Staff Report

After its successful inaugural session in March, the NatureTrack Film Festival in Los Olivos is already accepting film submissions for its second run in 2019.

Both long and short films are welcome, in both live and animated form, in the categories of Adventure, Animation, Biography, Conservation, Kids Connecting With Nature, Scenic, Student, Music Video and a special category called Outdoors & Out of Bounds.

Entry application and rules are available at filmfreeway.com/NatureTrackFilmFestival.

Up until Aug. 31 there is no fee to submit a film for consideration, but it will cost $10 after beginning Sept. 1. The submission deadline is Sept. 30.

Films will be judged by a jury of film industry professionals and nature experts. Cash prizes of $1,000 will be awarded for overall Best in Festival (feature and short).

The Dan Conaway Award of $500 will be presented to the best depiction of Kids Connecting with Nature, and there will also be a $500 cash award for the Audience Favorite winner. All category winners will receive a custom-designed award.

The NatureTrack Film Festival debuted in March and attracted enthusiastic local and visiting film-goers as well as filmmakers from around the world. More than 1,500 films were submitted for consideration, and 60 of them were screened during the festival weekend. Dates for second festival are March 22-24, 2019.

NatureTrack founder and director Sue Eisaguirre conceived the idea for a local nature film festival as an extension of the nonprofit she started in 2011, which introduces children to outdoor spaces from the seashore to inland oak woodlands.

The film festival welcomes sponsor and advertiser inquiries at various participation levels for businesses and individuals. For more information, email Eisaguirre at sue@NatureTrackFilmFestival.org.

For more information about the festival, go to www.naturetrackfilmfestival.org or www.facebook.com/naturetrackfilm, or follow the festival at twitter.com/naturetrackfilm or on Instagram at www.instagram.com/naturetrackfilm.