Chasing Coral

Directed by Jeff Orlowski

Coral reefs around the world are vanishing at an unprecedented rate. A team of divers, photographers and scientists set out on a thrilling ocean adventure to discover why and to reveal the underwater mystery to the world.

Chasing Coral taps into the collective will and wisdom of an ad man, a self-proclaimed coral nerd, top-notch camera designers, and renowned marine biologists as they invent the first time-lapse camera to record bleaching events as they happen. Unfortunately, the effort is anything but simple, and the team doggedly battles technical malfunctions and the force of nature in pursuit of their golden fleece: documenting the indisputable and tragic transformation below the waves. With its breathtaking photography, nail-biting suspense, and startling emotion, Chasing Coral is a dramatic revelation that won’t have audiences sitting idle for long.
Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film, Special Screenings

The Burden

Directed by Roger Sorkin

THE BURDEN is the first documentary of its kind to tell the story of our dependence on fossil fuels as the greatest long-term national security threat confronting the U.S., and how the military is leading our transition to clean energy. Trailer and screening times >>

Special Screenings

Abita

Directed by Shoko Hara & Paul Brenner

An animated short film about the dreams and realities of Fukushima children who can’t play outside due to radioactivity. Nature can't be decontaminated. The children in Fukushima have to be inside and cannot enjoy the freedom in the beautiful nature. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

SP#4

Directed by Carl Knickerbocker

Evolution of a society. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Growing Cities

Directed by Dan Susman & Andrew Monbouquette

From rooftop farmers to backyard beekeepers, Americans are growing food like never before. Growing Cities tells the inspiring stories of these intrepid urban farmers, innovators, and everyday city-dwellers who are challenging the way this country grows and distributes its food. From those growing food in backyards to make ends meet to educators teaching kids to eat healthier, viewers discover urban farmers are harvesting a whole lot more than just good food. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Wild Things

Directed by Daniel Hinerfeld, Molly O'Brien, Lisa Whiteman

Native carnivores balance ecosystems and keep wilderness healthy. But they are also seen as a threat to livestock, and for decades ranchers and government trappers have slaughtered them. The Wildlife Services program within U.S.D.A. kills a hundred thousand coyotes, wolves and other native carnivores annually. It is a battle against nature that is costly, brutal, and not very effective. Does the battle really need to be fought? Wild Things introduces audiences to progressive ranchers learning to peacefully coexist with these animals and features scientists, conservationists and even former Wildlife Services trappers, who believe it is time for a major change in the way we treat our magnificent native carnivores. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

The Ghosts in Our Machine

Directed by Liz Marshall

The Ghosts in Our Machines illuminates the lives of individual animals living within and rescued from the machine of our modern world. Through the heart and photographic lens of acclaimed animal photographer Jo-Anne McArthur, we become intimately familiar with a cast of non-human animals. The film follows McArthur over the course of a year as she photographs animal stories in parts of Canada, the U.S. and in Europe. Each story is a window into global animal industries: Food, Fashion, Entertainment and Research. McArthur has documented the lives of animals with heart-breaking empathic vividness and professionalism. Are non-human animals property to be owned and used, or are they sentient beings deserving of rights? Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

More Than Honey

Directed by Markus Imhoof

Oscar-nominated director Markus Imhoof tackles the vexing issue of why bees, worldwide, are facing extinction. With the tenacity of a man out to solve a world-class mystery, he investigates this global phenomenon, from California to Switzerland, China and Australia. Exquisite macro-photography of the bees (reminiscent of Microcosmos) in flight and in their hives reveals a fascinating, complex world in crisis. Writes Eric Kohn in Indiewire: "Imhoof captures the breeding of queen bees in minute detail, ventures to a laboratory to witness a bee brainscan, and discovers the dangerous prospects of a hive facing the infection of mites. In this latter case, the camera's magnifying power renders the infection in sci-fi terms, as if we've stumbled into a discarded scene from David Cronenberg's The Fly." This is a strange and strangely moving film that raises questions of species survival in cosmic as well as apiary terms. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Tiny: A Story About Living Small

Directed by Merete Mueller & Christopher Smith

What is home? And how do we find it? TINY follows one couple's attempt to build a Tiny House from scratch with no building experience and profiles other families who have downsized their lives into houses smaller than the average parking space. Through homes stripped down to their essentials, the film raises questions about sustainability, good design, and the changing American Dream. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

DamNation

Directed by Ben Knight, Travis Rummel

DamNation is a collection of impassioned voices and spirited stories from the people on both sides of this divisive issue of dam removal. Dam removal is at the center of modern environmental and cultural movements. The benefits from dams, including hydropower, urban water supply, irrigation, and flood protection have played a critical role in the development of the United States, but river ecosystems and Native American heritage have been greatly damaged. Now, many antiquated dams are classified as public safety hazards by the Army Corps of Engineers. Examining the history and controversy behind current and proposed dam removal projects, DamNation presents a dynamic perspective on mankind’s attempt to harness and control the power of water at the expense of nature. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

GMO OMG

Directed by Jeremy Seifert

Today in the United States, by the simple acts of feeding ourselves, we are unwittingly participating in the largest experiment ever conducted on human beings. Each of us unknowingly consumes genetically engineered food on a daily basis. The risks and effects to our health and the environment are largely unknown. Yet more and more studies are being conducted around the world, which only provide even more reason for concern. We are the oblivious guinea pigs for wide-scale experimentation of modern biotechnology. GMO OMG tells the story of a father's discovery of GMOs in relationship to his 3 young children and the world around him. We still have time to heal the planet, feed the world, and live sustainably. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

This Space Available

Directed by Gwenaëlle Gobé

You can turn a page, change a channel or close a window on your computer, but you can't erase a billboard from a landscape. This Space Available is a captivating documentary that takes us to several of the world's greatest cities including Toronto to explore outdoor advertising's proliferation and dire lack of regulation. The film considers the blurry line dividing art and ads, questions the economic viability of billboards and asks: at what point does advertising become visual pollution? Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Dying Green

Directed by Ellen Tripler

Set in the foothills of the Appalachians, this film explores one man’s vision of using green burials to conserve land. Dr. Billy Campbell, the town’s only physician, and his efforts have radically changed our understanding of burials in the United States. Dr. Campbell’s dream is to conserve one million acres of land. Dying Green focuses on the revolutionary idea of using our own death to fund land conservation and create wildlife preserves. Winner of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 39th Annual Student Academy Awards. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

The Human Experiment

Directed by Dana Nachman & Don Hardy

The Human Experiment lifts the veil on the shocking reality that thousands of untested chemicals are in our everyday products, our homes and inside of us. Simultaneously, the prevalence of many diseases continues to rise. From Oscar winner Sean Penn and Emmy winning journalists Dana Nachman and Don Hardy, The Human Experiment tells the personal stories of people who believe their lives have been affected by chemicals and takes viewers to the front lines as activists go head-to-head with the powerful and well-funded chemical industry. These activists bring to light a corrupt system that’s been hidden from consumers… until now. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Hidden Rivers of Southern Appalachia (Short Film Showcase)

Directed by Jeremy Monroe & Dave Herasimtschuk

Biodiversity. It’s in the rivers of the Amazon, the jungles of Borneo, the coral reefs of Belize... oh, and the creeks of Georgia. That’s right, Southern Appalachia is a little-known hotspot for aquatic life and is home to some wildly diverse fish, mussels, salamanders, crayfish and other critters. Hidden Rivers takes an immersive look at the little-known creatures of these waters, their striking beauty and extreme vulnerability. This film series focuses on how some Southerners are finding new ways to celebrate and protect this precious life, and reminding us all that biodiversity is everywhere and rivers are always deeper than you think! Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Into the Gyre

Directed by Scott Elliott

Into the Gyre is a film documenting a groundbreaking expedition to study the location, extent and effect of plastic pollution in the North Atlantic Ocean. Thirty-four volunteer researchers, scientists and sailors participated in this five- week long adventure to the remote Sargasso Sea, east of Bermuda. Sailing on a 135-foot tall ship, the SSV Corwith Cramer, the film follows four of the scientists as they collect, count, and archive the plastic they encounter. Along the way, the film examines the history of plastics, the adverse effects it is causing in the ocean, and possible solutions to this problem. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Population Boom

Directed by Werner Boote

The Earth's population reaches seven billion. Dwindling resources, mountains of toxic waste, hunger and climate change – all the results of overpopulation? Who says that the world is overpopulated? And how many is one too many? Werner Boote travels the globe and examines a stubborn view of the world that has existed for decades. But he sees a completely different question: Who or what is driving this catastrophic vision? Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Shored Up

Directed by Ben Kalina

Shored Up tells the story of our modern coasts, where life on the edge of a rising sea has placed towns and cities on the front lines of climate change. Following frustrated scientists, confused politicians and level-headed surfers, Shored Up follows the conflicts that are erupting from New Jersey to North Carolina as the ocean rises and we challenge nature to an unwinnable duel. This is a documentary that asks critical questions about the future of coastal communities and our relationship to the land. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

The Clean Bin Project

Directed by Jenny Rustemeyer & Grant Baldwin

Grant and Jen go head to head in a comedic competition to live zero waste for an entire year. This multiple award winning, festival favorite shares moments of humor, struggle, and hope in the cinematic and creatively executed story of a couple who ask the question “What can an individual do?” Described as a combination of An Inconvenient Truth and Super Size Me, The Clean Bin Project features laugh out loud moments, stop motion animations, and captivating interviews with TED lecturers Chris Jordan and Captain Charles Moore. A fun and inspiring call to environmental action that speaks to crowds of all ages. Trailer and screening times >>

EcoKids Film, Short Film

Slomo

Directed by Josh Izenberg

Depressed and frustrated with his life, Dr. John Kitchin abandons his career as a neurologist and moves to the beach. There, he undergoes a radical transformation into SLOMO, trading his lab coat for a pair of rollerblades and his IRA for a taste of divinity. Winner of multiple awards, including the Documentary Shorts Jury Award at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

The Great Vacation Squeeze

Directed by John de Graaf, David Fox, Diana Wilmar, Greg Davis

The United States is the only rich country without a law requiring paid vacation time for workers, and American vacations, already among the shortest in the world, are getting shorter. Vacations matter - for health, family bonding, nature appreciation, and many other factors. Beautifully photographed in Yosemite National Park, Europe and Washington State, this film makes the case for more vacation time, using personal stories, humor and expert commentary from Yosemite National Park ranger Shelton Johnson, travel writer Rick Steves and cardiologist Sarah Speck, and suggests that Americans would do well to make vacation time a political policy issue. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Thin Ice: The Inside Story of Climate Science

Directed by David Sington & Simon Lamb

Geologist Simon Lamb takes a look at what’s really happening with global warming, filming scientists at work in the Arctic, Antarctic, Southern Ocean, New Zealand, Europe and the USA. The result is both a unique exploration of the science behind global warming and an intimate portrait of a global community of researchers racing to understand our planet’s changing climate. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Espero? (Hope?)

Directed by Simone Giampaolo

A humorous and entertaining animated comedy that depicts how Gaia, our planet Earth, met humankind years and years ago, and the consequences of that meeting. A criticism of our modern society and of the way we've been "evolving" over the centuries. With a unique visual style, Espero? is also the very first 3D animated film fully dubbed in Esperanto, a beautiful universal language created over a hundred years ago to foster peace and international understanding between people. Trailer and screening times >>

EcoKids Film, Short Film

Rock Wall Climbing

Directed by Jason Houston & Hal Clifford (Take One Creative)

How do big wall climbers get their start? With little walls, of course. This may be the case for 8-year-old climber Kathrin Houston, who convinces her father to build a climbing wall in the other half of their small two-car garage. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film, EcoKids Film

The Scared is Scared

Directed by Bianca Giaever

I asked a six year old what my movie should be about. This is what she told me. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film, EcoKids Film

My First Fish

Directed by Ben Galland

My First Fish is a story about a boy’s first experience going steelhead fishing with his father on the Trinity River in Northern California. The film is focuses on the perspective of a child in this new magical environment and the exciting moment of catching his first fish. After and epic battle, the boy has a chance to hold the fish and once they make eye contact, the memory is etched into the child’s brain forever instilling a connection to the wild and the foundation for environmental stewardship. Then upon releasing the fish back into the river, we see him staring deeply into the water and the fish looking back at him, and its this connection to nature that will live on the child’s heart for years to come Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film, EcoKids Film

Badru's Story

Directed by Benjamin Drummond & Sara Joy Steele

Each year Badru Mugerwa sets 60 camera traps in the rugged forests of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. His work is part of the TEAM Network, a global web of field stations that provide an early warning system for loss of biodiversity in tropical forests. Badru and his fellow TEAM scientists have collected over one million images of mammals and birds to help guide conservation efforts. Learn more about the Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring Network: teamnetwork.org. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Chasing Water (2014 Encore)

