2020 FESTIVAL FILMS
KIFARU
Watch the traileR >
buy tickets >
Kifaru’ follows the lives of two young Kenyan recruits who join Ol Pejeta Conservancy's rhino caretaker unit - a small group of rangers that protect and care for ‘Sudan', the last male northern white rhino in the world. Spanning over the course of the caretakers' first four years on the job, Kifaru allows viewers to intimately experience the joys and pitfalls of wildlife conservation firsthand through the eyes of these Kenyan rhino caretakers, offering a once in a lifetime experience to feel what extinction feels like never before.
Director: David Hambridge
Producers: David Hambridge, Andrew Harrison Brown
Executive producers: Dr. Morne De La Rey, Earl Johnson, Margie Johnson
Director of photography: David Hambridge
Editor: Andrew Harrison Brown
81 Minutes
SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER/COMMENTATOR — Chris Bobko, Denver Zoo’s longtime and best rhino keeper
Rhino Whisper - Chris Bobko, Denver Zoo
Christine Bobko is a rhino keeper at Denver Zoo’s Toyota Elephant Passage. Her love and passion for everything rhinoceros has led to a 32-year career of fighting to save this incredible species. Her conservation work with rhinos has enabled her to travel to several different countries including South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and Sumatra. In keeping with her passion for conservation, she is a founding BOD member and current Vice President of the International Rhino Keeper Association (IRKA). Outside of her zookeeping career, she holds a patent for developing a custom elastomer boot which was designed to help save a rhino. As she states, it all was for “the love of a rhino”, and hopes her company Diceros Boots LLC can fulfill its mission by “Saving species one step at a time”.
2040
Watch the traileR >
buy tickets >
2040 is a hybrid feature documentary that looks to the future, but is vitally important NOW!
The 2040 journey began with award-winning director Damon Gameau (That Sugar Film). Motivated by concerns about the planet his 4-year-old daughter would inherit, Damon embarked on a global journey to meet innovators and changemakers in the areas of economics, technology, civil society, agriculture, education and sustainability. Drawing on their expertise, he sought to identify the best solutions, available to us now, that would help improve the health of our planet and the societies that operate within it. From marine permaculture to decentralised renewable energy projects, he discovered that people all over the world are taking matters into their own hands.
This journey is the central premise for the documentary ‘2040’, a story of hope that looks at the very real possibility that humanity could reverse global warming and improve the lives of every living thing in the process. It is a positive vision of what ‘could be’, instead of the dystopian future we are so often presented.
Director: Damon Gameau
Writer: Damon Gameau
Stars: Damon Gameau, Eva Lazzaro, Zoë Gameau, Davini Malcolm
Director of photography: Hugh Miller
92 Minutes
SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER/COMMENTATOR Speakers: Damon Gameau (Director of 2040, Paul Hawken (Environmentalist), Kate Raworth (Doughnut Economics Lab) and Neel Tamhane (Energy Access Specialist) Moderated by Kate Aronoff, The New Republic
Meet the experts who are featured in 2040, and learn about their innovative solutions to the climate crisis.
EMPTYING THE SKIES
Watch the trailer >
buy tickets >
Based on a widely republished New Yorker essay by best-selling novelist Jonathan Franzen, Emptying the Skies exposes the rampant poaching of migratory songbirds in southern Europe. Songbird populations have been drastically declining for several decades, with a number of species facing imminent extinction. This poignant documentary explores the wonder of these tiny globe-trekking marvels, millions of which are unlawfully slaughtered each year for large sums on the black market, and follows the intrepid squad of pan-European bird-lovers waging a secret war against poachers, disrupting illegal trapping to free as many as possible. Embedding the filmmakers with their activist subjects, this year-long undertaking transports viewers right onto the front lines as poachers are confronted at critical migration pinch-points in Cyprus, France and Italy. A moving call to arms, Emptying the Skies chronicles a devastating environmental tragedy and the valiant journey of those risking their lives to stop it.
Director: Douglas Kass
Co-Director: Roger Kass
Executive Producers: Jonathan Franzen, Andrea van Beuren
Director of photography: Douglas Kass, Michael Tucker
Editor: Andrew Harrison Brown
78 Minutes
SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKERS/COMMENTATOR —- MV Film Society Founder/Executive Director Richard Paradise interviews Douglas Kass (Director, Emptying the Skies), Roger Kass (Producer, Emptying the Skies), and activist Andrea Rutigliano.
THE LOVE BUGS
WatcH the Trailer >
buy tickets >
Over the course of 60 years, entomologists Charlie and Lois O’Brien amassed a collection of more than 1 million insects from nearly 70 countries —the largest private collection in the world with a value of $10 million dollars. But as Charlie’s battle with Parkinson’s becomes increasingly pronounced, he and Lois, 90, make the difficult decision to give away their drawers full of iridescent weevils and planthoppers. This humorous and poignant film explores the love of Nature--and the Nature of Love--and what it means to devote oneself completely to both.
Director: Allison Otto
Co-Director: Maria Clinton
Executive Producers: David Cornfield, Linda Cornfield, and Caryn Capotosto
Editor: Chelsea Jackson
34 Minutes
INTERVIEW WITH SPECIAL GUESTS: CO-DIRECTORS, Allison Otto and Maria Clinton
ALLISON OTTO
CO-DIRECTOR | CINEMATOGRAPHER | PRODUCER
Allison Otto is an Emmy-nominated, award-winning documentary filmmaker and visual journalist. Her clients have included National Geographic, BBC America, NBC, the Sierra Club, the American Alpine Club, Outside Television and Lonely Planet.
