Author: Daniela A. Ruiz

An environmental concert film featuring Robert Redford’s final narration and spoken-word performance will premiere October 22 at the Dallas Museum of Art.

On October 22, EarthX will bring The Way of the Rain – Hope for Earth: A Symphony for Our Planet to Dallas for its Texas premiere, offering audiences an immersive cinematic experience that brings together music, visual art, environmental storytelling, and a message of stewardship.

Presented by EarthX, The Way of the Rain, Inc., and M3 – Make Media Matter, the special screening will take place at the Dallas Museum of Art’s Horchow Auditorium as part of EarthX’s HALF-EARTH DAY® celebration and in partnership with the Dallas International Film Festival.

The evening carries a particular significance for Dallas. The film preserves the October 22, 2022 performance of The Way of the Rain at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, where the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Youth Choir performed the multidisciplinary work conducted by Julien Benichou. Four years later, the work returns to Dallas in a new cinematic form.

Created and directed by environmental artist Sibylle Szaggars Redford, The Way of the Rain – Hope for Earth traces an artistic journey from the formation of the universe and the evolution of galaxies to the emergence of Earth as a singular, living planet.

The film combines orchestral music, choral performance, cinematic imagery, visual art, and spoken word. It features music by composer Tim Janis, performance-film artistry by Floyd Thomas McBee, and Alexandra Raszkazoff as the Mother Earth soloist.

At the center of the film is a particularly meaningful element: Robert Redford’s final narration and spoken-word performance for The Way of the Rain.

Art as a Connection to the Natural World

The work grew from Szaggars Redford’s longstanding exploration of the natural world and was inspired in part by the annual monsoon rains that sustain the high-desert plateaus of the American Southwest.

Through its combination of music, visual art, cinematic imagery, and spoken word, The Way of the Rain – Hope for Earth invites audiences to consider both the beauty of Earth and the interconnected systems that make life possible.

For EarthX, the film reflects the organization’s belief that environmental engagement can take many forms—including art, culture, storytelling, and shared experiences.

“From the moment I encountered Sibylle Szaggars Redford’s extraordinary vision for The Way of the Rain – Hope for Earth, I knew it belonged at EarthX,” said Trammell S. Crow, Founder of EarthX. “This film brings together the beauty of art, the emotional force of music, and the essential urgency of environmental stewardship.”

Bill Bridge, CEO of EarthX, said the film provides an opportunity to connect audiences to environmental issues through a universal creative experience.

“Through the universal languages of music, art, and storytelling, The Way of the Rain – Hope for Earth reminds us that environmental action begins with connection—to one another and to the living systems that sustain us,” Bridge said.

For Szaggars Redford, bringing the film back to Dallas also represents a return to where the work first came to life on stage.

“The Way of the Rain – Hope for Earth is a love letter to Mother Earth and an invitation to remember that humanity is inseparable from the natural world,” said Sibylle Szaggars Redford, Founder and Artistic Director of The Way of the Rain, Inc. “I am deeply honored to bring this film home to Dallas, where this extraordinary performance was first realized with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Youth Choir.”

A Film, Conversation and Shared Experience

The October 22 event will begin with an exclusive VIP cocktail reception at 5:00 p.m., followed by special remarks from Szaggars Redford at 6:00 p.m.

The film screening begins at 6:15 p.m., followed by a filmmaker conversation and audience Q&A at 7:15 p.m.

The evening is designed not simply

simply as a film screening, but as an opportunity to experience the work collectively and continue the conversation around art, environmental awareness, and humanity’s relationship with the natural world.

Michael Cain, President and Executive Producer of M3 – Make Media Matter, described the film as a convergence of artists, musicians, filmmakers, and environmental leaders that preserves an important performance while bringing it to new audiences.

The film is produced by EarthX, The Way of the Rain, Inc., August Sky, King Hollis, M3 – Make Media Matter, and Michael Cain.

The Way of the Rain – Hope for Earth

What: Texas Premiere of The Way of the Rain – Hope for Earth: A Symphony for Our Planet
When: Thursday, October 22, 2026
Where: Horchow Auditorium, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas

Schedule:

• 5:00 p.m. — VIP cocktail reception
• 6:00 p.m. — Introduction by Sibylle Szaggars Redford
• 6:15 p.m. — Film screening
• 7:15 p.m. — Filmmaker conversation and audience Q&A

Tickets:

• VIP — $100: Cocktail reception, film screening and Q&A
• General Admission — $20: Film screening and Q&A

[Get Tickets]

The Texas premiere of The Way of the Rain – Hope for Earth offers a chance to experience the work where its Dallas story began—and to reflect on the connections between art, people, and the living planet we all share.

HALF-EARTH DAY® is a trademark of E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation, Inc. Used with Permission. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. For more information about the Foundation and Half-Earth Day 2026, please visit: https://eowilsonfoundation.org/programs/outreach/half-earth-day/