Directed by Pete McBride

This film was shown in the 2012 EcoFocus, and we brought it back for the 2014 festival, where it was included in the Ripple Effect Film Project Events. Follow the Colorado River, source to sea, with photographer Pete McBride who takes an intimate look at the watershed as he attempts to follow the irrigation water that sustains his family's Colorado ranch, down river to the sea. Traversing 1500 miles and draining seven states, the Colorado River supports over 30 million people across the Southwest. It is not the longest or largest U.S. river, but it is one of the most loved and litigated in the world. Today, this resource is depleted and stressed. Follow its path with an artistic, aerial view on a personal journey to understand this national treasure. McBride teamed up with his bush-pilot father to capture unique footage and also shadowed the adventure of Jon Waterman who became the first to paddle the entire length of the river. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

The Man Who Lived on His Bike

Directed by Guillaume Blanchet

What can you do on a bicycle? For Guillaume Blanchet, the question is what can’t you do? In this two-minute homage to bikes and the bike obsessed, Blanchet eats, sleeps, showers, shaves, works, cooks and even dates — all from atop his man-powered machine. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Switch

Directed by Harry Lynch

What will it really take to go from the energies that built our world to the energies that will shape our future? Our transportation and housing, food and water, communications, light, heat and cooling – our entire modern life depends on energy. For more than a century, that energy has been mostly provided by oil and coal. With concerns about environmental impact and supply, we’ve begun the shift to energy alternatives. Join Dr. Scott Tinker on a global journey to find out how. In Switch, he explores the world’s leading energy sites, from coal to solar, oil to biofuels, many highly restricted and never before filmed, and gets straight answers from international leaders of government, industry and academia. He investigates the leading issues of energy: If coal is dirty, why do we keep using it? Will oil get more expensive? Will it run out? How risky is hydraulic fracturing? How dangerous is nuclear? What are the biggest challenges, and most promising solutions, to our energy transition? With a keen eye and a balanced perspective, Dr. Tinker unravels complex problems and sidesteps the politics to offer a path to our future that is both surprising and remarkably pragmatic. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

The Last Ice Merchant

Directed by Sandy Patch

For the last five decades, Baltazar Ushca has made a living harvesting glacial ice from the tallest mountain in Ecuador. His brothers, Gregorio and Juan, have long since retired from the mountain. This is a tale of cultural change in a small indigenous community and how three brothers have adapted to it. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Chasing Ice

Directed by Jeff Orlowski

In the spring of 2005, acclaimed environmental photographer James Balog headed to the Arctic on a tricky assignment for National Geographic: to capture images to help tell the story of the Earth’s changing climate. Chasing Ice is the story of one man’s mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of our changing planet. Within months of that first trip to Iceland, the photographer conceived the boldest expedition of his life: The Extreme Ice Survey. With a band of young adventurers in tow, Balog began deploying revolutionary time-lapse cameras across the brutal Arctic to capture a multi-year record of the world’s changing glaciers. Winner of multiple awards, including Excellence in Cinematography, Sundance Film Festival 2012. Nominated for an Oscar® in the Best Song category. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Irish Folk Furniture

Directed by Tony Donoghue

An animated documentary about repair and recycling in rural Ireland. In rural Ireland old hand painted furniture is often associated with hard times, with poverty and with a time many would rather forget. Because of this association, much of the country's furniture heritage lies abandoned in barns and sheds. In the making of this film 16 pieces of abandoned folk furniture were restored and returned back into daily use. This film was shot in a green and environmentally friendly way using local craftspeople, local narrators and inexpensive secondhand equipment. Only natural light was used to shoot this film. Short Film Jury Award Winner (Animation) at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Trash Dance

Directed by Andrew Garrison

Sometimes inspiration can be found in unexpected places. Choreographer Allison Orr finds beauty and grace in garbage trucks, and in the men and women who pick up our trash. Filmmaker Andrew Garrison follows Orr as she joins city sanitation workers on their daily routes to listen, learn, and ultimately to convince them to collaborate in a unique dance performance. Hard working, often carrying a second job, their lives are already full with work, family and dreams of their own. But some step forward and, after months of rehearsal, two dozen trash collectors and their trucks perform an extraordinary spectacle. On an abandoned airport runway, thousands of people show up to see how in the world a garbage truck can "dance." Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Ripple Effect Film Project Finalist Showcase

Directed by Various

The Ripple Effect Film Project is sponsored by the Athens-Clarke County Water Conservation Office with FilmAthens and EcoFocus Film Festival as its partners. In Fall 2012, Athenians were asked to be a part of creating a ripple effect of water conservation in our community by submitting a super-short film (30-seconds) about water conservation. This showcase includes the finalists from that competition. See the finalists' films at Lily Anne Phibian's YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4HYkthv1Uko8itpfyUAAvg. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Last Call at the Oasis

Directed by Jessica Yu

Firmly establishing the urgency of the global water crisis as the central issue facing our world this century, this documentary illuminates the vital role water plays in our lives, exposes the defects in the current system and shows communities already struggling with its ill-effects. Featuring activist Erin Brockovich, respected water experts including Peter Gleick, Jay Famiglietti and Robert Glennon and social entrepreneurs championing revolutionary solutions, the film posits that we can manage this problem if we are willing to act now. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Quagga

Directed by Olga and Tatiana Poliektova

A reminder about the importance of protecting animals from extinction for the sake of our children. Music: "Veloma” by Fabrizio Paterlini (www. fabriziopaterlini.com) Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

Directed by Lucy Walker

Oscar-nominated director Lucy Walker set out to make “a visual haiku about cherry blossoms” in Japan but changed her plans radically following the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit the country on March 11, 2011. Taken with the cherry blossom’s beauty and ability to symbolize the ephemeral quality of life, Walker links the disaster with the power of Japan’s most beloved flower to heal and inspire in this stunning visual poem. Opening with a long clip of jaw-dropping real life footage of the tsunami, the film shows water sweeping houses and buildings along like toys, lifting up cars and swallowing people. Interviews with survivors in a northern Japanese village in the heart of the disaster, whose residents share their traumatic personal experiences of the tsunami, are framed by the metaphor of cherry blossoms, a symbol deep in Japanese culture that suggests rebirth. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

The Lost Bird Project

Directed by Deborah Dickson

Gone and nearly forgotten, the Labrador Duck, Great Auk, Heath Hen, Carolina Parakeet and Passenger Pigeon have left a hole in the American landscape and in our collective memory. Moved by their stories, sculptor Todd McGrain set out to bring their vanished forms back into the world by permanently placing his elegant, evocative bronze memorials at the location of each bird’s demise. “These birds are not commonly known and they ought to be, because forgetting is another kind of extinction,” McGrain said. “It’s such a thorough erasing.” The film tells the story of how these birds came to meet their fates and the journey that leads McGrain from the swamps of Florida, the final roosting ground of the Carolina Parakeet, to a tiny island off the coast of Newfoundland, where some of the last Great Auks made their nests and where the local townspeople still mourn their absence 150 years later. The Lost Bird Project is a film about public art, extinction and memory. It is an elegy to five extinct North American birds and a thoughtful, moving, sometimes humorous look at the artist and his mission. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Among Giants

Directed by Ben Mullinkosson, Sam Price-Waldman, and Chris Cresci

In the midst of California’s coastal redwood region, Green Diamond Resource Company continues to clearcut redwood forests, devastating habitats and leaving scars across the land. Farmer, a direct action environmental activist in his late 20s, decides to tree-sit in the McKay Tract -- a 60-acre grove of ancient redwoods that is home to spotted owls, deer, flying squirrels, and countless other life forms. Among Giants begins three years into the McKay tree-sit. Atop his tiny platform a hundred feet up in the ancient redwood canopy, Farmer must battle the elements and avoid isolation as he fights for a sustainable future. What does it mean to follow one’s beliefs and make a difference in the world? Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Bidder 70

Directed by Beth Gage and George Gage

Bidder 70 follows Tim DeChristopher, a University of Utah student, who on December 19, 2008, in a dazzling act of civil disobedience, derailed the outgoing Bush administration’s illegal Bureau of Land Management oil and gas auction. As bidder #70, Tim bid 1.8 million dollars and won 22,000 pristine acres surrounding Utah’s National Parks. He had no intention to pay or drill. In February 2009, the new Obama administration agreed the land should be safeguarded and invalidated the entire auction. Nevertheless, Tim was indicted on two federal felonies with penalties of up to ten years in prison. A personal portrait, Bidder 70 illuminates how the choices we make determine our future and the world we live in. Tim DeChristopher puts a face on Time Magazine’s 2011 Person of the Year, the Protestor. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Cape Spin! An American Power Struggle

Directed by John Kirby, Robbie Gemmel, Daniel Coffin, and Libby Handros

Cape Spin! An American Power Struggle is the surreal, fascinating, tragicomic tale of the battle over America’s largest clean energy project. When energy entrepreneur Jim Gordon first proposed putting 130 wind turbines in fabled Nantucket Sound, he had no idea that a firestorm would erupt. Cape Spin! tells the incredible tale of how America’s first proposed offshore wind farm triggered a schism in this idyllic coastal region, pitting neighbor against neighbor and environmentalist against environmentalist. Revealing the root causes of their furor, the filmmakers enjoyed unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to the key players on both sides of the controversy. The tale frames the battle over Nantucket Sound as a microcosm of America’s struggle towards energy sustainability. After 10 years, $70 million and 8,000 pages of analysis the Federal Government approved the wind farm project on April 28, 2010. But the controversy continues… Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Bag It (2013 EcoKids Presentation)

Directed by Suzan Beraza

Try going a day without plastic. Plastic is everywhere and infiltrates our lives in unimaginable and frighten- ing ways. In this touching and often flat-out-funny film, we follow “everyman” Jeb Berrier, who is admittedly not a tree hugger, as he embarks on a global tour to unravel the complexities of our plastic world. What starts as a film about plastic bags evolves into a wholesale investigation into plastic and its affect on our waterways, oceans, and even our own bodies. We see how our crazy-for-plastic world has finally caught up to us and what we can do about it. Today. Right now. Trailer and screening times >>

EcoKids Film, Feature Film

Cafeteria Man

Directed by Richard Chisolm and Sheila Kinkade

Cafeteria Man is a story of positive movement that shows what's possible in our nation's schools. It’s about the aspiration of activists and citizens coming together to change the way kids eat at school. It’s about overhauling a dysfunctional nutritional system. And, it’s the story of what it takes, and who it takes, to make solutions happen. Leading the charge to replace pre-plated, processed foods with locally-grown, freshly-prepared meals is Tony Geraci, food-service director for the city’s public schools. A charismatic chef from New Orleans, Geraci's bold vision includes school vegetable gardens, student-designed meals, meatless Mondays, and nutrition education in the classroom. His mission is as audacious as it is practical. Among the protagonists in this story are parents, teachers, administrators, farmers, chefs, and dozens of creative and motivated students. Their collective efforts are proof positive that a ‘village’ is indeed required to transform school food. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Cafeteria Man: Memphis Schools Makeover

Directed by Richard Chisolm and Sheila Kinkade

After chef Tony Geraci left Baltimore, he was recruited to be the Executive Director of Memphis City Schools Nutrition Services, which serves over 200,000 meals a day to 110,000 students. Since his arrival in Fall 2011, he has increased participation in the Breakfast in the Classroom program, initiated an “At Risk Supper Meal Program”, expanded the farm to school program to $10 million a year, and established a 100-acre farm. Tony also was recently named one of the top 20 most influential Food Service people in the country by Food Service Director magazine. Trailer and screening times >>

EcoKids Film, Short Film

Living Tiny

Directed by Paul Donatelli and Paul Meyers

“People like having lots of stuff, Americans in particular,” says one of the characters in the charming documentary Living Tiny. In a country obsessed with growth and progress, there is a small, but growing, population of people who are rejecting the axiom that “bigger is better” and are downsizing. Their tiny abodes, no larger than 200 square feet, are not caging them, but liberating them from a culture of consumption. “Ultimately you can only occupy 12 square feet of space at a time. Everything else is just a place to keep your stuff.” Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Dear Governor Cuomo

Directed by Jon Bowermaster

On a rainy night last May, a unique coalition of musicians, scientists and activists gathered in Albany, New York on the governor’s front door step, calling for a ban on hydraulic-fracturing (“fracking”). With the news that Governor Andrew Cuomo might lift the moratorium on fracking in New York any day, a concert event was assembled in less than a month. Two rehearsals in twenty-four hours, and it was show time. The goal of the extremely varied participants, many of whom had never met before this night, was to explain in clear terms the threats of fracking and to motivate people to rise up against the practice using song. Under the musical direction of Natalie Merchant, the event was filmed by Academy Award-winning documentarian Alex Gibney. The film features actors Mark Ruffalo and Melissa Leo, environmental biologist Sandra Steingraber and musicians ranging from Joan Osborne and Citizen Cope to Medeski Martin and Wood and The Felice Brothers. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

