Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival On Tour

Wild & Scenic Film Program

PLANT HOPE: Wangari Maathai & The Green Belt Movement - 7 min.

The simple act of planting trees by Wangari Maathai in Kenya grew into a nationwide movement to safeguard the environment, protect human rights, and defend democracy—a movement for which this charismatic woman became an iconic inspiration, founder of the Green Belt Movement and the winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize.

GOLD FISH - 12 min.

Two girls, one Mission and a lot of fish to save. A little girl questions why each one of her classmates were given a goldfish to care for and wouldn't they be happier in the wild water with their family. So she recruits a friend to return all the fish to their habitat by flushing them down the toilet much the same way Nemo got back to the ocean in the acclaimed Disney film. Only to find out later when she is in the principle's office that…(but we don’t want to ruin the ending). Suitable and adored by audiences of all ages. Many awards, including Audience Award, Austin Film Festival.

A SEA CHANGE - 64 min.

After reading Elizabeth Kolbert’s The Darkening Sea, retired history teacher Sven Huseby becomes obsessed with the rising acidity of the oceans and what this “sea change” bodes for mankind. He uncovers a worldwide crisis that most people are unaware of. Speaking with oceanographers, marine biologists, climatologists, and artists, Sven discovers that global warming is only half the story of the environmental catastrophe.

Intermission for about twenty minutes. The second half of the program follows.

BROWER YOUTH AWARDS - 10 min.

Earth Island Institute established the Brower Youth Awards to honor legendary environmental activist, David R. Brower and to call forth a new generation of leaders. The awards honor young people for their activism and achievements in the fields of environmental and social justice advocacy. Here are two California winners: Alec Loorz, 15, the youngest presenter of Al Gore’s “The Climate Project” and the founder of SLAP, Sea Level Awareness Program, to educate coastal Californians about sea level rise and global warming. Hai Vo, 22, for helping persuade the University of California to purchase 20% real food (sustainable, local, organic, and fairly produced) by 2020.

LAST FRONTIER: Conservation & Exploration in Papua New Guinea - 19 min.

New Britain Papua New Guinea is one of the last frontiers between the industrialized world and tribal village life. This film weaves the story of an epic kayaking expedition around the story of a culture, ecosystem and river on the brink of change.

MISSOURI STREAM TEAM - 18 min.

Over 4,000 teams channel the energy and enthusiasm of 80,000 volunteers in a host of stream stewardship activities in Missouri. Told in their own words, Stream Team volunteers describe the connections they’ve developed with their natural resources and with each other.

A YEAR IN THE DESERT: ANZA BORREGO - 15 min.

Narrated by Peter Coyote this beautiful film shows how each season in the Anza Borrego desert has its special creatures: tiny hummingbirds, darting lizards, slithering snakes, head-butting bighorns. Their land is seared by ground temperatures of 180 degrees, swept by a flash flood, even blanketed by a snowstorm. These filmmakers have received numerous regional and national Emmy Awards.

WHAT IS THAT? - 5 min.

A son and father sitting on a bench. There is no conversation until a sparrow appears. What follows is a heartwarming reminder that family means more than just sitting next to each other.

GET UP. STAND UP - 4 min.

Surfing in Wyoming? These guys make it look easy. Wyoming Short Film Contest Winner.

ASCENDING THE GIANTS - 12 min.

By means of this award-winning film, you can join tree lovers & climbers Brian and Will as they attempt to find Oregon’s largest Sitka Spruce trees. Through their eyes, from both ground and canopy views, we discover the breathtaking beauty of these amazing giants.

LADY BUG SWARM - 3 min.

Enjoy one of the wonders of nature and rediscover the beauty of nature through the eyes of a child.

This program is part of the "Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival On Tour." It is sponsored by Save Our Sandhill Cranes (www.soscranes.org) as a fundraiser for Habitat 2020, the habitat committee of ECOS, the Environmental Council of Sacramento. All proceeds will be used to support the California Heartland Project, a vision of a future Sacramento region with a connected network of parks, preserves, and conservation easements on working farms and ranches--creating access to open space for education and recreation, protecting the unique biological diversity found in the Sacramento Valley, and conserving our agricultural heritage.