The recipient of the Wild and Free Film Festival’s first Wild and Free Spirit Award will be the acclaimed documentary “How to Change the World,” the story of the pioneers who founded Greenpeace and helped define the modern environmental movement.

The event, marking the film’s 10th anniversary, will take be at 5:45 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15 at Camino Real Cinemas in Goleta. It is part of the weekend program that includes the WAFFF awards honoring the festival’s best films.

Accepting the award on behalf of “How to Change the World” is one of its stars Rex Weyler, co-founder of Greenpeace International. Weyler will also participate in a Q&A after the screening.

An American-Canadian author, journalist and ecologist, Weyler is best known as a co-founder of Greenpeace International and a pivotal member of the organization’s early campaigns.

In the 1970s, he served as a director and campaign photographer on the first Greenpeace whale and seal expeditions, capturing images that brought the environmental movement to global attention.

Weyler wrote six books, including “Greenpeace: The Inside Story,” and has contributed essays, poetry and photographs to numerous publications.

“We’re delighted to have Rex Weyler join us for this special anniversary screening,” said Gareth Kelly, executive director of the Wild and Free Film Festival.

“The 1971 protest that led to the formation of Greenpeace was a pivotal moment in the environmental movement, and its legacy through this film, particularly in how these issues are presented by the media, continues today,” Kelly said.

WAFFF opens at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14 with the Central Coast premiere of “Checkpoint Zoo,” directed by Joshua Zeman and executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio.

The documentary follows a daring rescue led by a team of zookeepers and volunteers who risked their lives to save thousands of animals trapped in a Ukrainian zoo during the Russian invasion.

The festival will showcase 30 films across three days, along with filmmaker Q&As, panels, receptions, and notable guests.

All festival passes and tickets are on sale at www.wildandfreefilm.org/tickets. For more about all the films and scheduling, visit www.wildandfreefilm.org.