180 Degrees South | Columbia College | Date: November 5, 2011
Surfer and climber Jeff Johnson retraces the epic 1968 journey of Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins, on which they drove, mountain climbed and surfed their way to Chilean Patagonia. Along the way, Jeff encounters surf, mountains, a dangerous ocean crossing, pulp mills, cowboys, and dams. The film is a road trip movie, a historic document, and an environmental call to arms, but mostly a meditation on what matters most in life –– staying true to one’s own vision and values. http://www.magpictures.com/180degreessouth/
350-Pass It On! | Columbia College | Date: November 5, 2011
Aerial-art-activist, Daniel Dancer, takes viewers on a tour of his gigantic and magnificent living paintings made of people engaged in a special way to help solve our climate crisis.
Try going a day without plastic. In this touching and often flat-out-funny film, we follow “everyman” Jeb Berrier 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 effect 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. Many awards, including Best of Festival, Blue Ocean FF, Audience Choice, Telluride Mountainfilm
Eagle Among the Swarm | Black Bart Playhouse | March 12, 2011
Thousands of Pacific Dunlin birds spend the winter in Boundary Bay, British Columbia. At the season's peak, numbers can reach up to 20,000 birds at a time and the packs can be seen flocking in great numbers, while continuously evading hungry falcons. Best Picture, Victoria Seabird FF
A wild band of flyfishermen risk life and limb in one of the last wild places on earth, the Russian Far East. They brave Cold War helicopters, grizzlies, massive mosquitoes, and even Bigfoot to explore rivers that have never been fished before and search for the ultimate fish story. Mountain Sport Award, Banff Mountain; Best Action-Sport Film, Flagstaff Mountain FF
Too many people using up this too little planet, much too fast. In this eco-comedy everyman dad gives us the scoop on the imminent end of the world as we know it, and 5 surprising ways we can save civilization while having fun, meeting new friends, and making some trouble.
A Mongolian Couch | Columbia College | Date: November 5, 2011
Begzsuren lives with his wife and four children in 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—this man is a busy, dedicated and extremely forward-thinking individual. Best Short Film and Audience Favorite Award, EcoFocus FF
George Clipp, Eva Arnold | 2010 | 12 min. | Mongolia/Australia
A 13 year-old boy faces special challenges as he climbs mount Kilimanjaro, the world’s highest freestanding mountain. His goal is to raise money and deliver free wheelchairs to the people of Tanzania.
Redwoods: Anatomy of a Giant | Chatom Vineyards | Date: September 15, 2011
Andy Shillabeer films photographer Jim Balog as he compiles photos for his Redwood composite image. Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve, CA Photographer: Jim Spickler
Humboldt State University’s Steve Sillett, the first researcher to explore the redwood canopy, is obsessed with monster redwoods. Just when Sillett thinks he’s climbed and measured an unbeatably tall tree, another one turns up in a hidden valley of California and breaks the record. Gold World Medal, New York Festivals; CINE Golden Eagle
Narrated by Daryl Hannah. As awareness grows about the consequences of environmental disregard, the world is at a pivotal point of change and hope. The sustainability movement is gathering momentum, and the institutions with the farthest reach and the highest stakes - corporations - are taking the lead. Those ahead of the curve already realize that fitting in to natural systems is more advantageous than trying to control them… and that sustainability is the most expansive profit frontier yet to be explored. One business striving for these ideals has an amazing story of leadership and change: Interface Inc. led by Ray Anderson.
So Right So Smart is a feature documentary that shows the success of businesses that have begun to take positive steps toward a sustainable future. Those looking to find encouraging news in the midst of our current environmental crisis will be inspired by this story of leadership and hope.
Winner, Best of Festival, Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival
Winner, Best Feature, Reel Earth Festival, New Zealand
Official Selection, Washington DC Environmental Film Festival
Official Selection, American Showcase, Atlanta Film Festival
Official Selection, Savannah Film Festival
The Story of Bottled Water | Newsome Harlow | Date: May 7, 2011
Why do Americans buy more than half a billion bottles of water every week when it already flows from the tap? The film explores the bottled water industry’s attacks on tap water and its use of seductive, environmental-themed advertising to cover up the mountains of plastic waste it produces. EthicMark Award, #7 on Viral Video Chart
There Once Was an Island: Te Henua e Nnoho | Columbia College | Date: November 5, 2011
As a terrifying tidal flood rips through their already damaged home, the Polynesian Takuu community experiences the devastating effects of climate change first hand. Three intrepid characters allow us into their lives and their culture and show us first hand the human impact of an environmental crisis. Jury Grand Prix, FIFO, Tahiti 2010. Best Documentary, Raindance, 2010.
Briar March | 2010 | 57 min. | New Zealand, Papua New Guinea
Journey into the mind and soul of whitewater, into the places only river runners can go, places of discovery, solitude and risk. Meet the riverpeople from multi generations who share a deep passion for wild places, rivers and running whitewater. We cross beyond generational and experiential boundaries, even beyond whitewater, to look at the soul of adventure sports and what they mean to all of us as a practice that is about far more than just fun. Best Adventure Film, Kendal Mountain FF; Best Short Film, Salem FF