PREVAILING WESTERLY PROGRAM: OUTDOOR SHORTS BLOCK
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Join The Maine Outdoor Film Festival for the PREVAILING WESTERLY PROGRAM, a two and a half hour program of outdoor adventure and conservation short films, shown outdoors, at the Eastern Prom.
Where: Eastern Prom, Kiley Softball Field (Google Maps Link)
Parking: Street Parking
When: Wednesday July 22, 2026. Doors at 7PM, films begin at 8PM, end approximately 10PM
Tickets: $17
This Event is Included in:
All-Screening Pass
Friends of MOFF Pass
Outdoor Screening Pass
Rain Plan:
If we are unable to host the screening outside then it will be moved inside to the South Portland High School Auditorium (Google Maps Link). We’ll attempt to make any decision before 4pm on the day of the screening and will announce the decision via email to ticket purchasers, Event page on website and Instagram.
More info:
Bring your own blanket and/or camp chair.
Outside water is allowed.
The film program includes a 10-minute intermission.
email [email protected] with questions!
GUARDIANS OF THE EARTH | 10.37 minutes | by Cyril Guyot, Sylvie Chantecaille | from: France | New England Premiere | Short synopsis: In the wild heart of Kenya, ancient wisdom meets modern conservation in this powerful short documentary about indigenous protectors committed to saving Africa’s remaining wildlife and wilderness. We meet the men who have dedicated themselves as rangers, risking everything to defend wildlife from poaching. We listen to Maasai lion guardians, once lion hunters, now protectors who honor their ancestral bond to the land by safeguarding both people and predators. And we are given a glimpse into the lives of Samburu women, whose ancestral beadwork carries the stories of their identity, faith, and deep connection to nature. Together, their testimonies become a call to protect the earth—a reminder that conservation is, at its root, not only about saving animals, but about honoring the sacred connection between people, land, and all living beings.
WHAT THE WATER SHARES | 4.7 minutes | by Austin Smock | from: United States | Short synopsis: Drawn to water since childhood, a farmer-turned-artist explores its mysteries through crystallography, capturing fleeting moments where liquid transforms into intricate, otherworldly forms. As these images emerge, so does a shifting perspective that sees water not simply as substance, but as something expressive, responsive, and possibly conscious. The film unfolds as a meditation on our relationship with the natural world, inviting us to reconsider what we may have forgotten about one of its most essential elements.
WE ARE HEALED BY STICKBALL (GIGIIGEMIN BAAGA’ADOWEYANG) | 10.7 minutes | by Finn Ryan | from: United States | New England PremiereShort synopsis: In its creation story, the game of Baaga’adowewin is given as a gift and tool for life. After forced assimilation, the game was suppressed and remained dormant for almost a century. This film shares the return of Baaga’adowewin, or stickball, as Ojibwe communities walk the path of cultural revitalization and exercise their treaty rights to continue to heal from historical traumas and overcome challenges of today.
ARCTIC ALCHEMY | 29.1 minutes | by Colin Arisman, Zeppelin Zeerip | from: United States | Short synopsis: “Arctic Alchemy” follows renowned Alaskan adventurer and climate scientist Roman Dial and his team on a 112-mile research expedition above the Arctic Circle. Traveling by packraft and foot through Alaska’s mighty Brooks Range, their goal is to find the source of a mysterious phenomenon poisoning watersheds in the Arctic. Along the journey, Roman reckons with fatherhood, personal tragedy, and the power of wilderness to both break us and bring us fully alive.
STEWARD·SHIP - A LOVE LETTER TO THE MAINE COAST | 8.1 minutes | by Luke Kaneb | from: Maine | World Premiere | Short synopsis: A young sailor navigates Maine’s rugged coastline aboard a wooden boat, discovering that the freedom to explore is inseparable from the responsibility to care for the places that make that life possible.
BEST DAY EVER | 47.9 minutes | by Ben Knight, Berne Broudy | from: Vermont | Short synopsis: Best Day Ever follows the stories of adaptive mountain bikers Greg Durso and Allie Bianchi as they navigate the relentless challenges of their disabilities and embrace the tremendous support, friendship and joy they find in their rural Vermont riding community. Allie and Greg navigate disability and regain independence with humor, attitude, and grit on mountain bike trails that dismantle ableism, build community, and become a blueprint for trails anywhere.
