NatureTrack Film Festival Winners Announced

Dedicated to celebrating both the beauty of nature and the art of filmmaking, the NatureTrack Film Festival was held in Goleta for the second year in a row and the first time at the Camino Real Marketplace.

Taking place October 11-13, the Festival featured more than 80 films highlighting nature and adventure from more than 30 countries. The winners were announced on Sunday, October 13 at a closing party, and included:

Best Feature Film: Animal Pride, directed by Rio Mitchell

Best Short Film: L’età Sperimentale, directed by Marco Zingaretti

Best Student Film: Against the Herd, directed by Jaxon Derow

Dan Conoway – Kids Connecting with Nature Award: Two Point Four, directed by Natasha Brooks

Audience Award: Ploverize, directed by Alex Spell, Vivian Chou, Rigo Gomez, Hope Macias, and LiLi Young

Honorable Mention: Hunt for the Oldest DNA, directed by Niobe Thompson

Honorable Mention: Giants Rising, directed by Lisa Landers

Honorable Mention: Tule, directed by Jocelyn Garcia

The judging panel for the 2024 NatureTrack Film Festival included Matt Kettmann, senior writer for the Santa Barbara Independent; as well as Chris Jenkins, Head of Production, UCSB Film & Media; Nicole Noren, Emmy-winning filmmaker; and Brent Sumner, documentarian and found of Studio 8 Films.

NatureTrack Film Festival is a program of the NatureTrack Foundation, a nonprofit organization in Santa Barbara County that hosts outdoor field trips for students, transporting them from their indoor classrooms to “natural” classrooms, where learning comes alive as all their senses are engaged. Learn more at naturetrack.org.