The Human Scale

Directed by Andreas Møl Dalsgaard

U.S. Premiere! Fifty percent of the world’s population lives in urban areas. By 2050 this figure is expected to increase to eighty percent. The megacity is both enchanting and scary. But how do we plan these cities in a way that takes human behavior into account? In the 20th Century the struggle to provide large numbers of people with proper housing, work spaces and transport led the modernists to create gigantic systems of high-rise buildings, industrial estates and highways. The material gains are evident. What are the costs? Danish architect and professor Jan Gehl’s thesis is that basic human needs for interaction, inclusion and intimacy was somewhat forgotten during this process. Today we face peak oil, climate change and severe health issues due to our rapid growth. With en exploding population we need to double our urban capacity within 30 years. Can human-oriented urban planning be the solution? From the slum of Bangladesh to the financial district in New York. What is a happy life, and can a city make us happy? What is a good city? Is it made of highways, gated communities and high-rise structures? Or is it made of bikeways, parks and walking streets? Can architecture meet our human needs in the face of future challenges? The Human Scale meets thinkers, architects and urban planners across the globe to explore what happens when we put people into the center of our planning. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

The Artificial Leaf

Directed by Jared P. Scott

Dan Nocera has a simple formula to save the planet: sunlight + water = energy for the world. The Artificial Leaf is part of the GE Focus Forward film series, a new series of 30 three-minute stories about innovative people who are reshaping the world through act or invention, directed by the world’s most celebrated documentary filmmakers. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Gaia Soil

Directed by Directed by Philip Buccellato and Jesse Ash

Paul Mankiewicz is the creator of Gaia Soil, a lightweight soil used for urban gardens. His work couples ecological engineering and restoration with the integration of human communities in natural systems. Gaia Soil is part of the GE Focus Forward film series, a new series of 30 three-minute stories about innovative people who are reshaping the world through act or invention, directed by the world’s most celebrated documentary filmmakers. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Papiroflexia

Directed by Joaquin Baldwin

An origami tale of a skillful paper folder who could shape the world with his hands. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film, EcoKids Film

Ride of the Mergansers

Directed by Steve Furman

The Hooded Merganser is a rare and reclusive duck found only in North America. Just 24 hours after hatching in a nest perched high in the trees, the tiny ducklings must make the perilous leap to the ground below to begin life in the wild. This age-old rite is rarely observed by humans. This film is a heartwarming blend of natural history, humor, and suspense. You'll be entertained, educated, and inspired - and leave with a newfound appreciation of the phrase 'leap of faith.' Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film, EcoKids Film

India Explains Solar Power to Rudy

Directed by Anita George

A four-and-a-half year old girl, India, shares her thoughts on solar power. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film, EcoKids Film

10,000 Trees

Directed by Sarah Ginsburg & Sarah Berkovich

In 2001, Victor Kaufmann looked at his plot of land in Lyle, Washington and realized that something was missing: trees. 10,000 Trees is the story of Victor actualizing his vision and finding fulfillment, eighty-five years young. It doesn’t bother Victor to know his age will prevent him from witnessing his trees become a grand forest. Instead, he sees himself as “a friendly observer as life grows the plant.” This film makes us ask ourselves what we aim to grow in this lifetime, and it’s Victor who gently teaches us that it’s never too late to begin. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Amazonia

Directed by Sam Chen

In the eat-or-be-eaten world of the Amazon Rainforest, a little treefrog named Bounce sets out on a normal day to find a meal but quickly learns that the proverbial hunter becomes the hunted. Unable to catch his meal, Bounce is punished relentlessly by his prey to the breaking point until his chance encounter with a blue-bellied treetoad named Biggy. Biggy quickly takes Bounce under his wing and shows him the ways of the perilous jungle until the little treefrog begins to regain his mojo to hunt again. Eventually Bounce musters enough confidence to pursue an easy target. So does he finally catch his meal? Or will he forever be hungry? Find out in this fun and hilarious animation set to Beethoven’s Symphony No.8. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film, EcoKids Film

Animal Beatbox

Directed by Damon Gameau

This film was a joy to make. It involved my girlfriend and my mother and 3 days of being children again building sets and cutting out animal pictures. It cost 80 Australian dollars to make and has now screened at over 20 festivals around the world and used in children’s classrooms everywhere. Its intention was to wake people up for a second and embrace their spirit again. And also to lovingly appreciate the wonderful world we live in in a fun, insignificant way. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film, EcoKids Film

Anna, Emma and the Condors

Directed by Katja Torneman

In a world of climate change and environmental catastrophes, two sisters Anna and Emma and their companions, the California Condors, stand out as a beacon of hope. Together with their father, Chris Parish, the director of the Peregrine Fund at Vermillion Cliffs, and their mother, Ellen Parish, teacher and leader for the environmental organization Roots and Shoots, they fight for the survival of the California Condors. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Chasing Water

Directed by Pete McBride

Follow the Colorado River, source to sea, with photographer Pete McBride who takes an intimate look at the watershed as he attempts to follow the irrigation water that sustains his family's Colorado ranch, down river to the sea. Traversing 1500 miles and draining seven states, the Colorado River supports over 30 million people across the Southwest. It is not the longest or largest U.S. river, but it is one of the most loved and litigated in the world. Today, this resource is depleted and stressed. Follow its path with an artistic, aerial view on a personal journey to understand this national treasure. McBride teamed up with his bush-pilot father to capture unique footage and also shadowed the adventure of Jon Waterman who became the first to paddle the entire length of the river. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Don't be a Trash Can!

Directed by Tatiana Moshkova

Film made by 13 year old children within the framework of the social project "Cartoons for Health." Directed by Tatiana Moshkova. Ideas and animation by Alina, Nastya, and Gasika. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film, EcoKids Film

eelwaterrock*man

Directed by Hal Clifford and Jason Houston for Orion magazine

A short documentary vignette celebrating nature’s cycles, contentedness, and the last man on the east coast who still fishes for eels using an ancient stone weir. Narrated by artist and author, James Prosek. A film by Hal Clifford and Jason Houston. Produced by Orion magazine. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Journey to the Forest (Reise zum Wald)

Directed by Joern Staeger

A poetic exploration of a German myth – the forest. As if in trance, the camera’s gaze glides over tunnel-like avenues of woodland monocultures, leading the viewer through green spaces created by humankind, ensnarling itself in the chaotic structures of primeval forests and eventually finding its way out via an artificial clearing. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Leonids Story

Directed by Rainer Ludwigs

A Soviet family searching for a modest paradise is swept into an immense disaster. This magically animated film combines drawing, photography and documentary video to capture the surreal emotions of the too-real tragedy: Chernobyl 1986. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

The Okra Planter (O Plantador de Quiabos)

Directed by Santa Madeira Collective

An okra farmer must choose which bicycle to purchase: a utilitarian model or the pink one desired by his daughter. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

On the Beat - Soatá (No Baque - Soatá)

Directed by Carlon Hardt

The joys of Brazilian music and dance are explored through a unique animation of natural elements. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film, EcoKids Film

Our Tomorrow

Directed by Sarah Jackson

The environmental problems of the world are overwhelming and terrifying, yet something about this fear seems so familiar. Are we living in The End Times? Should we simply give up and admit defeat? In a staggeringly fascinating mix of interviews, images and animation, "Our Tomorrow" muses on the fate of the natural world and the Apocalypse. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Blood in the Mobile

Directed by Frank Piasecki Pouson

We love our cell phones and the selection between different models has never been bigger. But the production of phones has a dark, bloody side. The minerals used to produce cell phones come from the mines in Eastern Congo, home to a civil war that human rights organizations claim is the bloodiest conflict since World War II. By buying these so-called conflict minerals and phones we therefore contribute to the financing of this war, which for the last 15 years has claimed the lives of more than 5 million people, and during which 300,000 women have been raped. Blood in the Mobile shows the connection between our phones and the civil war in the Congo, and exposes the extent to which contemporary technologies are needlessly perpetuating slavery and child labour in the world today. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Potato Heads

Directed by Larry Engel

Do you cherish french fries? Eat mashed potatoes with peas and ketchup? Slather sour cream on baked potatoes? Or are you one who simply boils them and adds a bit of butter and dill? Do you know that you’re not alone? The potato happens to be one of the most widely consumed foods in the entire world. Turns out, we owe a debt of gratitude to the ancient Incas of the high Andes for the ubiquitous spud. Whether you love, hate or ignore potatoes, come to a screening of a short film all about them. Join filmmaker and AU professor Larry Engel as he journeys from the Andes of Peru to the northern plains of Minnesota in pursuit of the culture, science, and history of this marvelous little tuber. We guarantee that after watching the film, you’ll change the way you look at the potato and, for that matter, everything else on your plate! Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

BUCK

Directed by Cindy Meehl

“Your horse is a mirror to your soul, and sometimes you may not like what you see. Sometimes, you will.” So says Buck Brannaman, a true American cowboy and sage on horseback who travels the country for nine grueling months a year helping horses with people problems. BUCK, a richly textured and visually stunning film, follows Brannaman from his abusive childhood to his phenomenally successful approach to horses. A real-life “horse-whisperer”, he eschews the violence of his upbringing and teaches people to communicate with their horses through leadership and sensitivity, not punishment. Buck possesses near magical abilities as he dramatically transforms horses – and people – with his understanding, compassion and respect. In this film, the animal-human relationship becomes a metaphor for facing the daily challenges of life. A truly American story about an unsung hero, BUCK is about an ordinary man who has made an extraordinary life despite tremendous odds. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

The City Dark

Directed by Ian Cheney

The City Dark is a feature documentary about light pollution and the disappearing night sky. It premiered in competition at the 2011 South by Southwest Film Festival, where it won the Jury Prize for Best Score/Music. After moving to light-polluted New York City from rural Maine, filmmaker Ian Cheney asks: “Do we need the dark?” Exploring the threat of killer asteroids in Hawai’i, tracking hatching turtles along the Florida coast, and rescuing injured birds on Chicago streets, Cheney unravels the myriad implications of a globe glittering with lights—including increased breast cancer rates from exposure to light at night, and a generation of kids without a glimpse of the universe above. Featuring stunning astrophotography and a cast of eclectic scientists, philosophers, historians, and lighting designers, The City Dark is the definitive story of light pollution and the disappearing stars. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Propositions for an Uncertain Future

Directed by John Paul Tansey

A selection of two films from a five film series documenting how five artists respond to the notion of "a fountain without water". Using a decommissioned fountain located in the heart of Melbourne, Australia as their canvas, the artists take very different approaches the task. The resulting films capture the artistic intent and the public reactions to the finished public works. "Propositions for an Uncertain Future" is provocative and inspiring and sure to invite a range of reactions to a most timely theme. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

The Clean Bin Project

Directed by Grant Baldwin

Is it possible to live completely waste free? Partners Jen and Grant go head to head in a competition to see who can swear off consumerism and produce the least landfill garbage in an entire year. Their light-hearted competition is set against a darker examination of the sobering problem waste in North American society. Even as Grant and Jen start to garner interest in their project, they struggle to find meaning in their seemingly minuscule influence on the large-scale environmental impacts of our “throw-away society”. Featuring interviews with renowned artist, Chris Jordan and marine pollution expert, Captain Charles Moore, The Clean Bin Project presents the serious topic of waste reduction with optimism, humour, and inspiration for individual action. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Second Hand

Directed by Isaac King

The term "second hand" refers to the ticking hand on a clock; it also describes re-used items. Would you rather save time? Or save stuff? This film examines the imbalance and waste created by these modern obsessions. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Shark Riddle

Directed by Laura Sams and Robert Sams with the Save Our Seas Foundation

The second episode in The Riddle Solvers series, The Shark Riddle is a half-hour shark film for the whole family. Follow siblings Laura and Robert on an adventure through the pages of a magical journal to solve a mysterious riddle about shark teeth. Meet a raucous group of singing sea lions, experience the underwater game show Are You a Shark?, hear a shark lullaby and discover the powerful and magnificent world of sharks. Featuring high-definition footage of 20 different shark species from around the world, this charming and hilarious look at the ocean’s top predators has received ‘two fins up’ from sharks everywhere. A film by Laura Sams and Robert Sams and the Save Our Seas Foundation. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film, EcoKids Film

Song of the Spindle

Directed by Drew Christie

In this animated, humorous, and informative conversation between a sperm whale and a man, each tries to convince the other that his brain is bigger. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

The Last Sun

Directed by Daniel Kuipers

A local Norwegian girl rides her dog sled to a vantage point from where she can observe the last sunset of the year, before the winter darkness reigns. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film, EcoKids Film

Timber

Directed by Adam Fisher

I used MY natural resources to make a film about OUR natural resources! This short animated film uses the trimming of a beard to make a point about irresponsible usage of everything the Earth has to offer. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film, EcoKids Film

Drying for Freedom

Directed by Steven Lake

From Northern America to London and Mumbai, DRYING FOR FREEDOM exposes the inconvenient truth about clotheslines.The film explores how certain challenges to freedoms are affecting our fight to save the planet by revealing the story of our love affair with energy, the people who are campaigning against it and those who fight to pass Right-To-Dry legislation, making it illegal to ban clotheslines. Director Steven Lakes’ journey shows how corporate America sold the dream of electric bliss to post-World War America, creating electric consumption which disregards the carbon impact on the planet. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Food Stamped

