For the 17th straight year, what organizers call the largest environmental film festival in the United States is happening in Nevada County. The Wild and Scenic Film Festival, a fundraiser for the South Yuba River Citizens League, held the third weekend of January each year, begins Thursday and continues through Martin Luther King Day on Monday. Program Manager Jess Swigonski says about 500 documentary-style films were submitted for this year’s event, the most ever, with wildly varying lengths, from two minutes to two hours. She says about 150 will be featured…

There are ten venues. Swigonski says that includes the Del Oro Theatre in Grass Valley, where, for the first time, 3D films will be featured tonight…

Some locally-produced films will also be featured, as usual, mostly at the Veterans Hall in Grass Valley. That includes concerns about the Centennial Dam proposal. Music In The Mountains has also collaborated with SYRCL, featuring music composed by young people inspired by the South Yuba River. Many of films are organized in sessions, with a lot of the producers on hand to answer questions. There are also a number of non-film-related activities, including an Enviro Fair in Nevada City. For ticket information and schedules, go to the website of the Wild and Scenic Film Festival.