The Westland Impact Festival returns to downtown Whitefish, Montana, from June 11–13, 2026, with a three-day gathering built around film, sustainability, culture, innovation, and community impact.
Described as “A Power Generator for the Greater Good,” the festival will feature 27 films, 15 panels, more than 40 speakers, live music, and programming across four venues. Founded by native Montanan Anderson Rosenthal, Westland brings together filmmakers, scientists, artists, Indigenous leaders, innovators, and advocates for conversations centered on meaningful change.
This year’s lineup includes films and creative voices connected to Sundance Labs, the Rockefeller Foundation, National Geographic, the Bush Foundation, and Emmy-winning producers and writers. Featured projects include work involving celebrated names such as Viola Davis, Jeff Bridges, and Wes Studi, alongside directors including Oscar nominee Sara Dosa, Susan Kucera, Steven Reich, Leya Hale, Ramzi Bashour, Matthew Thompson, Parker Croft, Daniel Glick, Melissa Bloom, and more.
A defining element of the 2026 festival is its commitment to sustainable live event production. Westland plans to power the full three-day event using solar energy and transportable batteries provided by New Use Energy, with on-site solar support from Northstone Solar. The initiative is designed to demonstrate what cleaner, more responsible event production can look like at scale.
Festival Producer Kimberly Rachelle also notes that Westland’s merchandise will be created through local partnerships using thrift-flipped garments, while the festival has partnered with TripZero to address travel-related carbon impact.
Opening night will place a special emphasis on Indigenous leadership, beginning with a traditional honor song and ceremony before the festival’s Indigenous Forum. The programming will include filmmakers and leaders representing the Blackfeet, Salish-Kootenai, Sicáŋğu Lak̇óta Oyáte/Rosebud, Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, Dine, Navajo, Pueblo, and Crow Nations, as well as Indigenous filmmakers from Canada, Mexico, and South America.
2026 Festival Highlights
Live performances will include Sterling Drake, Rachel Crow, AY Young, 20 Grand, and Katels.
Signature film experiences include:
Bright Harvest: Powering Earth from Space
Followed by a live conversation with director Steven Reich, producer Brigitte Bren, and Caltech scientists connected to the film.
In the Company of Wolves: An American Journey
Narrated by Jeff Bridges and directed by Susan Kucera, the film explores the relationship between wolves, ecology, and the American landscape.
FOOD2050
Produced by The Rockefeller Foundation and narrated by Viola Davis, the film spotlights innovators working toward a future where food systems nourish people while helping restore the planet.
Time and Water
Produced by National Geographic and directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Sara Dosa, the film follows Icelandic writer Andri Snær Magnason as he reflects on memory, family, glaciers, and environmental loss.
No Greater Act: Pueblo Resistance
Narrated by Oscar-winning Indigenous actor Wes Studi, the documentary centers Indigenous history, resilience, and resistance.
Beyond film, Westland’s panels will explore topics including finance, biomimicry, sustainable data centers, attainable housing, regenerative agriculture, artificial intelligence, philanthropy, traditional ecological knowledge, sports, and entertainment. The festival’s Ignite Speaker, Ayisha Siddiqa, is a climate and human rights advocate who was featured as one of TIME’s Women of the Year and currently serves as an advisor-in-residence at The Hague while completing law school at UCLA.
Festival passes are available now through Westland Impact Festival Tickets.