Northfield nonprofit Clean River Partners hosted their ninth-ever Downstream Environmental Film Festival on Feb. 9 and 10 at Imminent Brewing. The theme was “Transformation,” focusing on the ways in which communities and ecosystems evolve when faced with environmental challenges. The festival was made possible by the Minnesota State Arts Board’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, alongside multiple other sponsors.
“The intent is for festival participants to deepen their connection to the environment and feel inspired to take a specific action to support clean water or conservation,” Communications Coordinator Felicia Hokenstad said in an email interview with The Olaf Messenger. “We also just want people to have a space to connect and build community. We’re all in this together.”
This year’s festival has been in the works since September 2025. Between September and October, the festival organizers received 119 film submissions, ultimately narrowing it down to seven. The films were all documentaries, yet they varied greatly in topic. The festival began with a local film about Faribault’s history and how it was intertwined with the Cannon and Straight Rivers, then ended with a film that followed an ex-cocoa farmer as she worked on a reforestation project in Colombia. Other film topics included fly fishing veterans, the preservation of kelp forests, and salamander communities.
In order for the festival to run smoothly, Downstream Environmental Film Festival Assistant Liana Lopez took charge of organizing screening venues, catering, and communicating with organization partners.
“Something noteworthy for this year’s event is that we sponsored an international director based in the UK — Eliana Lafone of “After the Silence” — to travel to the Northfield screenings,” López said in an email interview with The Olaf Messenger. “It has been an honor to meet her and learn more about Maria, the film’s subject, and her reforestation efforts in the region where she lives in Colombia.”
Since the Downstream Environmental Film Festival was first held in 2017, it has expanded beyond Northfield to also host screenings in nearby towns. Two additional screenings will be held on Feb. 19 in Faribault, Minn., and on Feb. 24 in Owatonna, Minn., for those interested in attending the film festival.
