The annual Hazel Wolf Environmental Film Festival will be taking place at the UW this weekend. This is the festival's first Seattle showing.

The event, now in its ninth year, will focus on issues of climate change and environmental justice.

Fifty films and shorts, most of which are documentaries, will be shown over the course of the weekend. The festival also includes panel discussions and film workshops.

David Atcheson, festival co-chair, is enthusiastic about bringing the film festival to the UW.

"We are excited about the partnership with the UW," he said. "The themes of this year's festival — climate change and environmental justice — tie into work being done at the UW, and so this is a good year to have a partnership."

In previous years, the festival has taken place at the Sweeping Lady Mountain Retreat in Leavenworth, Wash.

Organizers hope the move to Seattle will allow a greater number of people to attend the festival and participate in the discussions and workshops offered throughout the weekend.

"We are trying to bring the films to more people than ever before," Atcheson said. "The campus location is very accessible ... this should allow us to expand our audience."

Stephanie Harrington, executive director of the UW Earth Initiative, is also pleased that the film festival is taking place at the University. The UW has a definite strength in environmental studies, she said.

"I am looking forward to having an event of this kind take place in a university setting," she said. "Hopefully, this will lead to some interesting discussion and debate from students and the broader community."

The event's films and panels are organized by theme.

In addition to the main focus of climate change and environmental justice, other topics such as peak oil, mining, rivers, wildlife and climate solutions will also be themes in films at the festival.

The event will feature many international films, as well as a number of documentaries filmed in Washington.

"I think that this year's films will have a very broad appeal, as well as being of particular interest for those studying the environment or film," Atcheson said. "I am very excited to have students participate this year."

The festival opened last night with a screening of The Edge of Eden: Living with Grizzlies at the Woodland Park Zoo.

The remainder of the festival takes place entirely at the UW.

On-campus screenings begin this evening with a showing of The Great Warming in Kane Hall at 7 p.m.

Atcheson hopes students will have an enlightening festival experience.

"Hopefully, as many students as possible will see the films, especially with the student discounts on offer," he said. "You never know where it might lead; perhaps you will have an epiphany and it will chart a course for your future in college."

Reach reporter Jessalin Fraser at news@thedaily.washington.edu.