Directed by Shira Potash and Yoav Potash

Food Stamped is an informative and humorous documentary film following a couple as they attempt to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet on a food stamp budget. Through their adventures they consult with members of U.S. Congress, food justice organizations, nutrition experts, and people living on food stamps to take a deep look at America’s broken food system. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front

Directed by Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman

On December 7th, 2005, federal agents conducted a nationwide sweep of radical environmentalists involved with the Earth Liberation Front — an organization the FBI has called America’s “number one domestic terrorism threat.” This is the remarkable story of the group’s rise and fall, told through the transformation and radicalization of one of its members, Daniel McGowan. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Pipe Dreams

Directed by Leslie Iwerks

Across the heartland of America, farmers and landowners are fighting to protect their land, their water, and their livelihood in what has become the most controversial environmental battle in the U.S. today: The Keystone XL Pipeline. Routed from Hardisty, Alberta to the Texas Gulf Coast, this tar sands pipeline is set to cross the country's largest freshwater resource, the Ogallala Aquifer, and the fragile Sandhills of Nebraska, posing devastating consequences to human health, livestock, and agriculture. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Revenge of the Electric Car

Directed by Chris Paine

Behind the closed doors of Nissan, GM, and Tesla Motors, Revenge of the Electric Car film tells the story of the global resurgence of electric cars by following the major car makers jumping to produce new electric models and to be the first, the best, and to win over the public. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Riding Bikes with the Dutch

Directed by Michael Bauch

Filmmaker Michael Bauch's light-hearted and intriguing film recaptures the fun of biking for the everyday person and the positive ramifications for our families and society at large. The film weaves through the beautiful streets of Amsterdam to show the variety of bikes and diversity of people that carry on daily life throughout the city. By doing a home exchange with another family in Amsterdam, Michael, his wife and young son are able to document the bicycle-centered lifestyle of the Dutch through the eyes of residents actually living in the city. When Bauch returns home to Long Beach with his family he begins to see the amazing transformation of his own city. Has the biking lifestyle followed them home? Is Long Beach the next Amsterdam? Come along for the ride! Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Semper Fi: Always Faithful

Directed by Rachel Libert and Tony Hardmon

As a drill instructor he lived and breathed the “Corps” and was responsible for indoctrinating thousands of new recruits with its motto Semper Fidelis or “Always Faithful.” When Jerry’s nine-year old daughter Janey died of a rare type of leukemia, his world collapsed. As a grief-stricken father, he struggled for years to make sense of what happened. His search for answers led to the shocking discovery of a Marine Corps cover-up of one of the largest water contamination incidents in U.S. history. Semper Fi: Always Faithful follows Jerry’s mission to expose the Marine Corps and force them to live up to their motto to the thousands of soldiers and their families exposed to toxic chemicals. His fight reveals a grave injustice at North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune and a looming environmental crisis at military sites across the country. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Solartaxi - Around the World with the Sun

Directed by Erik Schmitt

What began as a childhood dream is now an epic 18-month adventure that spans the globe. More than a few have embarked on an ‘around the world’ adventure; some have even completed it, but no one has ever done so powered exclusively by the sun. Meet Louis Palmer and his home-made “Solartaxi”. Full of surprises and apparently insurmountable obstacles, his journey begins in the summer of 2007. Along the way, Louis and his Solartaxi meet princes, movie stars, politicians and scientists, but most importantly,he encounters ordinary people, showing them: Solar energy is functional, efficient, and most importantly, reliable. A car with zero emission is not a dream. This film is proof. The first entirely green road movie. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Sushi: The Global Catch

Directed by Mark Hall

Sushi, a cuisine formerly found only in Japan, has grown exponentially in other nations, and an industry has been created to support it. In a rush to please a hungry public, the expensive delicacy has become common and affordable, appearing in restaurants, supermarkets and even fast food trailers. The traditions requiring 7 years of apprenticeship in Japan have given way to quick training and mass-manufactured solutions elsewhere. This hunger for sushi has led to the depletion of apex predators in the ocean, including bluefin tuna, to such a degree that it has the potential to upset the ecological balance of the world’s oceans, leading to a collapse of all fish species. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

This Way of Life

Directed by Thomas Burstyn

A film about a family. Mum, dad, six kids and 50 horses, a beach, a mountain and a burnt down house. In their early 30’s Peter and Colleen Karena have six kids and 50 horses. Against the backdrop of a remote New Zealand mountain range and a hidden beach camp we explore the Karena’s connection to nature, their survival skills and intimacy with each other and their horses as they attempt to navigate the discord between Peter and his father. Despite hardships, the family cultivates the magic in the everyday. Untamed and unafraid, the idea of risk is alien to the Karena children. Uniting philosophy with circumstance, This Way of Life is a modern parable of how to live well with little. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Urban Roots

Directed by Mark MacInnis

The industrial powerhouse of a lost American era has died, and the skeleton left behind is present-day Detroit. But now, against all odds in the empty lots, in the old factory yards, and in-between the sad, sagging blocks of company housing, seeds of change are taking root. A small group of dedicated citizens, allied with environmental and academic groups, have started an urban environmental movement with the potential to transform not just a city after its collapse, but also a country after the end of its industrial age. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

With My Own Two Wheels

Directed by Jacob Seigel-Boettner and Issac Seigel-Boettner

For many Americans, the bicycle is a choice. An expensive toy. An eco-conscious mode of transportation. For countless others across the globe, it is much more. For Fred, a health worker in Zambia, the bicycle is a means of reaching twice as many patients. For Bharati, a teenager in India, it provides access to education. For Mirriam, a disabled Ghanaian woman, working on bicycles is an escape from the stigma attached to disabled people in her community. For Carlos, a farmer in Guatemala, pedal power is a way to help neighbors reduce their impact on the environment. For Sharkey, a young man in California, the bicycle is an escape from the gangs that consume so many of his peers. With My Own Two Wheels weaves together the experiences of these five individuals into a single story about how the bicycle can change the world—one pedal stroke at a time. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

YERT: Your Environmental Road Trip

Directed by Ben Evans

Fifty States. One Year. Zero Garbage? Called to action by a planet in peril, three friends hit the road - traveling with hope, humor, and all of their garbage - to explore every state in America (the good, the bad...and the weird) in search of the extraordinary innovators and citizens who are tackling humanity's greatest environmental crises. As the YERT team layers outlandish eco-challenges onto their year-long quest, an unexpected turn of events pushes them to the brink in this award-winning docu-comedy. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

You’ve Been Trumped

Directed by Anthony Baxter

What happens when an American billionaire celebrity developer tries to displace Scottish villagers to build, “the world’s greatest golf course?” YOU’VE BEEN TRUMPED passionately documents the fight that ensues after the Scottish government gives Donald Trump permission to bulldoze one of Europe’s most environmentally sensitive stretches of coast to make way for a luxury resort. Troubling, amusing, and rousing all at once, this film documents the clash between a deeply rooted Scottish community and the jet-set, media-hungry, and controversial tycoon, while a growing eco-disaster looms on the horizon. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Paradise Saved

Directed by Michael Allen for WAGA-TV

For the first time at EcoFocus, we present an environmental selection from the George F. Peabody Awards Collection housed at the University of Georgia Special Collections Library. In 1981, the National Park Services drew up a new management plan for Cumberland Island Seashore. Georgia’s largest and southernmost barrier island, restricted to 300 visitors a day, was slated to have its attendance increased to more than 1400 a day. This program examined the sides of the argument, public reaction to the proposed changes, and the unique botanical, ecological, and historical characteristics of the island. In this 1982 Peabody Award-winning documentary, photographer George Gentry has captured on film the magnificence of one of Georgia's most beautiful barrier islands. At the same time, Don Smith and Forrest Sawyer teamed up to produce a telling documentary which examined the pros and cons of a National Park Service's decision to increase the visiting limits. Thus, viewers of WAGA-TV's "Paradise Saved" were treated to a quality of visual beauty not often seen on television and, at the same time, were informed, enlightened, and challenged concerning the problems of retaining a great natural heritage and a diminishing resource-the unspoiled beauty of the Atlantic Coast. Directed by Michael Allen for WAGA-TV. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Protect Downtown Athens - Athens Raise Your Voice

Directed by Bryan Redding

Downtown Athens, Georgia is renowned for its rich cultural history, creative artistic community, local businesses and world famous music scene. Athens has earned its nickname the "Classic City." At the end of 2011, a massive downtown development proposal that included a 94,000 square-foot Walmart retail store threatened (and continues to threaten) to alter Athens irrevocably. In this film, several Athenians raise their voices and underscore the importance of protecting their unique town. The film was made to inspire Athenians to work together to come up with a vision for downtown development that will better benefit the local citizens and enhance the long term viability of Athens. Directed by Bryan Redding, executive produced by Dan Jordan. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Waste Land

Directed by Lucy Walker; co-directed by João Jardin and Karen Harley

Filmed over nearly three years, WASTE LAND follows renowned artist Vik Muniz as he journeys from his home base in Brooklyn to his native Brazil and the world's largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. There he photographs an eclectic band of "catadores" -- or self-designated pickers of recyclable materials. Muniz's initial objective was to "paint" the catadores with garbage. However, his collaboration with these inspiring characters as they recreate photographic images of themselves out of garbage reveals both dignity and despair as the catadores begin to re-imagine their lives. Walker (Devil's Playground, Blindsight) has great access to the entire process and, in the end, offers stirring evidence of the transformative power of art and the alchemy of the human spirit. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Bag It

Directed by Suzan Beraza

Our story follows Jeb Berrier, an average American guy who is admittedly not a “tree hugger,” who makes a pledge to stop using plastic bags. This simple action gets Jeb thinking about all kinds of plastic as he embarks on a global tour to unravel the complexities of our plastic world. When Jeb’s journey takes a personal twist, we see how our crazy-for-plastic world has finally caught up to us and what we can do about it. Today. Right now. BAG IT is a film that examines our society’s use and abuse of plastic. The film focuses on plastic as it relates to our society’s throwaway mentality, our culture of convenience, our over consumption of unnecessary, disposable products and packaging—things that we use one time and then, without another thought, throw them away. Where is AWAY?? Away is over flowing landfills, clogged rivers, islands of trash in our oceans, and even our very own toxic bodies. Jeb travels the globe on a fact-finding mission—not realizing that after his simple resolution, plastic will never look the same again! Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Burning in the Sun

Directed by Cambria Matlow and Morgan Robinson

26-year-old charmer Daniel Dembele is equal parts West African and European, and looking to make his mark on the world. Seizing the moment at a crossroads in his life, Daniel decides to return to his homeland in Mali and start a local business building solar panels – the first of its kind in the sun drenched nation. Daniel's goal is to electrify the households of rural communities, 99% of which live without power. BURNING IN THE SUN tells the story of Daniel’s journey growing the budding idea into a viable company, and of the business’ impact on Daniel’s first customers in the tiny village of Banko. Taking controversial stances on climate change, poverty, and African self-sufficiency, the film explores what it means to grow up as a man, and what it takes to prosper as a nation. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Lunch Line

Directed by Ernie Park and Michael Graziano

LUNCH LINE reframes the school lunch debate through an examination of the program's surprising past, uncertain present, and possible future. In the film, six kids from one of the toughest neighborhoods in Chicago set out to fix school lunch and end up at the White House. Their unlikely journey parallels the dramatic transformation of school lunch from a weak patchwork of local anti-hunger efforts to a robust national feeding program. The film tracks key moments in school food and child nutrition from 1940s, 1960s, and 1980s to the present – revealing political twists, surprising alliances, and more common ground than people realize. Along the way, Senators, Secretaries of Agriculture, entrepreneurs, and activists from across the political spectrum add top-down perspective to a bottom-up film about the American political process, the health and welfare of its future, and the realities of feeding more than 31 million children a day. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Houston We Have a Problem

Directed by Nicole Torre

Step inside the energy capital of the world, to hear the hard truth about oil, straight from the Texas oilmen themselves. For decades American presidents have warned of our nation’s dependence on foreign oil. See just how the U.S. Energy Policy turned into a strategy of defense, not offense; the recent Gulf disaster, an inevitable tragedy. As Americas become more and more fed up with corporate lies and powerless politicians, we stand at the crossroads. See birth of the clean energy revolution and 21st century “Wildcatters” who are leading the way. HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM brings both sides together, seeking solutions, making it clear that we must embrace all forms of alternative energies in order to save the planet and ourselves. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Black Wave: The Legacy of the Exxon Valdez

Directed by Robert Cornellier

In the early hours of March 24th 1989 the Exxon Valdez oil supertanker runs aground in Alaska. It discharges millions of gallons of crude oil. The incident becomes the biggest environmental catastrophe in North American history. In a flash, dramatic images shoot across the planet. They show thousands of carcasses of seabirds and sea otters covered in oil. A thick black tide rises and covers the beaches of once-pristine Prince William Sound. For twenty years, Riki Ott and the fishermen of the little town of Cordova, Alaska have waged the longest legal battle in U.S. history against the world's most powerful oil company - ExxonMobil. They tell us all about the environmental, social and economic consequences of the black wave that changed their lives forever. This is the legacy of the Exxon Valdez. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Play Again

