The festival features films by renowned storytellers from National Geographic, the BBC, and seven award-winning regional wildlife filmmakers. Among its highlights are stories of untamed wildness and the indomitable human spirit.
Film screenings take place at the historic Columbian Theater. There are five film blocks, each approximately two hours long.
There will also be local pop-up events in Astoria. These informal gatherings are open to the public and feature special panel discussions. Attendees can eat, drink, and nerd-out on conservation topics.
The sea lions are in town and literally piling up on doorsteps of local businesses! Attendees, along with Morgan Heim (National Geographic Explorer & member of the International League of Conservation Photographers), Gretchen Kay Stuart ( also with the International League of Conservation Photographers), Northwest Sony Tech Rep Dan Hawk, and Tommy Spencer from Pro Photo Supply, will meet on the riverwalk just outside of The Bowline Hotel in Astoria, OR, at 9 am. To kick things off, we’ll revel in some time photographing our talkative sea lion neighbors. From there, we will either walk West towards the port and working shipyards, or East, making our way through town and venturing towards Pier 39 where the docks and jetties are noisy with the calls of more sea lions. Either direction promises good chances of spotting a variety of wildlife from herons in breeding plumage to cormorants, bufflehead ducks and a resident bald eagle that likes to perch on the downtown radio tower.
Let’s embrace our inner nature/street photographer! The mission for this walk is to learn more about how to photograph the dynamic intersections between wild nature and urban life. Morgan Heim and Gretchen Kay Stuart, will be in attendance to help you hone your wildlife spotting and photography skills while Dan Hawk will have a limited amount of Sony gear to demo.
There’s plenty of free street parking near the rendezvous point. The weather is supposed to be rainy, so bring your rain gear, but as one of the all-time great photographers, Sam Abell says, “bad weather makes good photos.”
To sign up, click here: Photo Walk Sign Up
This event is open to Weekend All-Access Pass holders. To reserve a ticket, please purchase one of these passes.
Join members of the Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce (CREST) for a guided tour of Colewort Creek Wetlands. Located in Lewis and Clark National Historical Park in Astoria, Colewort Creek is an estuarine wetland restored by CREST in recent years. The site was designed to provide habitat for migrating salmon as they head out to the Pacific Ocean.
This event is open to Saturday Day Pass and Weekend All-Access Pass holders. To reserve a ticket, please purchase one of these passes.
Join Wildlife Center of the North Coast Executive Director Kari Henningsgaard and Haystack Rock Awareness Program Education Coordinator Lisa Habecker for a guided tour of the tidepools at Haystack Rock. Scheduled to take place at low tide on Sunday morning of festival weekend, this experience will give festival goers a chance to see Oregon’s remarkable intertidal life up close while learning about these incredible creatures and their role in the North Coast ecosystem.
This event is open to Sunday Day Pass and Weekend All-Access Pass holders. To reserve a ticket, please purchase one of these passes.
Celebrate the conclusion of the 2025 Wild Coast Film Festival with our event sponsors at the Columbia River Maritime Museum. The museum’s stunning event space, offering breathtaking views of the river, will host the festivities. Guests can savor complimentary beer from Buoy Beer Company, crafted locally, along with refreshing mocktails and a specially curated slideshow presented by the International League of Conservation Photographers. Mis Panchos, a beloved local taco truck, will be on-site to serve complimentary appetizers, with the option to purchase additional dishes for those wanting more.
This event is open to Weekend All-Access Pass holders. To reserve a ticket, please purchase one of these passes.
Join folks from the Columbia Regional Estuary Study Taskforce (CREST) for a talk about their 50 year history of conservation work on the Oregon Coast. Hear about CREST’s decades long stewardship of the Columbia River Estuary and enjoy a visual presentation on their successful stewardship of local habitats.
Join filmmakers whose work is featured in the festival for a discussion about their films, conservation filmmaking, and more!
Join filmmaker Amiran White (Guardians of the Waters) and representatives from the Chinook Indian Nation for a panel discussion on telling native conservation stories through film and the nation’s partnership with local conservation organization Necanicum Watershed Council.
