United Plant Savers (UpS), an Appalachian-based nonprofit, has launched its first-ever film festival, the International Herb Symposium (IHS) Film and Photography Festival. This year’s award-winning films and photographs are available to stream online from today through Sep. 25. Other festival selections will be available in the online viewing room on Friday, Jul. 1.
 
The event will be a unique chance to view 50 selected films and photographs which were submitted from across the globe. The festival will occur between the years in which the symposium takes place, which was held virtually in 2021 and will return in-person in 2023. The project is also held in collaboration with Boreal Night.
 
“Not knowing what to expect in our first year, we were floored by the quality of the submissions,” said Susan Leopold, festival co-director. “Plants are the solution for the challenging issues that we’re facing today, and it seems more important than ever to amplify these stories of resilience and transformation.”
 
Festival tickets are $20, and can be purchased here. Tickets are also available to anyone who is already a symposium participant. To access hundreds of symposium workshops and plant walks online and get a free film fest ticket, register here.
 
“The IHS Film Festival represents an important evolution,” said Glenn Axford, festival co-director. “We’ve provided a curated platform to share the creative talents of filmmakers who want to express their passions and concerns for our natural world. We’re grateful to the artists who are allowing us to share their films globally.”
 
This year, the Grand Prize Gladstar Award was given to the film “Saging the World,” directed by Rose Ramirez, Deborah Small, and David Bryant (U.S.).
 
The Best Feature Film was awarded to “Food Forest” directed by Louis De Jaeger (Belgium), with runners up comprising: “Almost Visible” directed by Klea McKenna (U.S.); “Memories of Trees. Toromiro: The Exiled” directed by Santiago Serrano (Chile); and “Women and Ginseng” produced by Clara Haizlett (U.S.).
 
The Steven Foster Best Still Photography Award was given to “Poppy on the Brink” by Shannon Murphy (U.S.). Runners-up included “Dear Rosewood, Please Don’t Die” by Blair Butterfield (U.S.), “Bloodroot” by Jess Fritz (U.S.), and “Blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides)” by James Moore (U.S.). Honorable mentions included “Polygonatum” by Kim Webb (U.S.), “Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) with Wild Rose” by Frances Cleveland (U.S.), and “Decomposition: The Space Between Seasons” by Jordan R. Hepburn (U.S.).
 
“I hope to inspire all cultures to document the world of plants and the Earth’s healing herbs,” said Marjolaine Forest, festival creative director. “It is profoundly important to plant, grow, and teach the children.”