Directed by Tonje Hessen Schei

One generation from now most people in the U.S. will have spent more time in the virtual world than in nature. New media technologies have improved our lives in countless ways. Information now appears with a click. Overseas friends are part of our daily lives. And even grandma loves Wii. But what are we missing when we are behind screens? And how will this impact our children, our society, and eventually, our planet? Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

A Simple Question: The Story of STRAW

Directed by David Donnenfield and Kevin White

A Simple Question: the Story of STRAW tells the story of STRAW — Students and Teachers Restoring A Watershed - in an inspiring 35 minute film. In 1992, Laurette Rogers 4th-grade class asked her what they could do to save endangered species? The response was to initiate a class project to restore streams in the Stemple Creek watershed in Marin County in order to save the endangered California Freshwater Shrimp. This remarkable effort evolved into an award-winning regional program that has since restored over 20 miles of habitat, galvanized the local community, and led to significant educational innovations that connect children and their teachers with their local watershed. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Chattahoochee: From Water War to Water Vision

Directed by Rhett Turner and Jonathan Wickham

World Premiere. co-production of Red Sky Productions and ZoëTV for Georgia Public Broadcasting. The one-hour documentary is narrated by Emmy award-winning actor Peter Coyote, and includes music by Grammy award-winning musician and composer Peter Buffett. Filmmakers Rhett Turner and Jonathan Wickham examine the complex issues surrounding the 20-year water conflict between Alabama, Florida and Georgia. They tell powerful stories of individuals affected and consider possibilities for resolution, the need for conservation and the economic ramifications that will result if no action is taken. The film will be released in October, 2010 and the country of origin is the United States. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

...And This Is My Garden

Directed by Katharina Stieffenhofer

Eleanor Woitowicz, and Bonnie Monias, both teachers at Mel Johnson School, in Wabowden, Northern Manitoba are literally breaking new ground in education and are growing a healthier community in the process. Over the past 4 years the teachers have established 58 small vegetable gardens right in their students' backyards. This documentary film follows the teachers and their students for a season of seeding, planting, harvesting, preserving and ultimately a celebration of the fruits of their labour at the school’s annual community harvest display and feast. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Soundtracker

Directed by Nicholas Sherman

Gordon Hempton is an Emmy Award-winning sound recordist who has spent the last thirty years of his life trying to find and record the vanishing sounds of nature. Every year, he takes several “soundtracker trips” across the globe in search of new listening opportunities. This film follows Gordon on one of these trips. This month-long journey will take him deep into the wilderness and then into uncharted territory where a surprising new sound captures his imagination. Shot throughout the Pacific Northwest and sound-mixed to incorporate Gordon’s own pristine binaural recordings, Soundtracker explores the sounds and the soul of an uncompromising artist. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Carbon Nation

Directed by Peter Byck

Carbon Nation is a documentary film about climate change SOLUTIONS. Even if you doubt the severity of the impact of climate change or just don't buy it at all, this is still a compelling and relevant film that illustrates how SOLUTIONS to climate change also address other social, economic and national security issues. We meet a host of entertaining and endearing characters along the way. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Queen of the Sun

Directed by Taggart Siegel

In 1923, Rudolf Steiner, a scientist, philosopher & social innovator, predicted that in 80 to 100 years honeybees would collapse. His prediction has come true with Colony Collapse Disorder, where reports continue to surface that bees are disappearing in mass numbers from their hives with no clear single explanation. In an alarming inquiry into the insights behind Steiner’s prediction QUEEN OF THE SUN examines the dire global bee crisis through the eyes of biodynamic beekeepers, scientists, farmers, and philosophers. On a pilgrimage around the world, the film unveils 10,000 years of beekeeping,highlighting how our historic and sacred relationship with bees has been lost due to highly mechanized industrial practices. Featuring Michael Pollan, Vandana Shiva, Gunther Hauk and beekeepers from around the world, QUEEN OF THE SUN weaves a dramatic story which uncovers the problems and solutions in renewing a culture in balance with nature. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

The Last Days of Shishmaref

Directed by Jan Louter

The film The Last Days of Shishmaref takes place on the island of Sarichef, which is part of Alaska. Sarichef is located slightly south of the Arctic Circle in the Chukchi Sea. A major drama is rapidly unfolding in this 49th state of the USA as a result of the global warming which now threatens the world. Director Jan Louter and cameraman Melle van Essen traveled to the island to record the traditional lifestyle of a community of Inupiaq Eskimos, which is now in jeopardy. Their centuries of tradition will probably be lost forever if they are forced to settle on the mainland. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Dirty Business: 'Clean Coal' and the Battle for Our Energy Future

Directed by Peter Bull

DIRTY BUSINESS: 'CLEAN COAL' AND THE BATTLE FOR OUR ENERGY FUTURE is a documentary that reveals the true social and environmental costs of coal power and tells the stories of innovators who are pointing the way to an alternative future powered by green energy. In the Digital Age, half our electricity still comes from coal, and guided by Rolling Stone reporter Jeff Goodell, the film examines what it means to be so dependent upon a nineteenth century technology that is the largest single source of greenhouse gases. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Greenlit

Directed by Miranda Bailey

Movie people are legendarily liberal and left leaning, particularly when it comes to the environment. Greenlit puts their commitment to the test as filmmaker Miranda Bailey (executive producer of The Squid and the Whale) follows the production of The River Why, starring Zach Gilford (Friday Night Lights) as it attempts to keep an environmentally friendly set thanks to the supervision of a "green" consultant. What starts off with great enthusiasm quickly devolves in this insightful and hilarious film. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Call of Life

Directed by Monte Thompson

A documentary film that explores the mass extinction, its six main causes, the cultural myths and values that drive it, the psychology that underpins it, and the latest insights into natural systems that could help us turn back the tide. The mass extinction is the cumulative result of many causes, all of which are related to human activity. In interviews with eminent scientists and field biologists, we present the facts and evidence of the shocking decline as we consider the six primary drivers of extinction. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Dirt! The Movie

Directed by Bill Benenson and Gene Rosow

Dirt! The Movie is an insightful and timely film that tells the story of the glorious and unappreciated material beneath our feet. One teaspoon of dirt contains a billion organisms working in remarkable balance to maintain and sustain a series of complex, thriving communities that impact our daily lives. Inspired by William Bryant Logan’s acclaimed book Dirt: The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth, Dirt! The Movie takes a humorous and substantial look into the history andcurrent state of the living organic matter that we come from and will later return to. An eclectic group of participants ranging from biologists to prisoners incarcerated on Rikers Island offer answers to problems and inspire us to clean up the mess that we’ve created. Dirt! The Movie will make you want to get dirty. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Vienen por el oro, vienen por todo (They come for the gold, they come for it all)

Directed by Pablo D'Alo Abba and Cristián Harbaruk

United States Premiere! In Esquel, Argentinean Patagonia, a Canadian company was granted the rights to extract gold and silver from a mountain located 7 km away from the city, using huge amounts of water and cyanide. With 50% of the population living below the limits of poverty, the mining enterprise arises as the great solution for such dearth. “They come for the gold, they come for it all” tells the epic victory of this little Patagonian town who defeated huge economical and political powers, making a big choice about their own future. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

What's On Your Plate?

Directed by Catherine Gund

WHAT'S ON YOUR PLATE? is a witty and provocative documentary produced and directed by award-winning Catherine Gund about kids and food politics. Filmed over the course of one year, the film follows two eleven-year-old multi-racial city kids as they explore their place in the food chain. Sadie and Safiyah take a close look at food systems in New York City and its surrounding areas. With the camera as their companion, the girl guides talk to each other, food activists, farmers, new friends, storekeepers, their families, and the viewer, in their quest to understand what’s on all of our plates. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Dive!

Directed by Jeremy Seifert

Inspired by a curiosity about our country’s careless habit of sending food straight to landfills, the multi award-winning documentary DIVE! follows filmmaker Jeremy Seifert and friends as they dumpster dive in the back alleys and gated garbage receptacles of LosAngeles’ supermarkets. In the process, they salvage thousands of dollars worth of good, edible food – resulting in an eye-opening documentary that is equal parts entertainment, guerilla journalism and call to action. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

A Mongolian Couch

Directed by George Clipp and Eva Arnold

In a city of tower blocks and tents comes a unique story of energy and enterprise; Begzsuren lives with his wife and four children in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and possesses an inspiring passion to improve both his family's and his community's lot. Installing a rain water shower, changing his family's diet, planting trees, Thai Chi-Begzsuren is a busy, dedicated and extremely forward-thinking Mongolian. Begzsuren welcomes guests into his home from all over the world, offering these visitors aspects of traditional Mongolian culture and in exchange his guests offer insight into how they live and work back home. Everyday Begzsuren is on an adventure and a mission, by exploring an inviting the world into his home, he is slowly but surely improving his own world. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

A Tree and a Flower

Directed by Tomoko Oguchi

The tree was lonely, but one day he found a flower growing on his shoulder. Trailer and screening times >>

EcoKids Film, Short Film

Skimming the Surface

Directed by Landon Lott and Tim Arnold

Louisiana, a once rich and beautiful wetland, is now suffering from an unseen virus. Crude oil continues to leak from BP's doomed DeepWater Horizon well at a rate of 60,000 barrels per day. This problem is intensified by the use of over 2,000,000 gallons of toxic dispersant used to battle the oil, despite ominous warnings from federal and local officials. These two problems together continue to wreak havoc on not only the fragile ecosystem of southern Louisiana, but the economy as well. We discuss with local politicians, business owners, and residents about the impact that the spill has had on their lives and careers. We take a moment to reflect on what should be done so that a man man disaster like this never happens again. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Truth or Consequences

Directed by Sebastian Hernandez

Leaving their workday New York lives for semi-rural New Mexico, Mikey and Wendy scrape by in the desert as they prepare for the coming collapse-of-all-we-know. They geek out on solar power, grow their own food, and get by on barter as they build their homestead on the frontier. Mikey is the circuits. He methodically tweeks the processes by which they generate their power and invents new ways to live on less. Wendy is the plants. She tends to and loves the garden embracing their new connection to the living world. In this warm yet honest look on into their daily life, Mikey and Wendy reveal the love, fear and commitment that goes into changing one’s life forever. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

I Stopped for a Turtle This Morning

Directed by Champ Williams

A filmmaker seizes an opportunity to shed light on an important subject. Viewer discretion advised: animal bloodshed. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Eclipse

Directed by Liat Koren

A short animation following the plight of Solar Creatures. When the sun (their source of life) disappears, two friends help one another while most of the others fight for survival. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

The Hybrid Union

Directed by Serguei Kouchnerov

Somewhere in the imaginary land of cyberdesert, unaware of each other's presence, two abstract characters, Plus and Minus, coexist. Plus struggles with a dependency on an obsolete source of energy while the light-powered system of Minus is threatened by an ominous competitive race until they are interrupted by the surprising appearance of another stranger. This new character, Smart, moves fast on demand and seems unaffected by an external circumstances. In order to challenge Smart, Plus and Minus are compelled to combine their unique individual capabilities. Will this Hybrid Union win the race against the newcomer? Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

The Cow Who Wanted to Be a Hamburger

Directed by Bill Plympton

A tragic story of a bovine seduced by advertising led down the path of butchers and carnivores. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Save the Future

Directed by Jenny Deller

In SAVE THE FUTURE, a 13-year-old girl reimagines a day in her life as a public service announcement, blurring the lines between her fear of environmental apocalypse and her unstable home life. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

The Machine

Directed by Paul Blayney

The Machine is a twisted fairytale about a mad inventor who struggles to save his hearing but begins to hear things that even he doesn't want to hear. Through his machines he discovers plants have feeling and decides not to pick any fruit or vegetables as this would hurt them. Because of his sacrifice the very plants he is trying to protect sacrifice themselves to save his life. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

11 Degrees

Directed by Anna Ewert

The documentary follows the development of a skiing season in a Scottish ski resort. It explores the effects the climate change has on the Scottish winters and consequently on the ski resort. Narrated by one of the lift operators, we are introduced to this old fashioned place with its slow pace of life, dominated by the rhythms of the lifts and the machines. Starting at the height of the winter season, the film depicts an idyllic scenery which suddenly takes a shift when the temperature rises to 11 Degrees over night. Due to less snowfall and more rain, skiing has become more difficult in Scotland. As such, the documentary focuses on visual metaphors which tell the story of the struggling resort and also explores the people’s passion and enthusiasm to keep skiing alive no matter how difficult the conditions are. The character’s love for skiing and his optimism are intertwined with the images of a changing world. Embedded in the transition of the scenery, the film slowly reveals the challenges and economical problems the communities are facing in these times. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Coffee Awakens a National Economy

Directed by Rob Holmes

Opportunity brews: SPREAD, a USAID-funded development alliance of institutes, industries and NGOs, spotted the potential for Rwandan coffee to become a powerful economic driver for a recovering nation: a widely produced crop that could demand top dollar if a premium product was consistently delivered to market. Rwandan coffee has come through as economic manna from Rwandan fields, demanding a premium price on the international coffee market thanks to SPREAD’s commitment to quality control, coffee producer education, support and marketing: creation of coffee washing stations and assisting in the arrival of over 1,000 coffee cargo bikes in Rwanda, vehicles that help farmers get larger payloads to washing stations more quickly, improving product quality and assure that farmers receive optimal payment for their harvests. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Plastic and Glass

Directed by Tessa Joosse

In a recycling factory in the north of France the machines dance, the workers join in song, and the truck drivers almost make a ballet. The film shows the process of recycling by impressive machines and by hand. We hear the noise that accompanies this process. Slowly the factory noise becomes a rhythm and a truck driver starts to sing a song for his love. He wants to build an island with the materials at hand, where he and his love can be together to ‘sort things out‘. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Die Rechnung (The Bill)

Directed by Peter Wedel

Three friends meet in a bar and start talking about cars, holidays, energy and diet. Business as usual until the waitress serves the bill... Developed in the context of a screenplay competition of the independent development and environmental organization Germanwatch e.V. regarding the topics of climate change and climate justice. Highlights the relationship between the perpetrator of climate change (industrial countries) and those most affected (developing countries). Funded by the ministry of Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development in Germany.

Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

The Smallest Thing

Directed by Yong Jin Kim

The smallest things are the most important things in life.

Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Mashed

Directed by Adam Fisher

Trevor hates vegetables, but he loves the Captain Harvey show. As the time draws near for the show to begin, he is trapped at the dinner table staring down at a heaping pile of gravy smothered mashed potatoes, an assortment of Brussel sprouts, and a few strands of asparagus. His mother flatly states that he is going to miss Captain Harvey if he doesn't eat. Faced with this dilemma, he sullenly pokes and prods the food, until suddenly the potatoes spring to life in angry monster form, followed by his little minions, the sprouts and asparagus. 'Big Mashy' instructs these minions to tie up Trevor and declares that they've decided they will be eating TREVOR tonight! When things begin to look bleak for young Trevor, Captain Harvey himself arrives on the scene to help free him from this evil abomination masquerading as food! However, will Big Mashy prove too tough for Harvey? Will Trevor need to find the strength to free not only himself, but his beloved hero? Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Lighter on the Planet

Directed by Michael Lyons

Three friends hatch a plan to be 'lighter on the planet'. It's a dark and gloomy afternoon in the city and these friends have nothing to do but sit around their local coffee house. To pass the time, they consider things that they can do to be lighter on the planet, and we the audience are transported into their extremely varied thinking processes. This light and silly comedy with a conscience will leave every viewer with a smile on their face and a plan of their own to be Lighter On The Planet. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

CUD

Directed by Joe York

Meet Will Harris of White Oak Pastures in Bluffton, Georgia, a cattle rancher with deep roots in the Deep South. He has rejected the corn-fed, feedlot cattle model in favor of raising grass-fed cattle. Will is no arriviste. The Harris family has raised cattle on the same Early County, Georgia farm for 5 generations. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Slow Coffee

Directed by Jason Miller and Ben Myers

Athens-based filmmaker Jason Miller traveled to the rainforest of Ecuador in 2010 to conduct a series of interviews with philosophers, coffee farmers, roasters, and ecologists to shine light on how Slowness can improve the coffee industry from seed to cup. Brought forth by the Norwegian organization Slow Coffee, this film documents a special connetion between Athens' 1000 Faces Coffee and the Ecuador's Cafe Choco Andes alliance of coffee farmers. This short film brings to light the revolutionary power that art and transparency can have on an otherwise industrialized or commodity-based sector of our daily consumables. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Born Sweet

Directed by Cynthia Wade

Despite being only fifteen years old, Vinh Voeurn has accepted his destiny – to be sick for the rest of life with incurable arsenic poisoning. He longs to fall in love with a girl with long, smooth hair. He fantasizes about becoming a karaoke star, winning the affections of adoring fans. But his body is terribly scarred by illness and there is a good chance the arsenic will soon take his life like the girl who once lived across the road. Vinh spends his days in his remote Cambodian village tending the cows and escaping into song with his family’s car battery powered karaoke machine. He worries he will never marry and live the life he wants for himself. A chance to be in a karaoke video about the dangers of arsenic allows Vinh to wonder if he truly knows his destiny. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Sun Come Up

Directed by Jennifer Redfearn and Tim Metzger

Sun Come Up follows the relocation of some of the world’s first environmental refugees, the Carteret Islanders – a community living on a remote island chain in the South Pacific Ocean. When rising seas threaten their survival, the islanders face a painful decision: they must leave their beloved land in search of a new place to call home. The film follows the Carteret’s relocation leader, Ursula Rakova, and a group of young islanders led by Nick Hakata as they search for land in Bougainville, an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea 50 miles across the open ocean. The move will not be easy as Bougainville is recovering from a 10-year civil war. Many Bougainvilleans remain traumatized by the “Crisis” as the civil war is known locally. Yet, Sun Come Up isn’t a familiar third world narrative. Out of this tragedy comes a story of hope, strength, and profound generosity. San Kamap (Sun Come Up) means sunrise in pidgin and reflects this sentiment - the resilience of the community, and the hope that’s present at the start of a new day. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

A Dog Goes From Here to There

Directed by Carl Knickerbocker

A colorful concoction of canine transportation which asks the question 'How do you get from here to there?' Transformation of a child's picture book into film by Suburban Primitive artist Carl Knickerbocker. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film, EcoKids Film

Cravings

Directed by Jane Sablow

The short CG animation chronicles the brief journey of a determined little girl to satisfy her rather surprising desire. With food as the theme, the piece presents a healthy food choice to children ages 3-8 (and their families) through visual storytelling. Trailer and screening times >>

EcoKids Film, Short Film

Smart Machine

Directed by Jane Sablow

The short CG animation captures a little boy's unusual encounter with a vending machine during a family vacation. Pulling into a roadside motel at that magical moment just before nightfall, when the sky is a deep saturated blue,and time seems suspended, the glow of the neon signs and the light radiating from the lone vending machine focuses the child's attention. About food, the piece offers a healthy food choice to children ages 5-12 (and their families) through visual storytelling. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Wishful Thinking

Directed by Jane Sablow

In the short, CG animation an imaginative three year old changes the theme of her birthday party when she makes a wish and blows out the candles on her cake, much to the delirious delight of her seven tiny guests. About nutrition, the piece presents healthy food choices to children ages 2-7( and their families) through visual storytelling. Trailer and screening times >>

EcoKids Film, Short Film

Addicted to Plastic

Directed by Ian Connacher

From styrofoam cups to artificial organs, plastics are perhaps the most ubiquitous and versatile material ever invented. No invention in the past 100 years has had more influence and presence than synthetics. But such progress has had a cost. Addicted To Plastic is a global journey to investigate what we really know about the material of a thousand uses and why there's so darn much of it. On the way we discover a toxic legacy, and the men and women dedicated to cleaning it up. Directed and produced by Ian Connacher. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

The Cove

Directed by Louie Psihoyos

The Cove begins in Taiji, Japan, where former dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry has come to set things right after a long search for redemption. In the 1960s, it was O'Barry who captured and trained the 5 dolphins who played the title character in the international television sensation "Flipper." But in a remote, glistening cove, surrounded by barbed wire and "Keep Out" signs, lies a dark reality. The nature of what the Taiji fisherman do is so chilling -- and the consequences are so dangerous to human health -- they will go to great lengths to halt anyone from seeing it. The Cove tells the amazing true story of how an elite team of activists, filmmakers, and freedivers embarked on a covert mission to penetrate this hidden and deadly cove. Directed by Louie Psihoyos, written by Mark Monroe, and produced by Paula DuPre Pesman and Fisher Stevens. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Earth Days

Directed by Robert Stone

Earth Days traces the origins of the modern environmental movement through the eyes of nine Americans who propelled the movement from its beginnings in the 1950s to its moment of triumph in 1970 with the original Earth Day, and its status as a major political force in America. Drawing heavily on eyewitness testimony and a never-before-seen archival footage, the film examines the revolutionary achievements and missed opportunities of a decade of groundbreaking activism. Written, produced, and directed by Robert Stone. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

End of the Line

Directed by Rupert Murray

Scientists predict that if we continue fishing as we are now, we will see the end of most seafood by 2048. The End of the Line is the first major feature documentary film revealing the impact of overfishing on our oceans. In the film we see firsthand the effects of our global love affair with fish as food. It examines the imminent extinction of bluefin tuna, brought on by increasing western demand for sushi; the impact on marine life resulting in huge overpopulation of jellyfish; and the profound implications of a future world with no fish that would bring certain mass starvation. Directed and filmed by Rupert Murray. Based on the book by Charles Clover. Produced by Claire Lewis and George Duffield. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Homegrown

Directed by Robert McFalls

Homegrown is the inspiring true story of a family "living off the grid" in the heart of urban Pasadena, California. They harvest over 6,000 pounds of produce on less than a quarter of an acre, while running a popular website that is known around the world. The film is an intimate human portrait of what it's like to live like "Little House on the Prairie" in the 21st Century. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Milking the Rhino

Directed by David E. Simpson

Milking the Rhino examines the deepening conflict between humans and animals in an ever-shrinking world. It is the first major documentary to explore wildlife conservation from the perspective of people who live with wild animals. Shot in some of the world's most magnificent locales, Rhino offers complex, intimate portraits of rural Africans at the forefront of community-based conservation: a revolution that is turning poachers into preservationists and local people into the stewards of their land. Written, produced, and directed by David E. Simpson. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

No Impact Man

Directed by Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein

Author Colin Beavan, in research for his next book, began the No Impact Project in November 2006. A newly self-proclaimed environmentalist who could no longer avoid pointing the finger at himself, Colin leaves behind his liberal complacency with a vow to make as little environmental impact as possible for one year. No more automated transportation, no more electricity, no more non-local food, no more material consumption.no problem. That is, until his espresso-guzzling, retail-worshipping wife Michelle and their two-year-old daughter are dragged into the fray. Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein 's film provides a front row seat into the experiment that became a national fascination and media sensation as well as an intriguing inside look at the familial strains and strengthened bonds that result from Colin and Michelle's struggle with their radical lifestyle change. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Recipes for Disaster

Directed by John Webster

Recipes for Disaster shows that at the core of the impending climate catastrophe are those little failures that we as individuals make every day, and which are so much a part of human nature. All the everyday stuff that we don't do, or that we can't help doing, that eventually lead to destruction. The film follows one family that decides to go on an "oil detox" by continuing their average suburban lives but without using any fossil fuels, driving cars or flying in airplanes, or buying anything packaged in plastic, like food, make-up, shampoo, toothpaste, kids toys or those little plastic things that burst out of the Cornflakes. At times a family comedy, relationship drama, and insightful examination of climate catastrophe, Recipes for Disaster gives thirteen "recipes" that are leading our planet to disaster and shows how to combat them. Written and directed by John Webster. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

So Right So Smart

Directed by Justin Maine, Guy Noerr, Leanne Robinson Maine, and Michael Swantek

So Right So Smart opens a dialogue between some of the world's most reputable environmental experts and the country's brightest minds in business in order to explore the connection between economy and environment. Businesses represented include Wal-Mart, Barenaked Ladies, Stonyfield Farm, Herman Miller, Seventh Generation, New Belgium Brewery and Patagonia. All of these institutions are making positive steps toward environmental sustainability with the goal of becoming restorative in nature. Co-Directed by: Justin Maine, Guy Noerr, Leanne Robinson Maine & Michael Swantek. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Tapped

Directed by Stephanie Soechtig and Jason Lindsey

Is access to clean drinking water a basic human right, or a commodity that should be bought and sold like any other article of commerce? Tapped is an unflinching examination of the big business of bottled water. From the plastic production to the ocean in which so many of these bottles end up, this inspiring documentary trails the path of the bottled water industry. A powerful portrait of the lives affected by the bottled water industry, this revelatory film features those caught at the intersection of big business and the public's right to water. Directed by Stephanie Soechtig and Jason Lindsey. Written by Jason Lindsey. Produced by Sarah Gibson, with Jessie Deeter and Ellen Mai co-producing. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Out of the Box

Directed by Asaf Billet

A cardboard fable, taking off where the old joke left off, and moving from the dark into the light. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Arch's Iguanas

Directed by Steve Gatlin

A documentary film about Sherman Arch, who began protecting iguanas on his personal property in the early 80's after realizing that the population of the creatures was dwindling due to excessive hunting. 27 years later he has over 3,500 iguanas roaming his 10-acre 'farm' and he continues to educate and entertain thousands of visitors each year about the dangers of over-hunting and poaching that threatens this animals' existence on the island. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Play Hard Live Green

Directed by Melissa Butler

The film documents the quest of Justin Klabin to get to town for a cup of espresso while producing near zero emissions. An inspirational tale about following one's own path despite the questioning of others along the way. Justin wants to inspire you to create your own 'Play Hard Live Green' moment. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Perchance to Dream

