquarters space of the NatureTrack Film Festival in Los Olivos! Grimm’s Bluff joined us this year as a sponsor-partner and we were so excited to bring them on board. Unfortunately we had to call off our March event due to Covid-19, but you can still experience the spectacular biodynamic wines, and estate olive oil, of Grimm’s Bluff. Their tasting room is open weekends, Fri, Sat, Sun, 12-3pm for curbside pick-up at 2445 Alamo Pintado Ave. Suite 102. Or visit grimmsbluff.com for more info.

#grimmsbluff #grimmsbluffwine #winepickup #curbsidepickup #losolivos #santaynezvalley #santabarbarawinecountry