Category - Farming, Pesticides and Soil
Winner:
The Power of Community 53:00 (Cuba)
When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990, Cuba's economy went into a tailspin. With imports of oil cut by more than half and food by 80 percent - people were desperate. This film tells of the hardships and struggles as well as the community and creativity of the Cuban people. They share how they transitioned from highly mechanized agriculture to using organic farming and urban gardens. It is an unusual look into the Cuban culture during this economic crisis. The film opens with a short history of Peak Oil, a term for the time when world oil production will reach its all-time peak and begin to decline forever. Cuba, the only country that has faced such a crisis, is an example of options and hope.
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Islands at Risk 28:30 (U.S.A. Hawaii)
Focusing on local experiments with genetically modified organisms (GMOs), the program features Hawai`i farmers, teachers, legal and medical experts and community activists who share their perspective on the genetic engineering of crops and the patenting of life forms.
“Hawai`i has been called the GMO testing capitol of the world because, in the past ten years or so, we have had more than 2,000 field tests of experimental genetically-engineered crops in more than 6,000 locations around our small state,” says Earthjustice attorney Paul Achitoff in the video. “And this is more than any other place in the world.”
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Katherine Knight Awards:
P Is For Papaya 08:00 (Canada)
Told as a love story gone bad, this animated documentary reveals some of the sour secrets beneath the skin of a popular tropical fruit.
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One Man, One Cow, One Planet 56:00 (India)
Featuring Peter Proctor, New Zealand’s.father of modern.bio-dynamics. Narration - Peter Coyote
Our existence on this planet is precarious. One Man, One Cow, One Planet exposes globalization and its mantra of infinite growth in a finite world for what it really is: an environmental and human disaster. But across India marginal farmers are fighting back. By reviving an arcane form of agriculture, they are saving their poisoned lands and exposing the bio-colonialism of multinational corporations. How to Save the World tells their story through the teachings of one elderly New Zealander.
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Category - Environmental Activism and Social Justice
Winner:
Going Big Box VS Going Local 07:20 (U.S.A.)
This fast-paced, outrageous docu-drama follows Hannah in her shopping quest for a shirt and some eggs. Contrasting Wal-Mart and local markets, her journey uncovers the truth about the people, animals and money behind the products we purchase. Using rare footage, this film exposes what mega-corporations don't want people to see. While showing viewers a true alternative to supporting sweatshops, animal abuse, and the decline of local businesses, Hannah's search ends with a sexy surprise, as she finds the metrics behind buying local to be better for her conscience and her love life.
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Earthlings 10:00 Segment (U.S.A.)
E A R T H L I N G S
earth.ling (urth ling), n. 1. An inhabitant of earth.
Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1989
EARTHLINGS is a feature length documentary about humanity's absolute dependence on animals (for pets, food, clothing, entertainment, and scientific research) but also illustrates our complete disrespect for these so-called "non-human providers." The film is narrated by Academy Award nominee, Joaquin Phoenix (GLADIATOR) and features music by the critically acclaimed platinum artist Moby.
With an in-depth study into pet stores, puppy mills and animals shelters, as well as factory farms, the leather and fur trades, sports and entertainment industries, and finally the medical and scientific profession, EARTHLINGS uses hidden cameras and never before seen footage to chronicle the day-to-day practices of some of the largest industries in the world, all of which rely entirely on animals for profit. Powerful, informative and thought provoking, EARTHLINGS is by far the most comprehensive documentary ever produced on the correlation between nature, animals, and human economic interests. There are many worthy animal rights films available, but this one transcends the setting. EARTHLINGS cries to be seen.
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Katherine Knight Awards:
Global Focus IV 30:00 (U.S.A.)
Narrated by Robert Redford, 'Global Focus IV - The New Environmentalists' features intimate portraits of six passionate and dedicated activists. These are true environmental heroes who have put themselves between corrupt governments, greedy corporations and other intimidating adversaries. Their goal: safeguarding the Earth's natural resources from shortsighted exploitation and unbridled pollution. 'Global Focus IV' illustrates how ordinary people are affecting extraordinary change.
Part I: Africa: Hammerskjoeld Simwinga
In an area where rampant illegal wildlife poaching decimated the wild elephant population and left villagers living in extreme poverty, Simwinga created an innovative sustainable community development program that successfully restored wildlife and transformed this poverty-stricken area.
Part II: Asia: Tsetsegee Munkhbayar
Munkhbayar successfully worked with government and grassroots organizations to shut down destructive mining operations along Mongolia’s scarce waterways. Through public education and political lobbying, Munkhbayar has effectively protected Mongolia’s precious water resources from additional unregulated mining.