Directed by Lauren Kimball

After forty years of captivity, 'Perchance to Dream' offers a new perspective in the life of Miami Sea Aquarium's star performer, Lolita the Killer Whale. She dazzles and she amazes; but what happens behind those intelligent and soulful eyes? What happens when the lights go off and the audience departs? What does an orca dream about when the lights go off and the audience leaves? Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Out Here in the Fields: The Field on Beach Lane

Directed by Alec Hirschfeld

In a battle for land almost sold for residential development, farmer Andy Babinksi and his town raise over two million dollars to protect it. The land will now be farmed by the next generation, and the neighborhood will continue to have access to locally grown food. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Nom Tèw

Directed by Pierre Deschamps

Juxtaposed to the hustle and bustle of city life on the diminutive Caribbean island of Dominica, Jerry Maka West works his garden in the island's lush interior, his Zion, growing and preparing his food just as his grandparents once taught him. Jerry is Nom Tèw, Man of the Soil. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

The Invisible Bird Photographer

Directed by Dávid Attila Molnár

To take a good picture about a bird is hard and difficult. To take the perfect picture about a bird doing things you've never seen before is nearly impossible. Professional equipment, experience and intimate knowledge of birds are surely needed. but by far isn't enough to succeed. Bence Máté's pictures tell everything about the secret lives of birds - but tell nothing about the secrets of cutting-edge bird-photography. This film asks: how does this obsessed young man win every imaginable photography prize worldwide? Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Hairytale

Directed by Lisa Forrest

A middle-aged hairdresser decides to change the world - one hair at a time. This is the story of Ronn Thompson, hairdresser-turned-inventor, who wants to help save the world. Ronn has created a revolutionary new material fueled by the hair cuttings thrown away daily in salons across the UK. As more and more people sympathize with his project, he receives enough hair to start realizing his dream - building practical, beautiful objects from an entirely new substance. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Clean?Coal

Directed by Joan Murray

Despite the concerted efforts of coal industries to persuade the American public that coal is 'clean', this film shows, in a humorous way, that coal is quite dirty. The animated chunk of coal does his best to appear 'Honestly Sincere,' but ends up wreaking havoc wherever he goes. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Return to the Wild: A Modern Tale of Wolf and Man

Directed by Martin O'Brien and Robbie Proctor

This film, made by the winners of last year's EcoFocus Short Film competition, takes a fair and open-minded look at the re-introduction of the gray wolf to the Northern Rockies, the friction it has caused, and the passionate debate it has stirred. The goal of the documentary is to address the issue of how man and predator can co-exist, in the hope of finding a balanced solution that addresses the needs of ranchers, wildlife supporters, hunters, and most importantly, the wolves themselves. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

ARCHITECT/BUILDER/DEVELOPER

Directed by Jeffrey Durkin

This film highlights the work of architect Jonathan Segal, who is pioneering a new way to build southern California cities through sustainable design. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Carpa Diem

Directed by Sergio Cannella

Water is a source of life, but is too often taken for granted. A little boy turning the bathroom tap on, playing with water and letting the water run without caring at all about the waste. This automatic gesture could mean tragedy. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

The Secret Life of Paper

Directed by Loch Phillips and Brian Ohl

This film shows the environmental impacts of paper production and educates viewers on the importance of recycling and becoming sustainable consumers. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Skylight

Directed by David Bass

An animated mock documentary about the ecological plight of penguins in the Antarctic, possibly foretelling cataclysmic results for the rest of the world. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Green Eco-Machine

Directed by Kristen Alexander

Dr. John Todd's idea technology works in partnership with nature to heal water, from small systems in homes to industrial pollution worldwide. Now these beautiful greenhouse-style water restorers are functioning in Hawaii, New York, Vermont, Bahamas and Massachusetts. This documentary reveals the man behind the Eco-Machine and his vision for a carbon neutral world. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

A Thousand Suns

Directed by Stephen Marshall

Shot in Ethiopia, New York and Kenya, the film explores the threats to the Gamo Highlands, including the efforts of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), a Western aid organization which is spending hundreds of millions of dollars bringing chemical pesticides, fertilizers and so-called improved seeds to the continent. We see how the interconnected worldview of the Gamo people is fundamental in achieving long-term sustainability, both in the region and beyond. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Kate and Bradbury

Directed by Colleen MacIsaac

The sweet, short story of a friendship between a bicycle and a kite. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

The Solitary Life of Cranes

Directed by Eva Weber

Part city symphony part visual poem, this film explores the invisible life of a city, its patterns and hidden secrets as seen through the eyes of crane drivers working high above its streets. What emerges is a lyrical mediation about how our existence is shaped through the environment we inhabit, both for the drivers high up in the sky and the people on the ground they are watching. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Life in Limbo

Directed by Sakae Ishikawa

How would you feel if the only place you knew as home had its very existence threatened? 'Life in Limbo' is a portrait of an archaeological town set on the banks of the Tigris River in Southeastern Turkey. Once comprised of caves carved in the dramatic cliffs along the Tigris, a few residents still carry on in their ancestors' homes. Theirs is a simple way of life and their love for their small town is strong. But this majestic place may soon disappear underwater because of a megadam being built upstream. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Nora!

Directed by Joan Murray

Three decades after opening Restaurant Nora, the nation's first certified organic restaurant, Nora Pouillon continues to advocate a holistic organic lifestyle and her commitment to living and eating sustainably. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Farm!

Directed by Christine and Owen Masterson

Given that the average age of a farmer in the United States is 55, the question arises, 'Who's going to be growing our food?' 'FARM!' is an inspiring look at Georgia's next generation of organic and sustainable farmers. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Saving Luna

Directed by Suzanne Chisholm and Michael Parfit

In this true story, a baby killer whale becomes separated from his family in a remote Vancouver Island fjord. When the lonely young orca seeks companionship from people he becomes beloved and controversial. As conflict and tragedy stain the waters, Luna becomes a symbol of the world's wildest beauty: wonderful to know, but hard to save. This beautiful and unforgettable film explores and celebrates the relationship between human and non-human species. Directed by Suzanne Chisholm and Michael Parfit. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Carving Up Oconee: A Rural County Fights for its Future

Directed by Celestea Sharp

An inspiring account of grassroots activism in small-town America that shows how average citizens, confronted with the pressure for development, can join together and effectively combat the forces that threaten to change their lives and the landscape they love. The film follows local citizens as they take steps to engage their neighbors and devise strategies to take their cause from kitchen table to county commission and achieve a real difference in public policy. Carving Up Oconee tells the story of this citizens' movement through interviews conducted over a three-year period. Local residents, town and county government officials, and members of the development industry have their say so the viewer can gain a full picture of what's at stake for all sides. In closely tracking the actions of ordinary citizens-turned-activists from their first meetings through the end of their fight to stop a giant truck stop in a farming area, the film gives us a model for how American citizens can participate effectively in the development debate and even play a major role in shaping the future of their communities. Written, directed, and produced by Celestea Sharp. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Encounters at the End of the World

Directed by Werner Herzog

Werner Herzog (Grizzly Man, Rescue Dawn) confirms his standing as poet laureate of men in extreme situations with Encounters at the End of the World. In this visually stunning exploration, Herzog travels to the Antarctic community of McMurdo Station, headquarters of the National Science Foundation and home to eleven hundred people during the austral summer (Oct-Feb). Over the course of his journey, Herzog examines human nature and Mother nature, juxtaposing breathtaking locations with the profound, surreal, and sometimes absurd experiences of the marine biologists, physicists, plumbers, and truck drivers who choose to form a society as far away from society as one can get. Written, directed and narrated by Werner Herzog. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

For the Price of a Cup of Coffee

Directed by Hypatia Angelique Porter

What is the cost of convenience? This thoughtful and provocative film examines the life cycle of a paper cup and the repercussions of a society reliant on convenience. Why are less than 1% of coffeeshop patrons bringing their own cup? Why do we have so much garbage, and where does it go? What is the true cost of a disposable culture? Shot throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, including interviews with local activists, environmental experts and coffeeshop owners. This film is full of information that all consumers should know about the products that we use everyday, and the steps we need to make towards a more sustainable world. Winner of multiple awards, including Festival Favorite at 2008 Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Fuel

Directed by Josh Tickell

America is addicted to oil. It's time for an intervention. Record high oil prices, global warming, and an insatiable demand for energy: these issues will be the catalyst for heated debates and positive change for many years to come. Fuel exposes shocking connections between the auto industry, the oil industry, and the government, while exploring alternative energies such as solar, wind, electricity, and non-food-based biofuels. Josh Tickell and his Veggie Van take us on the road to discover the pros and cons of biofuels, how America's addiction to oil is destroying the U.S. economy, and how green energy can save us, but only if we act now. Winner of multiple awards, including Audience Award Winner for Best Documentary, 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Directed by Josh Tickell, Written by Johnny O'Hara, and Produced by Greg Reitman, Dale Rosenbloom, Daniel Assael, Darius Fisher, and Rebecca Harrell. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

The Garden

Directed by Scott Hamilton Kennedy

The fourteen-acre community garden at 41st and Alameda in South Central Los Angeles is the largest of its kind in the United States. Started as a form of healing after the devastating L.A. riots in 1992, the South Central Farmers have since created a miracle in one of the country's most blighted neighborhoods. Growing their own food. Feedingtheir families. Creating a community. But now, bulldozers are poised to level their 14-acre oasis. The Garden follows the plight of the farmers, from the tilled soil of this urban farm to the polished marble of City Hall. Mostly immigrants from Latin America, from countries where they feared for their lives if they were to speak out, we watch them organize, fight back, and demand answers: Why was the land sold to a wealthy developer for millions less than fair-market value? Why was the transaction done in a closed-door session of the LA City Council? Why has it never been made public? And the powers-that-be have the same response: “The garden is wonderful, but there is nothing more we can do.” If everyone told you nothing more could be done, would you give up? Winner, Sterling U.S. Competition at AFI/Discovery Channel SILVERDOCS Documentary Festival. Directed by Scott Hamilton Kennedy. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Kilowatt Ours

Directed by Jeff Barrie

Filmmaker Jeff Barrie offers hope as he turns the camera on himself and asks, "How can I make a difference?" In his journey Barrie explores the source of our electricity and the problems caused by energy production including mountain top removal, childhood asthma and global warming. Along the way he encounters individuals, businesses, organizations, and communities who are leading the way, using energy conservation, efficiency and renewable, green power all while saving money and the environment. Kilowatt Ours is an inspirational story that fills viewers with hope and empowerment rather than gloom about the environmental situation in the world today. Winner of multiple awards, including the Greenspirit Award at the 2008 GreenDance Film Festival. A project of Trust for the Future, an educational organization that focuses on common sense solutions to energy solutions and/or environmental issues. Written by Jeff Barrie. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

The Lord God Bird

Directed by George Butler

A report that the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, supposedly extinct, had been rediscovered in the Arkansas swamps made front-page news across the country and around the world. The rarest of rare birds, the Ivory-bill is so spectacular that according to legend those who see it spontaneously cry out, "Lord God! What was that?" While for the majority of Americans this sighting came as a wholly unexpected piece of good news from the conservation front, to the inner circle of birders this was the latest installment in a very old, legendary tale of hope and survival. Once common throughout the southeast United States, the bird had vanished over the past century as its forest habitat was devastated, reappearing periodically to reawaken hope for threatened species and environments everywhere. This film tells the story of the Ivory-bill not merely as a quaint piece of natural history, but as a story of faith and doubt, despair and hope regarding our own relationship with the environment. Covering the tension between skeptics who regard the bird as fantasy as well as those with determined faith in its existence, the documentary also explores the grass-roots conservation of the Arkansas outdoorsmen who most recently sighted the bird. Directed by George Butler, produced by George Butler and Robert Nixon. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Sharkwater

Directed by Rob Stewart

Driven by passion fed from a life-long fascination with sharks, filmmaker Rob Stewart debunks historical stereotypes and media depictions of sharks as bloodthirsty, man-eating monsters and reveals the reality of sharks as pillars in the evolution of the seas. Sharkwater takes you into the most shark rich waters of the world, exposing the exploitation and corruption surrounding the world's shark populations in the marine reserves of Cocos Island, Costa Rica and the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. Stewart's unbelievable adventure together with renegade conservationist Paul Watson starts with a battle between the Sea Shepherd and shark poachers in Guatemala, resulting in pirate boat rammings, gunboat chases, mafia espionage, corrupt court systems and attempted murder charges, forcing them to flee for their lives. Through it all, Stewart discovers these magnificent creatures have gone from predator to prey, and how despite surviving the earth's history of mass extinctions, they could easily be wiped out within a few years due to human greed. Stewart's remarkable journey of courage and determination changes from a mission to save the world's sharks, into a fight for his life, and that of humankind. One of Canada's Top Ten films at the Toronto International Film Festival. Written, directed and produced by Rob Stewart. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

The Story of Stuff

Directed by Louis Fox

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever. Directed by Louis Fox, written by Annie Leonard, and produced by Free Range Studios. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Tableland

