Storytellers, environmental change makers, teachers, students, & other humans come together for Earth Day in July - Session Two:
Relations to Place: Old and New a panel covering the connected threads between Wabanaki and new American experiences in the outdoors, a 60-minute slate of short films, followed by a 60-minute panel discussion with experts and filmmakers.
For the full, updated schedule, and more info on the panelists: please visit the Earth Day in July Page on the MOFF Site
Where: Salt Institute for Documentary Studies at MECA&D's Osher Hall, 522 Congress St. Portland, ME 04101 (Google Maps Link)
Parking: Street Parking
When: Thursday July 24, 2025. Films begin at 10:45am, panel begins at 11:45am session ends at 12:45.
Tickets: $10
This Event is Included in:
All-Access Pass
Earth Day in July Pass
Friends of MOFF Pass
Matinee Pass
FILM PROGRAM
ISIDORA MUÑOZ SEGOVIA ON EMBODYING A NEW CLIMATE OF CARE
Join Isidora Muñoz Segovia on Mount Desert Island as she dances and shares her perspective on how the climate crisis is a crisis of care. This is a project of the Stories for Change working group, part of the Nature Based Education Consortium.
PUTEP QOTATOKOT-TE ELEWESTAQ (THE WHALE WAS SPEAKING)
VOICES OF WÁHSEHTƏKʷ
Located in the heart of the Penobscot Nation’s territory, Wáhsehtəkʷ — meaning the East Branch of the Penobscot River — carries profound importance for the nation. The Penobscot people, being a riverine tribe, rely heavily on the river, which they consider a valued member of their tribal community. In partnership with the Penobscot Nation and local communities, Trust for Public Land is working in close collaboration with the Penobscot Nation and the regional community to return nearly 30,000 acres of land to the Penobscot Nation in the nineteenth century. The move will be the largest collaborative land return between a U.S.-based nonprofit and a tribal nation in recent history.
RE-FORMING OUR RELATIONS: A WALK WITH MIHKU PAUL
Let's go on a walk through the woods with Mihku Paul, a Wolastoqey (Maliseet) educator, artist, writer, and activist. Mihku shares about her childhood in Old Town, talks about her work as an artist and educator embedded in nature, and reads her poem "A Snail Primer." This is a project of the Stories for Change working group, part of the Nature Based Education Consortium.
COURTS OF BELONGING
East Bayside in Portland, Maine historically has been and continues to be home to many of the city's new immigrants. Kennedy Park with its futsal court is at the heart of this neighborhood.
Panelists:
Angelique Bitshilualua - Portland Trails
Angelique is Portland Trails' first Inclusion Manager! Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, she has a degree in Hospitality, Culinary Arts, and Catering and is skilled at outreach and engagement. In her role at Portland Trails, she leads the Healthier Neighborhoods for All program where she has welcomed over 800 New Mainers to the trails since the program started in 2022. Angelique loves spending time outdoors and growing her community by sharing her love for the trails with others.
Mihku Paul - Stories for Change
Mihku Paul is a Wolastoqey (Maliseet) elder who grew up on a wild Maine river. She had both a traditional Waponahki education from her grandfather and went through public school, which afforded her a more holistic view of Indigenous and non-Indigenous cultures. Mihku holds a degree in Human Development and Communication and an MFA in writing. She has spent decades working in Portland Public schools providing curriculum enrichment to all ages.
Sarah Madronal - Nature Conservancy
Sarah is the Outreach Manager for the Nature Conservancy and the Nature Based Education Consortium “Stories For Change” working group Co-Chair. “Stories for Change” seeks to address the historic exclusion of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, LGBTQ+, disabled, immigrant, low-income, and other communities from outdoor and environmental spaces in Maine by sharing personal narratives.
Marpheen Chann - Executive Director and Founder, Khmer Maine
Marpheen Chann is an award-winning author and was the first Cambodian-elected official in Maine when he won a seat on Portland’s Charter Commission in 2021. He served on the Portland Planning Board from 2020-2025 and site on the boards of Maine Conservation Voters, Quality Housing Coalition, and Maine Philanthropy Center. He lives in Portland, Maine, and holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Southern Maine, a law degree from the University of Maine School of Law, and has completed the Harvard Kennedy School’s Senior Executives in State and Local Government program
Santiago Tijerina - Filmmaker and Salt Alum
Portland-based director Santiago Tijerina, Salt '23, received the Emerging Maine Filmmaker Award from the Maine Outdoor Film Festival in 2024, and has a film in the 2025 MOFF entitled: COURTS OF BELONGING.
Earth Day in July is brought to you by: No Umbrella Media, a video agency specializing in community storytelling.
More info:
Complimentary coffee, tea and water at breaks.
Lunch is NOT included.
email moff@maineoutdoorfilmfestival.com with questions!
