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the LINE UP
Catch live performances and discover new independent artists between screenings.
Wild & Scenic Film Festival
FEBRUARY 18-22, 2027 | NEVADA CITY, CA
In partnership with SYRCL, Madcap Records brings music back to the Wild & Scenic Film Festival for its 25th anniversary, programming live music and special events across all five days of the festival and releasing the first official Wild & Scenic soundtrack on limited-edition vinyl.
Madcap Music Group and Wild & Scenic Film Festival 2027
We are thrilled to reveal our exclusive collaboration with SYRCL and the Wild & Scenic Film Festival as the official music partner for 2027, coinciding with thefestival’s 25th anniversary.This partnership will introduce an enhanced live music program along with a special anniversary soundtrack to celebrate this significant milestone. We believe that this new addition will deepen the festival's connection between film, storytelling, and community. Attendees can anticipate a variety of events, including pop-up performances and exclusive panels. Stay tuned for updates regarding the performance lineup; more details about live programming and artist announcements will be shared as the festival date approaches.
About Wild & Scenic Film Festival...
Wild & Scenic is considered one of the premier environmental and adventure film festivals in the United States. Historically 8,000+ attendees over five days each February — filmmakers, activists, outdoor athletes, students, and artists. After the Nevada City Festival, Wild & Scenic goes on tour to more than 100 locations annually and reaches tens of thousands of people around the country through nonprofit partners. The tour generates over $1.5 million annually in environmental impact and fundraising for grassroots organizations.
Learn more by visiting their website: https://wildandscenicfilmfestival.org/
THE YUBA SWIR VINYL
LIMITED-EDITION
Inspired by the unmistakable turquoise and emerald waters of the Yuba River, MOMENTUM will be pressed on custom-colored swirl vinyl. The natural variations in the pressing process mean no two records will look exactly alike. Each copy is hand numbered commemorating its place in this exclusive small-batch pressing.
Together with Kathy Dotson’s anniversary artwork, makes this a special record that celebrates the milestone year for Wild & Scenic.
The Music Behind MOMENTUM
The festival’s 2027 theme, MOMENTUM, speaks to a truth Wild & Scenic knows well: lasting change rarely happens all at once. It builds through years of persistence, everyday acts of courage, and communities showing up for what matters.
Music has its own kind of momentum. The Special Edition Anniversary Soundtrack is a collection of original songs from independent artists dedicated to the festival’s anniversary theme, exploring movement, resilience, connection, change, and the natural world.
Rooted in the Yuba. Giving Back to the Yuba.
Wild & Scenic’s story begins with the Yuba River. Long before the festival brought inspiring films to screens around the world, the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) was bringing neighbors together to protect the watershed that defines this community.
That work continues today through river restoration, education, advocacy, and the dedication of people who care for this extraordinary place.
Twenty-five percent of proceeds from the MOMENTUM Yuba Swirl Vinyl will benefit SYRCL and its initiatives to protect and restore the Yuba River watershed.
The Art of Coming Full Circle
One of the most meaningful parts of Wild & Scenic’s 25th anniversary is the return of artist and festival co-founder Kathy Dotson. Kathy helped bring the festival to life, later serving as its director and helping create the national touring program that brought Wild & Scenic films to communities across the country.
Twenty-five years later, she has returned to create the artwork for its milestone celebration.Her illustration is filled with the familiar beauty of the Sierra Nevada
foothills—mountains, trees, rivers, and wildflowers—with a colorful pinwheel at the center.
The pinwheel reflects the theme of MOMENTUM: the changing winds, shifting challenges, and generations of people who have kept the movement going. A salmon flowing
through the artwork speaks to the Yuba River watershed and its enduring cycle of return and renewal.Paired with the soundtrack, Kathy’s artwork makes this anniversary release feel especially full circle: a piece of Wild & Scenic history created by someone who helped
begin the story. Artwork credit: 2027 Wild & Scenic Film Festival anniversary
artwork by Kathy Dotson.
A Soundtrack 25 Years in the Making
Twenty-five years ago, a small group of people in the Sierra Nevada foothills set out to something special: a film festival that could bring a community together, celebrate the natural world, and turn powerful stories into meaningful action. Rooted in the movement to protect the Yuba River, Wild & Scenic has grown from its Nevada County beginnings into a nationally recognized environmental and adventure film festival. Its films now travel to communities across the country, reaching audiences far beyond the foothills where it began. The heart of the festival hasn’t changed. It’s still about connection—between people and place, between a story and the action it inspires, and between a community and the river that helped bring it all together.
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