Yosemite National Park to host Range of Light Film Festival

Yosemite National Park is planning to host what officials are calling the Range of Light Film Festival to mark a milestone in the park’s history.

The four-day festival next month is to feature more than 25 current and vintage short films, including a new Ken Burns documentary about the first document that protected Yosemite’s wildlands.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Yosemite Grant, a document that set aside Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of sequoia trees, and led to the idea of creating national parks. The theme for the Feb. 27-to-March 2 festival is “150 Years of Yosemite.”

More than 20 filmmakers and artists will participate in the event to be held in the Yosemite Theater behind the valley’s visitor center. The lineup announced Monday includes:

--”Yosemite: A Gathering of Spirit” (2013) by Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan, a documentary that traces the history of the land grant signed by President Lincoln;
--”The Sufferfest,” (2013) a story of two men’s quest to climb and bicycle up California’s 14,000-foot peaks; and
--”Antarctica: A Year on Ice,” (2014) which includes footage of nine winters on one of the coldest places on the planet.

A Full Fest Pass costs $30 and provides access to all screenings, artist panels and a dance party with the band Jelly Bread on March 1. Individual days cost $15 each, and the dance party costs $10 (online purchases add service fees).

The festival is presented by the park, the Yosemite Conservancy and DNC Parks and Resorts at Yosemite Inc.

Info: Range of Light Film Festival

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