Sonoma Environmental Film Festival

Admission: $12.50 general / $10 student and senior
6:30PM – Reception – Join filmmakers, sponsors, and guest speakers for a complementary wine tasting, winter soup and healthy snacks.

7PM Shorts:
In the Eye of the Whale (20 min) and Willem & The Whales (3min) with director producer
Kate Miller in person.
The first film is a short documentary exploring the life and work of photographer, Bryant Austin. In his pursuit to end whaling once and for all, Austin sold everything he owned to follow his dream of swimming with whales to create high-resolution, life-size photographs of endangered species to exhibit in whaling nations.

The second film takes a quick journey through the eyes of a child as Willem explains why people should stop whaling. k8miller@mindspring.com Q&A follows the films.

Northern California Premiere!
Keiko: The Untold Story (75 min) with producer-director Theresa Demarest and world renown author Kenneth Brower in person.

Nowhere in recent history has a captive mammal garnered so much attention as Keiko, the orca star of the 1993 hit film "Free Willy". The film's success launched a children's crusade that called for Keiko's release into the wild. The result: a multimillion dollar project that spanned four countries, weathered endless controversy and lasted nearly a decade. Through first-hand accounts by the marine mammal expects charged with his care, this film follows Keiko, his life, his legacy of hope and the untold story of his extraordinary years in Iceland and Norway.

Theresa Demarest is a songwriter/producer/independent filmmaker for Joshua Records, LLC in Portland, Oregon. As producer/director, Theresa brings to life her deep connection to Keiko's story and allows the audience to take a second look at Keiko's strong will to survive and to explore his enormous embrace of his own freedom. Ken Brower is best known for his many books about the environment, national parks, and natural places, including "Freeing Keiko" He is the oldest son of the late environmentalist David R. Brower.