Microforest Film Night: Celebrating Local and Global Greening.

SAMO Fund Field Institute presents: Microforest Film Night

As part of LA Climate Week, a city-wide gathering of people working toward a regenerative and equitable future, SAMO Fund Field Institute invites you into a living experiment in restoration.

Join us on April 9th at Santa Monica College's campus microforest for an evening where science, storytelling and community come together to celebrate the growing movement of tiny urban forests with big impact.

We'll begin the evening with free pizza and time to connect while the California Climate Action Corps Fellows host a learning table beside the microforest. Hear the story of SMC's rehabilitated campus microforest and of the thriving Olympic median microforest, two living examples of how small patches of land can become engines of biodiversity and resilience in the city. Learn how these forests are planted, cared for and how you can become part of their ongoing stewardship.

As the sun sets, we'll gather for an exclusive screening of the feature-length documentary Making a Mini Forest.

The film journeys across Europe, following ten organizations working in four languages to transform vacant land into thriving native habitats using the Miyawaki Method. This approach to afforestation that can rapidly boost biodiversity while helping cities adapt to climate change. Through stories of community, creativity, and persistence, the film reveals how even the smallest forest can spark profound renewal.
After the film, we’ll be joined by conservation biologist Dan Cooper of the Santa Monica Mountains Resource Conservation District, who will help root this global story in our own Southern California landscape. Dan will then be joined by the filmmaker, Angelina Lee, for a live Q&A about the making of the film and the microforest movement.
View a preview of the film here.
This is a free event hosted by SMC's Eco Action Club and jointly organized by the SAMO Fund California Climate Action Corps Fellows and the SAMO Fund Field Institute.

Whether you’re drawn to urban greening, native plants, ecological design, or simply the possibility of healing land together, this evening offers a hopeful and tangible vision of restoration—from neighborhoods across Europe to the heart of Los Angeles.

This event is free and open to students, community members, organizers, and anyone curious about how nature can return to our cities.

Come spend an evening in the forest and discover how small forests can spark big change—and how you can be part of the movement.

California Climate Action Corps is a statewide AmeriCorps-funded service program dedicated to mitigating the effects of climate change through urban greening, food waste recovery, and wildfire resilience. For more information about our SAMO Fund urban greening projects, please visit @samofundfellows on Instagram.

The SAMO Fund Field Institute is a new program training the new generation of land stewards, creating opportunities to learn from nature, connect with community, and explore the ecology of the Santa Monica Mountains and Greater Los Angeles Area! Follow @Samofieldinsitute for updates.
For more SAMOFund events visit: https://samofund.org/outdoors-calendar/
To learn more about LA Climate week visit: https://laclimateweek.com/

Important information:

• RSVP required. Register early to secure your pizza and seat! Doors close at 6:30pm.
• Accessibility: Santa Monica College (SMC) is physically accessible, adhering to ADA standards with elevators, ramps, and designated parking available across campuses. If you require any accommodations, please contact [email protected].
• Photography will take place at this event. By attending, you consent to the possibility of being photographed or filmed.

Info: Meet in front of the microforest on Santa Monica College's main campus between Drescher Hall and the Humanities and Sciences Building for free pizza, native plant connection, learning, and community.

Info: "Making a Mini Forest" by Angelina Lee screening in Harvey Stromberg Lecture Hall on SMC's main campus. Film Synopsis: In different places, at different times, different people work towards the same goal - planting mini-forests in European cities. These groups use the Miyawaki Method, a tree-planting technique that focuses on regionally native tree species, uses no chemical fertilizers or additives, planting densely, using a relatively small area of land, and requires no maintenance after a few years. Narrated by Hannah Lewis, author of "Mini-Forest Revolution," stories form a bigger picture of planting mini-forests to counter climate change and restore biodiversity. This film uses subtitles for non-English parts.

Info: Dan Cooper, from the Santa Monica Mountains Resource Conservation District, will help connect the larger microforest movement to SAMOFund's work in LA. He will then be joined by filmmaker Angelina Lee for a Q+A, giving the audience the chance to ask questions about microforests, urban greening, and environmental filmmaking.

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Host or Publisher Santa Monica Mountains Fund