ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – On Friday, August 18, the Caja del Rio Coalition will be hosting a free film festival. The event will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Bow and Arrow Brewing on McKnight Avenue.
For the festival, multiple films will be shown, starting at 6:15 p.m., and a panel discussion will follow the screenings, starting at 6:45 p.m. Food trucks will have food available for purchase in the front parking lot of the event, and parking is free.
Three short films will be featured at the festival. All of the films highlight the Caja del Rio plateau in northern New Mexico, which faces increasing threats of vandalism, illegal dumping, and shooting.
Films to Be Shown
“Caja del Rio: Road to 30 Postcard”
“Brophy Toledo, a member of the Jemez Pueblo (Walatowa) and co-founder of the Flower Hill Institute, José Villegas Sr, a Catholic Chaplain and Mayordomo of the Valle de la Cieneguilla Land Grant, and Andrew Black, a minister at First Presbyterian Church of Santa Fe and the public lands field director for the National Wildlife Federation shares what makes the Caja a spiritual, cultural, and ecologically significant area and why it is one of the most endangered landscapes in the country.”
Caja del Rio Coalition Film Festival website
“Saving Caja”
“The Caja del Rio is a critical piece of a wildlife migration corridor that runs from Colorado to Mexico—one of the most intact wildlife pathways in the nation. Despite these important wildlife and cultural values, the Caja faces numerous threats—including wildfires, mining, poaching, vandalism, desecration, illegal dumping, and habitat fragmentation. A broad coalition of people—ranging from Pueblo governors, spiritual leaders, outdoor recreationists, and community advocates have all come together to advocate for permanent protections for the Caja.”
Caja del Rio Coalition Film Festival website
“HECHO: The Caja del Rio”
“Recognized by the New Mexico Heritage Preservation Alliance as one of the State’s ‘most endangered places,’ the Caja contains thousands of ancient petroglyphs and significant archaeological sites. The area is considered sacred to various Native American Pueblos and Tribes throughout the region. With scenic mesas, dramatic river canyons, and beautiful cacti forests, the Caja includes remarkable biodiversity and incredible geology with various fault and tectonic zones formed by the Río Grande rift 2 to 5 million years ago.”
Caja del Rio Coalition Film Festival website
To register for the free film screenings or to learn more about the event, click here.
