Max Romey: Winner of BEST of FEST 2025

Max and Kip begin thinking about exactly what "forever" means. Trailbound Sketches/Max Romey with permission

Max Romey is an artist, filmmaker, educator and producer from Anchorage, Alaska. Romey, previous winner of the Sylvia Earle Ocean Conservation Award at the MY HERO International Film Festival, is a fierce environmental advocate and uses his art to inspire action to protect our planet.

His latest film, A Little Story About Forever—in which Romey and son Kip begin writing a book about what ‘forever,’ means and the issues that might affect it—has received the BEST of FEST award at the 2025 MY HERO International Film Festival.

The idea for the film arose when KEEN, a footwear brand that Romey has worked with closely over the years, asked Romey to create a story about forever chemicals. “Forever chemicals,” or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs) are man-made chemicals that research suggests do not deteriorate for thousands of years, meaning they end up in the air, water, and soil.[1]

Trailbound Sketches/Max Romey with permissionOne of Romey's illustrations highlights just how many household objects contain PFAs.

Figuring out how to tackle the monumental issue that is forever chemicals was far from easy for Romey. “Normally with films, I feel like the process is you write down your ideas, you shoot everything you can, then you put it all together,” he explained to MY HERO, “or if it's a documentary, you go out and you capture everything and then you try to whittle it down like a giant sculpture coming out of a huge piece of stone. But in this case, it was a combination of both.” Filming with his two-year-old son, Romey found that Kip’s questions led the film in a far more interesting direction than he had anticipated. Romey explained

I would have some idea that I wanted to explore a little bit, and [Kip] would ask a question which would take me totally aback. And it just made sense. A lot of the film was moved by him.

Another surprising driving force behind the direction Romey took the film in, was actor and filmmaker Mark Ruffalo. Having made a film about the PFA community, Dark Waters (2019), Ruffalo is very much aware of the detrimental impact of these chemicals on the environment and was more than happy to provide some insight for Romey’s film. His words, though, were not exactly what Romey had anticipated. Romey told MY HERO

I expected him to give me the scientific definition, which would have been fine. But instead, he came in with this unbelievable poetic description of what it's like to try to do something when it's really hard. Frankly, it was exactly what I—and other people—need to hear.

Trailbound Sketches/Max Romey with permissionActor and filmmaker Mark Ruffalo, illustrated by Max Romey.

During what feels like increasingly dark times, Romey argues, telling stories has become more imperative than ever before. And we are all capable of doing it. “Everybody is an artist. Every child is an artist […] and I wonder, how would the world be different if we didn't convince ourselves that we weren't artists at age seven?” said Romey. He told MY HERO

I want to see more people being brave, making something, and telling stories in a creative way. The world needs more of that than it ever has. Let's add color and light and some sparks of joy to these dismal, dark, gloomy stories, and bring them into the light. Let’s use that creativity to illuminate these parts of the world and bring some solutions to it.

Romey accepted his award at a virtual ceremony on December 13^th, and spoke more on the importance of hope and creativity in challenging times. Said Romey

It's so hard these days because it does feel like the world is so dark. In times like these, it takes those little stories, those little bits of creativity, and those little candles lit in the darkness to make a difference. Seeing what everybody's done here, I feel like I'm surrounded by those candles in the darkness.

Watch A Little Story About Forever here.

Read a previous interview with Max Romey here.

About the MY HERO International Film Festival

The MY HERO International Film Festival is an annual event dedicated to showcasing films that celebrate the power of the human spirit. The festival provides a platform for filmmakers to share inspirational stories of everyday heroes. Thanks to generous sponsors, prizes are awarded to elementary, middle school, high school, college and professionals in a variety of categories including documentary, narrative, music video, animation, experimental, and more.

The festival aims to inspire audiences to recognize the heroism in their own lives and encourage positive actions in their communities. Learn more.

[1] Hosea, Leana & Salvidge, Rachel. What are PFAS, how toxic are they and how do you become exposed? [Online] Available https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/23/what-are-pfas-forever-chemicals-how-toxic-are-they-and-how-do-you-become-exposed. 2023.