Over the past eight months, many followers have sent me this beautiful, ecologically-minded short forest film Once Upon a Forest or tagged me on social media, saying, “Have you seen this, Cathy? It reminds me of your work and Hollywood Forest.” As a fan of the wonderful NZ-based Happen Films, I was already familiar with it. This gem is part of part of a series collaboration between three independent filmmakers – Reflections of Life, Campfire Stories and Aotearoa New Zealand Happen Films called ‘Something Beautiful for the World‘. These films explore how small acts of love and kindness have the potential to ripple out and change the world, touching hearts and minds in ways that we could never begin to imagine.’

Until now, I haven’t shared much about Once Upon a Forest. My focus on teaching ecoliteracy to creatives exploring regenerative practices has kept me busy. Although this has meant less time for my Hollywood Forest Story Blog, I often reflect in the Haumea Ecoversity newsletter on the ecoliteracy and sense of agency I developed through caring for forests in life-promoting ways (my last newsletter was about friends and foresters, and elders afar, that have taught me so much).

Tomorrow, though, I’ll be speaking about Once Upon a Forest. About a month ago, I was invited to speak for the County Carlow Environmental Network (CCEN) following a Rights of Nature film. Though it was unplanned, seeing a significant segment on Rights of Nature developments in Aotearoa New Zealand resonated deeply, compelling me to share my perspective in the inclusive afterscreening discussion hosted by CCEN. Having facilitated ecoliteracy learning for five years now, both at Haumea Ecoversity and in person, I find it easier to navigate questions around this profound cultural shift. This shift reflects a vision and a hunger from many for a more beautiful, just, equitable, and harmonious era—an era where people come together to share stories of living well within the community of life.

Through my reading and teaching, I’ve found inspiration in Wendell Berry’s reflections on the life-affirming, intergenerational forest practices of North America’s Menominee people (which I’ve shared about previously), the profound concepts of the Ecocene and “The New Story” (Thomas Berry), The Universe Story by Berry, Mary Evelyn Tucker, and Brian Swimme, and the valuable new terms introduced by Australian farmer-philosopher Glenn Albrecht on the Symbiocene. Observing the creative contributions of so many individuals dedicated to a better world (poets, musicians, film-makers, writers, teachers), I’ve come to see how these ‘new stories’ help build a holistic ecological awareness—a life-affirming philosophy that recognises our personal, collective, planetary, and intergenerational flourishing as interconnected with thriving habitats. This collective wisdom for an ecological era also resonates deeply with Indigenous traditions and Eastern philosophies, as articulated by Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh.

When CCEN announced an upcoming panel discussion following the screening of Once Upon a Forest, featuring our friend and forester Kiwi Sean Hoskins alongside Carlow landowners pioneering ecological forestry, I knew I had to share the story of Hollywood Forest (available as an ebook) – still the smallest Close-to-Nature continuous cover forestry in Ireland. I deeply know that for such a cultural shift in our mindset away from the story of neoliberal capitalism, that forest policy and scientific facts alone cannot inspire the care and change we need; art has the unique power to touch both minds and hearts. It’s no surprise to me that the Once Upon a Forest film, featuring the artist and poet Maria “Vildhjärta” Westerberg, has been the most widely viewed and shared of the series.

The #treetoo poem released by Maria in 2023 ahead of the release of the longer Once Upon A Forest film.

The recently released next film in the series Consciousness, featuring Indigenous wisdom-keeper Tiokasin Ghosthorse, will undoubtedly be popular as well (I vividly recall his profound dialogue during an Earth Charter international seminar). As my philosopher friend and collaborator Nikos Patedakis often reminds me, this ecological turn must be rooted in wisdom, love, and beauty. Some at Haumea Ecoversity have shared with me how much they value being part of this “WLB” (wisdom, love, beauty) community, and Maria’s Earth-aligned wisdom, love and the beauty shines out for us all in Once Upon a Forest.

For those nearby, Once Upon a Forest will be screening at the Visual Carlow Centre for Contemporary Art tomorrow, Wednesday, 6 November 2024, at 7 pm. Tickets can be booked.

You can find more details from CCEN, who have also featured many inspiring Happen Films.

For those unable to attend, you can watch the film online here: Once Upon a Forest.

See all about the Hollywood Forest Story in my archive here and read about The Hollywood Forest Story in The Irish Times here.