Astoria, Oregon is balanced at the edge of the Columbia River, one of North America’s mightiest rivers. With a history steeped in reliance on its wild bounty and millions drawn in by its mist-filled forests, beachcombing elk, wild oceans, legendary salmon, and excellent beer, it is only natural that it be the place to showcase how we survive from the land, care for it, are shaped and awed by it.
This celebration is the brainchild of the Wildlife Center of the North Coast, which rescues between 500 and 1,000 wild animals a year, and Astoria-based Neon Raven Story Labs, a conservation production company working with nonprofits and outlets such as Smithsonian, National Geographic, and Audubon.
Proceeds benefit the Wildlife Center of the North Coast.
The Wildlife Center of the North Coast was established in 1997 by Sharnelle Fee, who had a vision to care for native Oregon wildlife by providing both rehabilitation and education. The Wildlife Center currently operates in Astoria, Oregon, providing wildlife rehabilitation for injured, ill, and orphaned wildlife on the north coast. They operate a wildlife crisis hotline for the public, and provide long-term rehabilitation care for seabirds transferred from other centers all around Oregon.
The mission of The Wildlife Center of the North Coast is to promote compassion, empathy, and respect for all life through rehabilitation, ecological teachings, and wildlife conservation. They offer educational programs, including summer camps, public tours, and an educational ambassador program with native Oregon bird species.
Through these programs, they educate Oregonians about the diversity and importance of native wildlife, provide outdoor education experiences for children living on the north coast, and provide resources to members of the public seeking to coexist with native wildlife in their communities.
Neon Raven Story Labs is a storytelling platform connecting conservation to our everyday lives. Founded by Morgan Heim, a Senior Fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers, National Geographic grantee, and friend of The Wildlife Center of the North Coast, Neon Raven produces stories for outlets such as National Geographic, Audubon, Smithsonian and Newsweek, with films in Telluride and Banff Mountain Film Festivals, Jackson Wild, and Wild & Scenic.
Urban Safari: Photo Walk on the Astoria Riverwalk with conservation photographers Morgan Heim and Gretchen Kay Stuart, and representatives from Pro Photo Supply and Sony.
Guided Nature Walk: Circle Creek with North Coast Land Conservancy
Columbian Theater
1102 Marine Dr
Astoria, OR
(Tickets $15 online or at the door)
The Bird in My Backyard
Grizzly Country
With the Tide
Harvesting Hope: The Hatcher Family
Driving Reactions
To See the Sky
Guided Nature Walk: Colewort Creek with staff from CREST (Columbia Regional Estuaries Study Taskforce)
Sleeper Coffee
One 12th Street, #101
Astoria, OR
Coastal Foraging with Alanna Kieffer of Shifting Tides
Columbian Theater
1102 Marine Dr
Astoria, OR
(Tickets $15 online or at the door)
Beyond Normal
Living Legacies
hitoláayca (Going Upriver)
Under the Wire
Fort George Brewing
1483 Duane Street
Astoria, OR
CREST: 50 Years of Conservation at 3:30 followed by filmmaker discussion panel beginning at 4:30
Columbian Theater
1102 Marine Dr
Astoria, OR
(Tickets $15 online or at the door)
The Little Brown Bird
Fire Tender
A Matter of Scale
In the Footsteps of Giants
Guided Nature Walk: Tidepooling at Haystack Rock with Haystack Rock Awareness Program and Wildlife Center of the North Coast Executive Director Kari Henningsgaard
Columbian Theater
1102 Marine Dr
Astoria, OR
(Tickets $15 online or at the door)
Mirasol
On the Up
Haxawyam (Guardians of the Waters)
Haulout
Sleeper Coffee
One 12th Street, #101
Astoria, OR
Chinook Indian Nation Panel with filmmaker Amiran White (Guardians of the Waters)
Columbian Theater
1102 Marine Dr
Astoria, OR
(Tickets $15 online or at the door)
Harvesting Hope: The Saloom Family
Aldo’s Bug Extravaganza
Tailless
Heart of the Sea
The Grand Salmon
FESTIVAL WRAP PARTY
Columbia River Maritime Museum
1792 Marine Drive
Astoria, OR
Celebrate the conclusion of the 2025 Wild Coast Film Festival at the Columbia River Maritime Museum.
