The Award-Winning Paddling Films You Need To Watch This Earth Day (Video)

Our planet’s waterways form the foundation for our core passion in life: paddling. It goes without saying that we owe it to ourselves, our home, and future generations to protect and preserve these beautiful, unique, and wild spaces to the best of our abilities.

Earth Day takes place annually on April 22. It is a globally recognized event that promotes the protection and conservation of our planet. These conservation efforts present themselves in many ways, from physical initiatives to awareness and educational campaigns.

For this year’s Paddling Film Festival 2022 roster of films, we’ve made a conscious decision to include films that promote sustainable choices and highlight the persistent pollution problems that plague our oceans. We’ve hand-picked our favorite award-winning paddling films to share with you and celebrate this Earth Day–check them out below.

Earth Day Spotlight Films

Voice Above Water

This is the story of a 90-year-old Balinese fisherman, Wayan, who is no longer able to fish due to the vast amount of plastic pollution in the ocean. Wayan instead uses his fishing boat and net to collect trash from the ocean in hopes of one day being able to fish again. The story is a glimpse into how one human uses his resources to make a difference and a reminder that if we all play our part, we can accomplish something much greater than ourselves.

Director: Dana Frankoff
Producers: Dana Frankoff, Eric Ebner
Watch this film in the Voices 2022 Virtual Program »

The Commute: A Four Day Paddle To Work

Thinking of ditching the carbon emissions and trying a greener–and wetter–mode of transport? Following two rivers, one drain, one sea, and one creek, it turns out that paddling to work—which ends up being mostly a drag over four full days—is bloody hard work. The Commute provides an intimate insight into the good and bad of humanity. Told with award-winning filmmaker Beau Miles’ trademark mix of humor and philosophy, what started as a stunt turns out to be the hardest, most insightful four days of travel he’s ever done.

Director: Beau Miles
Producers: Beau Miles, Mitch Drummond
Watch this film in the Adventure 2022 Virtual Program »