Where: Eastern Prom, Kiley Softball Field (Google Maps Link)
Parking: Street Parking
When: Wednesday July 22, 2026. Doors at 7PM, films begin at 8PM, end approximately 10PM
Tickets: $17
This Event is Included in:
All-Screening Pass
Friends of MOFF Pass
Outdoor Screening Pass
Rain Plan:
If we are unable to host the screening outside then it will be moved inside to the South Portland High School Auditorium (Google Maps Link). We’ll attempt to make any decision before 4pm on the day of the screening and will announce the decision via email to ticket purchasers, Event page on website and Instagram.
More info:
Bring your own blanket and/or camp chair.
Outside water is allowed.
The film program includes a 10-minute intermission.
email [email protected] with questions!
GUARDIANS OF THE EARTH | 10.37 minutes | by Cyril Guyot, Sylvie Chantecaille | from: France | New England Premiere | Short synopsis: In the wild heart of Kenya, ancient wisdom meets modern conservation in this powerful short documentary about indigenous protectors committed to saving Africa’s remaining wildlife and wilderness. We meet the men who have dedicated themselves as rangers, risking everything to defend wildlife from poaching. We listen to Maasai lion guardians, once lion hunters, now protectors who honor their ancestral bond to the land by safeguarding both people and predators. And we are given a glimpse into the lives of Samburu women, whose ancestral beadwork carries the stories of their identity, faith, and deep connection to nature. Together, their testimonies become a call to protect the earth—a reminder that conservation is, at its root, not only about saving animals, but about honoring the sacred connection between people, land, and all living beings.
WHAT THE WATER SHARES | 4.7 minutes | by Austin Smock | from: United States | Short synopsis: Drawn to water since childhood, a farmer-turned-artist explores its mysteries through crystallography, capturing fleeting moments where liquid transforms into intricate, otherworldly forms. As these images emerge, so does a shifting perspective that sees water not simply as substance, but as something expressive, responsive, and possibly conscious. The film unfolds as a meditation on our relationship with the natural world, inviting us to reconsider what we may have forgotten about one of its most essential elements.
WE ARE HEALED BY STICKBALL (GIGIIGEMIN BAAGA’ADOWEYANG) | 10.7 minutes | by Finn Ryan | from: United States | New England PremiereShort synopsis: In its creation story, the game of Baaga’adowewin is given as a gift and tool for life. After forced assimilation, the game was suppressed and remained dormant for almost a century. This film shares the return of Baaga’adowewin, or stickball, as Ojibwe communities walk the path of cultural revitalization and exercise their treaty rights to continue to heal from historical traumas and overcome challenges of today.
ARCTIC ALCHEMY | 29.1 minutes | by Colin Arisman, Zeppelin Zeerip | from: United States | Short synopsis: “Arctic Alchemy” follows renowned Alaskan adventurer and climate scientist Roman Dial and his team on a 112-mile research expedition above the Arctic Circle. Traveling by packraft and foot through Alaska’s mighty Brooks Range, their goal is to find the source of a mysterious phenomenon poisoning watersheds in the Arctic. Along the journey, Roman reckons with fatherhood, personal tragedy, and the power of wilderness to both break us and bring us fully alive.
STEWARD·SHIP - A LOVE LETTER TO THE MAINE COAST | 8.1 minutes | by Luke Kaneb | from: Maine | World Premiere | Short synopsis: A young sailor navigates Maine’s rugged coastline aboard a wooden boat, discovering that the freedom to explore is inseparable from the responsibility to care for the places that make that life possible.
BEST DAY EVER | 47.9 minutes | by Ben Knight, Berne Broudy | from: Vermont | Short synopsis: Best Day Ever follows the stories of adaptive mountain bikers Greg Durso and Allie Bianchi as they navigate the relentless challenges of their disabilities and embrace the tremendous support, friendship and joy they find in their rural Vermont riding community. Allie and Greg navigate disability and regain independence with humor, attitude, and grit on mountain bike trails that dismantle ableism, build community, and become a blueprint for trails anywhere.
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Where is it happening?
Eastern Prom, Portland, ME 04101, United States
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Host or PublisherThe Maine Outdoor Film Festival