Directed by Craig Noble

Tableland is a culinary expedition in search of the people, place and taste of North American small-scale, sustainable food production. Director Craig Noble argues for the re-localization of North American food systems, and a return to a fresher, healthier way of feeding ourselves. From the orchards of British Columbia, the inner city gardens of Chicago to the Napa Highlands and everywhere in between, Tableland showcases the successful production of tasty, local, and seasonal food from field to plate. Winner, Best Feature, 2008 New York City Food Film Festival. Written, directed, and produced by Craig Noble. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

The Unforeseen

Directed by Laura Dunn

The Unforeseen follows the career of Gary Bradley, an ambitious west Texas farm boy who went to Austin and became one of the state's most powerful real estate developers, capitalizing on Austin's boomtown growth beginning in the 1970s. At the peak of his powers, Bradley transformed 4000 acres of pristine Hill Country into one of the state's largest and fastest-selling subdivisions. When the development threatened a local treasure, "Barton Springs"-a natural spring-fed swimming hole-the community fought back and the subdivision became a lightning rod for environmental activism of the kind that flourished under Governor Ann Richards. However, when George W. Bush became governor, development laws change, and the water quality at Barton Springs, as well as the surrounding landscape of Austin, was irreversibly altered. The Unforeseen is a powerful meditation on the destruction of the natural world and the American Dream as it falls victim to the cannibalizing forces of unchecked development. It is an intricate tale of personal hopes, victories, and failures, and debates over land, economics, property rights, and the public good.. Winner of the 2008 Independent Spirit Award Truer than Fiction Prize. Directed by Laura Dunn. Co-Executive Produced by Terrence Malick and Robert Redford. Cinematography by Lee Daniel. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Up the Yangtze

Directed by Yung Chang

A luxury cruise boat motors up the Yangtze — navigating the mythic waterway known in China simply as “The River.” The Yangtze is about to be transformed by the biggest hydroelectric dam in history. At the river's edge — a young woman says goodbye to her family as the floodwaters rise towards their small homestead. The Three Gorges Dam — contested symbol of the Chinese economic miracle — provides the epic backdrop for Up the Yangtze, a dramatic feature documentary on life inside the 21st century Chinese dream. Chinese-Canadian filmmaker Yung Chang crafts a moving depiction of peasant life, a powerful narrative of contemporary China, and a disquieting glimpse into a future that awaits us all. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Waste = Food

Directed by Rob van Hattum

An amazing and inspiring story that will change your way of thinking about production and consumption. Everybody knows the story of the limited earth: natural resources are being depleted on a rapid scale while production and consumption are rising rapidly in nations like China and India. Waste production is enormous and if we do not do anything we will soon have turned all our resources into one big messy landfill. An American designer, William McDonough, and a German chemist, Michael Braungart, think they have found a way out. Their aim is to re-design every product according to the principle that nature uses to grow: Waste = Food. Use waste products as valuable nutrients for the biosphere or the techno-sphere. Re-cycling is old fashioned; up-cycling is the new paradigm. High production, high consumption, economic growth and a clean environment go hand in hand according to this new paradigm. This Cradle-to-Cradle design concept is an idea that is not only embraced by some of the world largest companies but also by the fastest developing economy: China. Are we on the verge of the next industrial revolution? Directed by Rob van Hattum and produced by VPRO/Tegenlicht. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Common Scents

Directed by Steve Whitehouse

A tale of lust, greed, and the overwhelming desire to smell good. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Charcoal Traffic

Directed by Nathan Collett

Charcoal Traffic is the story of two brothers trapped in a murderous cycle of environmental and cultural devastation in Somalia. The first fictional film shot in Somalia in over 15 years, Charcoal Traffic was filmed entirely on location in northern Somalia featuring a local cast with no previous acting experience. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Free the River Park

Directed by Tara Nurin

Schuylkill River Park is designed to provide the community with an outstanding quality of life amid the concrete walls of the city. The park is destined to become Philadelphia 's premier recreational respite until a decades-old freight line stonewalls its access. This is a story of a community's determination to rebuke belligerent big business, which proves to be no match against the power of the people. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Living on the Edge

Directed by Erik Subrizi, Heather Danskin, Katie Kassof, and Scott Kutler

A blend of the personal stories of Marcia Seifert and Phyllis Bonfield, whose house is perched on the edge of a crumbling cliff, and the science behind the natural process of erosion, Living on the Edge is an entertaining and educational introduction to the power of Mother Nature and the drive of human innovation. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Melting Ice, Rising Seas

Directed by Vivian Trakinski

The rising temperatures of global climate change are melting the world's ice. Travel to the glaciers of Greenland and to fossilized coral reefs of the Florida Keys, where earth scientists are studying geologic records of past warming to predict future ice loss and associated sea level rise. Produced as an American Museum of Natural History Science Bulletin. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Mundo Caliente

Directed by Bob Barancik

Mundo Caliente explores the industrial world's seductive and frenzied dance with fossil fuels. It incorporates sizzling Latin music, passionate paintings, and provocative documentary footage. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Justicia Now!

Directed by Robbie Proctor and Martin O'Brien

Over the past 43 years, ChevronTexaco has intentionally spilled over 10 times the amount of oil in and around Lago Agrio, Ecuador than was lost in the Exxon Valdez disaster and yet not one drop has been cleaned up. An area of pristine rainforest the size of Rhode Island has been devastated and one tribe of indigenous indians has been wiped out. For those remaining natives, water supplies are completely contaminated and serious health issues such as cancer, leukemia, birth defects and skin disease run rampant. ChevronTexaco's attitude towards this has been a combination of strong-armed intimidation and complete denial. Starring 2008 Goldman Environmental Prize Winners Pablo Fajardo and Luis Yanza. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Bronx River Restoration

Directed by Vivian Trakinski

New York City's Bronx River, once a drinking water source and habitat for abundant wildlife, has become blighted from urbanization. Watch conservation teams coax new life into the Bronx River as they restock it with native fish, lay down oyster beds, and remove invasive species along its shores. Produced as an American Museum of Natural History Science Bulletin. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Puffing Away

Directed by Isaac King

Our gremlins of energy over-consumption hit a hyperactive high in this head-nodding short, featuring music from Wagon Christ. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Attack of the Sea Slugs

Directed by Champ Williams

Orange sea pens bring color to the cold stark landscape of the subtidal sand flats of the Puget Sound. Although these sand flats appear desolate, hiding in wait is a creature with an acquired taste for sea pens. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Trouble in the Tropics: Invasive Lionfish

Directed by Lyn Gerner

The invasive lionfish--venomous and voracious--has reached the tropical western Atlantic, where its reproductive rate is soaring. Fighting against time and tide, researchers from the US, the Bahamas, and Bermuda team up to understand this invader and attempt to control the invasion.

Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

The Last Wild Horse: The Return of Takhi to Mongolia

Directed by Vivian Trakinski

The Takhi, also known as Przewalski's horse, is the last surviving horse species that has never been domesticated. This film depicts the emotional reintroduction of the Takhi to their last known home range in Mongolia's Gobi desert. The Takhi serves as an important case study for conservation biologists who struggle to support the viability of thousands of species on the verge of extinction. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Forest to Desert

Directed by Sarah Boothroyd

Forest to Desert is an audio doodle about this phrase: "Humankind is preceded by forest, and followed by desert." This short 'audiofilm' was inspired by the Third Coast Festival's 2008 audio challenge. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Ladies of the Land

Directed by Megan Thompson

As small family farms continue to disappear from the American landscape, a new kind of farmer is growing: women. "Ladies of the Land" tells the tales of four women who never thought they'd be farmers, but today dedicate their lives to growing and grazing - as part of a national movement to put more organic, local foods on America's tables. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Myakka River State Park

Directed by Darryl Saffer

This park is one of Florida's oldest parks and at 37,000 acres, one of the largest. This film, shot in HD, is a diary of the year 2007. It begins with daybreak and follows the interaction of sandhill cranes with one particular red-winged blackbird. As the 'day' progresses, other animals interact with the beautiful scenery to give the viewer a glimpse into their lives. Natural sounds and the lush soundtrack composed by the filmmaker provide the only narration. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Warming

Directed by Colleen MacIsaac

In a lyrical and visually contemplative manner, Warming focuses on the interconnected nature of the ecosystems and societies in which we live, it explores the causes and effects of global warming across the planet through an ever-shifting montage of painted watercolor images. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Rita

Directed by Alison Teal Blehert-Koehn

A true story about Alison, a seven-year-old girl who has been dragged around the world by her adventure travel guide/photographer/yoga-teaching parents and longs to be a kid and stay in one place long enough to have friends and go to school with children her own age. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Wonder Water Web

Directed by Roger Blonder

Through poetic narration and vibrant flowing animation, Wonder Water Web carries its voyager on a nautical journey from a drop in the clouds to the depth of the seas. This tribute to the oceans raises awareness about the relationship between humans and the seas while playfully inspiring an appreciation for the interconnectedness of life. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Water Detectives

Directed by David Springbett

Local conservation efforts can have far-reaching results. This lesson is made concrete through the experience of youth in Matamoros, Mexico, where a severe water shortage led the city to take the unusual step of putting local children in charge of changing adult attitudes and habits. Thousands of schoolchildren were enlisted as "water detectives" - educated in concepts of water conservation, and encouraged to discuss the importance of proper water usage with adults. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Fisheye Fantasea

Directed by Guy Chaumette

To understand a world not designed for human eyes, we need to see it from a different point of view. Invisible colors, eye metamorphosis, secret wavelengths and vision beyond anything we can perceive; how they see, what they see and the astonishing discovery that in their world, we're virtually blind. Fisheye Fantasea is a dive deep into the fishes eyes and a groundbreaking revelation about what they really see. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Bottled or Tap Water?

Directed by Martha Spiess

A selection from the EcoFocus Short Film Competition, this is a "Made in Maine" video made as a class project for second graders. The choice of supporting tap water infrastructure instead of consuming bottled water is a personal decision that has a very large impact and is something that each person can do to decrease carbon footprints. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Plain Ride Penn

Directed by Kyia Clayton

A selection from the EcoFocus Short Film Competition, Plain Ride Penn is a documentary about a 15-year-old girl who single handedly rids her school of all polystyrene food trays and plastic sporks. It is about the environment, overcoming challenge and how the power of one person can make a difference through determination and the will to do what feels right. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Six Feet Deeper

Directed by Dylan Siniscalchi

Directed by Dylan Siniscalchi. Written by Embry Rodgers. Director of Photography Aram Kaplan, Edited and produced by Jacob Hill. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Saving a River: Savannah River Pollution

Directed by David Tapper

Directed by David Tapper. Director of Photography and producer Marc Casey. Written by Matt Giordano. Edited by Lawrence Duane. Second place winner of the 2008 Gray's Reef Ocean Film Festival Emerging Filmmakers Student Competition. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

North Oconee River Greenway Project

Directed by Charles, Berdena, Richard, David, Kenneth, and Daniel Aguar

This documentary traces the progression of a local restoration project, from the visionary inspiration of one man to the collective efforts of an entire community. The North Oconee River Greenway Project reveals the current state of the Greenway and powerfully illustrates that restoration is an ongoing process that urgently demands daily action and attention. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

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Directed by Len Neighbors

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Trailer and screening times >>

Engaging, entertaining, educational - Environmental films in Athens, Georgia.

Film Archives

Chasing Coral

The Burden

Abita

SP#4

Growing Cities

Wild Things

The Ghosts in Our Machine

More Than Honey

Tiny: A Story About Living Small

DamNation

GMO OMG

This Space Available

Dying Green

The Human Experiment

Hidden Rivers of Southern Appalachia (Short Film Showcase)

Into the Gyre

Population Boom

Shored Up

The Clean Bin Project

Slomo

The Great Vacation Squeeze

Thin Ice: The Inside Story of Climate Science

Espero? (Hope?)

Rock Wall Climbing

The Scared is Scared

My First Fish

Badru's Story

Chasing Water (2014 Encore)

The Man Who Lived on His Bike

Switch

The Last Ice Merchant

Chasing Ice

Irish Folk Furniture

Trash Dance

Ripple Effect Film Project Finalist Showcase

Last Call at the Oasis

Quagga

The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

The Lost Bird Project

Among Giants

Bidder 70

Cape Spin! An American Power Struggle

Bag It (2013 EcoKids Presentation)

Cafeteria Man

Cafeteria Man: Memphis Schools Makeover

Living Tiny

Dear Governor Cuomo

The Human Scale

The Artificial Leaf

Gaia Soil

Papiroflexia

Ride of the Mergansers

India Explains Solar Power to Rudy

10,000 Trees

Amazonia

Animal Beatbox

Anna, Emma and the Condors

Chasing Water

Don't be a Trash Can!

eel*water*rock*man

Journey to the Forest (Reise zum Wald)

Leonids Story

The Okra Planter (O Plantador de Quiabos)

On the Beat - Soatá (No Baque - Soatá)

Our Tomorrow

Blood in the Mobile

Potato Heads

BUCK

The City Dark

Propositions for an Uncertain Future

The Clean Bin Project

Second Hand

Shark Riddle

Song of the Spindle

The Last Sun

Timber

Drying for Freedom

Food Stamped

eelwaterrock*man