ABOUT US

FROM THE GROUND UP

We are nourishing the movement toward a more-harmonious relationship to our environment from the ground up. We seek

to change the content we celebrate and how it’s celebrated.

The films are carefully selected to represent a broad range of interpretations of an Earthly experience. We seek truth, integrity, inclusion and wisdom; to be active listeners in the ever-evolving

story of the Earth.

IN ALIGNMENT

We not only offer Earth-honoring films but work to do so in an Earth-honoring way. We are constantly assessing whether our practices align with our messages; our mission is integrity.

By shifting the ways we create and consume, we hope to ‘be the change we wish to see in the world’.

OUR WORK:

FILM FESTIVAL:

Hosts a 1-week film festival Chico, California.

GLOBAL SCREENINGS:

Facilitates screenings around the world on Earth Day

SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES:

Utilizes entirely Clean Energy with Zero Waste goals.

OUR TEAM

– Andrei Tarkovsky

ALLEN MYERS

Festival Director

allen@earthdayfilmfest.org

Allen's passions are humanity

and the planet. Whether through event production, filmmaking, sketch comedy, community organizing, or activism, he seeks to bring people together to celebrate and collaborate. Allen grew up playing in the forest and river just outside his door in Paradise, CA.

NATALIE LESSA

Community Relations Manager

natalie@earthdayfilmfest.org

Natalie believes in the necessity of our connection to Mother Earth, connection to each other, and connection to ourselves. She has a deep-rooted passion for educating people about sustainable, conscious living. This spiritual light coordinates international screenings with our lovely partners.

JOHN ESPEY

Logistics Adviser

jpespey@gmail.com

John is an artist, scientist, and project manager. As a collaborator in this festival, John has animated original content and assisted with projection and consultation. He seeks to inspire appreciation for the small creatures in nature through his animatronic sculptures of bugs.

ANNIE MELLAN

Festival Manager

community@earthdayfilmfest.org

Annie answers to the Earth. Her actions are built on a belief that a global shift must first begin as an inner shift. She is a dancer, farmer, bodyworker, and creator who feels most at home in the forest. Annie is remembering her essential wild nature and cultivating practices to deeply listen to and advocate for Earth.

THOMAS BOWLING

University Coordinator

tbowling@frostburg.edu

Tom Bowling walks through the world with his heart open. Two years ago, his university (Frostburg State University in Maryland) was the first to host our global screener. Now semi-retired, he is championing global citizenship and contemplative practices. Tom continues to be an invaluable encourager, mentor and collaborator in this project. We are so blessed to know him.

KEVIN PONTUTI

VR Visionary

kpontuti@pacific.edu

Kevin Pontuti is an artist and educator based in the USA. He received his MFA from Syracuse University in 1993 then moved to California where he founded the Los Angeles-based production company Studio P Inc. His image-making expertise and collaborative spirit attracted many top artists and designers to his studio.

In 2009, Pontuti accepted a professorship at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. In 2017, he returned to California to lead University of the Pacific’s MEDIA X program. His teaching and creative practice include film, virtual reality and transmedia studies.