Filming in the outdoors can be a major undertaking — and dangerous. The film festival will highlight outdoor films and the people who make them happen.
The Yosemite Film Festival & Storyteller Summit is a new annual gathering taking place this month.
It will be June 25–28 in Yosemite Valley.
This is not just another film festival.
It is rooted in one of the most influential landscapes in climbing and outdoor history, a place that has shaped how people move through the world, challenge themselves and care for wild places.
This festival exists to tell those stories.
“We are bringing together films and storytellers that explore our relationship with the outdoors, from climbing and human-powered adventure to environmental storytelling and the deeper questions of how we show up in the places we love. At its core, this is about ethics, stewardship and a strong sense of place,” said Ken Yager, the founder of the Yosemite Climbing Association, which is organizing this new event.
For more than two decades, the Yosemite Climbing Association has hosted Yosemite Facelift, one of the largest stewardship events in any national park. Every year, thousands of volunteers come together to care for Yosemite in a very tangible way.
“This festival builds on that legacy,” said Yager. “If Facelift is about taking care of the place, the film festival is about taking care of the stories that shape how people understand it. Because the stories we tell about a place directly influence how it is treated.”
Yager added with emphasis: “And right now, those stories matter.”
Screenings will take place in established indoor venues throughout Yosemite Valley, with evening feature films and afternoon matinee blocks open to both festival pass holders and the broader public.
Panels and conversations with filmmakers and storytellers will create space for deeper dialogue around responsibility, representation and the future of outdoor storytelling.
This is an intentionally human-scaled festival.
It is designed for filmmakers, climbers, park visitors and outdoor communities and anyone who care deeply about the wild places they recreate in and the stories they tell about them.
Programming overview
• Evening feature film screenings • Afternoon matinee film blocks • Panel discussions with filmmakers and storytellers • Informal community gatherings for filmmakers, speakers and film watchers
Programming will take place primarily indoors at approved venues in Yosemite Valley. The full schedule will be released as details are finalized.
“Help us build something that belongs here,” said Yager.
The Yosemite Film Festival & Storyteller Summit is being created from the ground up. Every screen, every story, every conversation is part of something new.
“We’re not trying to build the biggest festival,” he said. “We’re building one that feels true to this place.”
Visti www.yosemiteclimbing.org for more information.
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