Nature lovers will find much to like with the niche-oriented NatureTrack Film Festival, taking place October 11-13 in the ample spread of the Camino Real Cinemas in Goleta, and featuring a dense roster of documentaries concerning our planet. Opening night’s fare showcases the Central Coast premiere of Jane Goodall: Reasons for Hope, along with the world premiere of the shorts Open Space and Otter Space. The remainder of the weekend plays host to more than 80 films, including such world premieres as a new PBS doc Animal Pride: This Is Nature’s Coming Out Story, R.E.S.C.U.E., and Tagliamento: The King of the Alpine Rivers.
As the title suggests, the NatureTrack Film Festival (NTFF) aims to connect with environmental and nature-themed subjects — a field of historic concern and advocacy in Santa Barbara — while also tending to cinematic interests. Sporting the mission statement “to ignite a passion for nature through film,” the event proposes a dualistic agenda, going back to the festival’s launching in 2018 in Los Olivos, founded by NatureTrack Foundation head Sue Eisaguirre.
The move to a more expansive space in Goleta marks an upward evolution, and the NTFF compound will also include the large former Pier One space nearby.