First-ever Eagle Cap film festival opens in Wallowa County

The Eagle Cap Wilderness at the base of the Wallowa mountains in Eastern Oregon encompasses nearly 360,000 acres. It’s on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, and for filmmaker Cody Sheehy it’s  one of the most beautiful places on earth, maybe the most beautiful. He grew up in Wallowa county and lived elsewhere for 25 years. But six years ago, he returned to his roots and began thinking about how to best contribute to the local community. 

Sheehy met  Zach Halpern, a medical doctor and founder of the Oregon Psychedelic Institute. He discovered they had a shared love of community and film and together they launched the Eagle Cap Film Festival that runs from Nov. 5 - 7. Sheehy’s new documentary is one of the nine films showcased in Enterprise.

We talk to Sheehy and Halpern about the event. We also get a preview of “The Last Dive,” which tells the story of a manta ray and the scuba diver and his unique friendship with one particular manta ray.

Editor's note: This post has been updated to reflect that the films at the festival will only be shown in Enterprise.

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