Part III: Europe: Willie Corduff
In the small farming community of Ross Port, Corduff and a group of committed activists and landowners successfully forced Shell Oil to halt construction on an illegally-approved pipeline through their land.
Part IV: South America: Julio Cusurichi
In the remote Peruvian Amazon, Cusurichi secured a national reserve to protect both sensitive rain forest ecosystems and the rights of indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation from the devastating effects of logging and mining.
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March Point - A work in progress 57:00 (U.S.A. Washington)
Cody Nick and Travis, three teens from the Swinomish Tribe, wanted to make a gangster movie. But they were asked to investigate the impact of two oil refineries on their tribal community. March Point follows their journey as they come to understand themselves, and the threat their people face. For centuries the Swinomish tribe has relied on the natural resources of the Skagit Valley, through clamming, crabbing, and fishing. Before white settlement tribal people inhabited the valleys, rivers, and shorelines, living off the rich land. But, in 1855, most of this land was taken away by the Federal government in the Treaty of Point Elliott. The Swinomish people were left with basic health care, some fishing rights and a small reservation. In the late 1950s, two oil refineries were built on March Point, an area that was once part of the Swinomish reservation by treaty. Over time, the presence of the refineries has negatively affected the health of the water and land and the very fabric of cultural tradition itself. March Point is story of three boys awakening to the destruction these refineries have wrought in their communities.
Ambivalent environmental ambassadors at the onset, the boys grapple with their assignment through humor, sarcasm and a candid self-knowledge. But as the filmmaking evolves they begin to experience the need to understand and tell their stories, and the power of this process to change their lives.
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Pascua Lama: A Contemporary Quest for El Dorado 64:00 (Chile)
This documentary explores the complicated dynamics of the mining industry in Chile. Focusing on the mining project called Pascua Lama, being developed by the Canadian Barrick Gold Corporation in Northern Chile, this documentary dives into the reality of developing countries which due to unwilling governments who lack long-term vision, sell their natural resources without considering sustainable development strategies for their communities, thus fostering a new model of colonization sponsored by the corporate developed world.
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Stand 30:30 (U.S.A.)
STAND Up, Out and For a new way of thinking about sustainability. STAND Up by using your creativity to raise awareness and inspire others to do the same. STAND Out and play in the outdoors and use your passion for the outdoors to influence change. STAND For engaging with causes that make a positive difference with the environment. Make each choice, large and small a considered one..
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Last Yoik In Saami Forests? 59:30 (Finland)
The heavy cuttings in forests of Finnish Lapland, even in indigenous Saami peoples’ home area have continued for the last fifty years. The traditional, freely grazing reindeer herding, dependent of the old growth forests, has been loosing its resources but not any complaint or protests has managed to stop the process.
In spring 2005 Saami reindeer herders made an alliance with Greenpeace, which established it as a Forest Rescue Station in the wilderness of Inari. The situation gets even more dramatic when the loggers’ party builds up their own camp, 'Antiterror infocamp' near the Greenpeace forest station. The documentary follows the conflict and its reasons but also seeks the alternatives. What kind of silvicultural alternatives exists and what are the possibilities based on the special quality of Lappish wood
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Renewal 87:55 (U. S.A.)
RENEWAL is the first feature-length documentary to capture the breadth and vitality of America's religious-environmental movement. In communities across America, people are rolling up their sleeves in practical and far-reaching ways. Offering a profound message of hope, RENEWAL shows people driven by their spiritual and religious convictions, being called to re-examine what it means to be human and how we live on this planet. The film presents eight individual stories, of Americans around the nation in different faith traditions, who are working to become better stewards of the environment. RENEWAL provides an inspiring account of how religions today can be a powerful force for good in the world by bringing people together through a common concern for the earth.
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The Water Front 53:00 (U.S.A. Highland Park, Michigan)
What if you lived by the largest body of fresh water in the world but could no longer afford to use it? Residents of Highland Park, Michigan, known as the birthplace of the auto-industry, have received water bills as high as $10,000; they have had their water turned off, their homes foreclosed, and are struggling to keep water, a basic human right, from becoming privatized. The Water Front is the story of an American city in crisis but it is not just about water. The story touches on the very essence of our democratic system and is an unnerving indication of what is in store for residents around the world facing their own water struggles.
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Meat Jim 8:50 (U.S.A. Nevada City)
Category - Environmental Activism and Social Justice
Trying to turn a man who eats meat for every meal into a vegeterian? Come along for the ride and learn a little too; you'll be surprised.
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