She is a 2019 recipient of the SFFILM Catapult Film Fellowship, a 2019 finalist for a Heartland Emmy for Outstanding Human Interest Special, a 2018 Telluride Mountainfilm Commitment grant recipient and a 2018 Roy W. Dean grant recipient for The Love Bugs.
In 2013, Allison released her award-winning first film, Keeper of the Mountains, which screened in more than 30 countries and was named “One of the Best Adventure Films of 2013” by Outside magazine. She graduated from Stanford with a bachelor’s in Communications and a master’s in Sociology.
MARIA CLINTON
CO-DIRECTOR | CINEMATOGRAPHER | PRODUCER
Maria Clinton is a filmmaker, photographer and consulting editor based in New York. In addition, she is an Adjunct Professor of Film. Maria has presented a lecture with her colleague Women Who Help Women: For Women, the Doc is in. As a filmmaker her work focuses on finding and sharing untold stories that shed light on underrepresented groups of people, shattering stereotypes and reconstructing the narratives. Her current projects include The Love Bugs and Side by Side, a documentary which profiles a charismatic and witty seventy-five year old fitness instructor. Her photography has been shown in various exhibits, with the latest being featured at Fairfield University in Fairfield, CT.
Maria has completed freelance work for clients like NBC, CNN’s Great Big Story, About.com and non profit organizations.
MICROPLASTICS MADNESS
watch the trailer >
buy tickets >
Microplastic Madness is the story of 56 fifth graders from P.S. 15 in Red Hook, Brooklyn - living on the frontline of the climate crisis - whose actions on plastic pollution morph into extraordinary leadership and scalable victories.
With stop-motion animation, heartfelt kid commentary, and interviews of experts and renowned scientists who are engaged in the most cutting edge research on the harmful effects of microplastics, this alarming, yet charming narrative, conveys an urgent message in user-friendly terms.
These eleven year olds dive deep into the root causes of plastic pollution. Taking on the roles of citizen scientists and community advocates, they collect local data, lead community outreach, and use their own local data to inform policy by testifying and rallying at City Hall. Then they turned their focus back to school, taking action in their cafeteria to eliminate all single-use plastic!
Directed and Produced by Atsuko Quirk and Debby Lee Cohen
Featuring P.S. 15 Brooklyn 5th graders and experts: Judith Enck, Marcus Eriksen, Racheal Z. Miller, and Chelsea M. Rochman
SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKERS/COMMENTATOR — Boulder ENOFF Director Richard Paradise interviews the Co-Directors of MICROPLASTIC MADNESS Debby Lee Cohen and Atsuko Quirk.
AKASHINGA “THE BRAVE ONES”
SHORTS PROGRAM - Environmental/Wildlife Advocacy
watch the trailer >
buy tickets >
Eight Short Films for your enjoyment and advocacy. Total Run Time is 81 Mins.
AKASHINGA “THE BRAVE ONES” (Dir. Maria Wilhelm) - 13:00 mins
Executive produced by three-time Academy Award winner James Cameron and directed by Maria Wilhelm, AKASHINGA: THE BRAVE ONES is a celebration of the courage, conservation and unorthodox thinking that’s leading to massive positive change. Founded in Zimbabwe by former Australian special forces soldier and anti-poaching leader Damien Mander, the women-only team of rangers, drawn from the abused and marginalized, is revolutionizing the way animals are protected, communities are empowered— and its members’ own lives are being transformed.
THE GLOBAL FOOD WASTE CRISIS (Dir. Elise M. Dadourian) - 19:33 mins
Over one third of the food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted. Because food-waste has severe social, economic, and environmental consequences, it is a key sustainability challenge. Fortunately, the people of Denmark are leading the effort fo combat this global issue.
TRACES (Dir. Pins Sébastien) - 12:00 mins
Over the seasons we follow a logger and his horse in the depths of the Ardennes forest, and see him live his passion through the eyes of an odd young girl.
ALABAMA CAHABA(Dir. Lauren Musgrove) - 2:00 mins
River nature explodes with Cahaba Lilies
ETHYL (Dir. Jody McNicholas) — 9:00 mins
ETHYL PART TWO takes us on a journey to Santa Fe Community College to see how Ethyl is educating surrounding communities to bring awareness to the impacts of plastic use and solutions a sustainable future
THROUGH THE BREAKS (Dir. Tom Attwater) 9:30 mins
Jason Cajune lives in Livingston, MT where he designs and builds wooden drift boats alongside his family. Last summer, Jason packed up one of his custom boats and led his family on a float trip down the Missouri River, through the American Prairie Reserve. Their trip serves as a journey through family traditions, a protected landscape and layers of history over time.
OUR CATCHMENT (Dir. Michael J. Lutman) 7:30 mins
The city of Melbourne is a wonderfully diverse place full of global citizens doing their small part to make a big difference. Focusing on four inspiring multicultural stories converging around the Port Phillip EcoCentre, “Our Catchment” shows how multiple perspectives give us a better opportunity to tackle these challenges as well as strengthen the community effort to sustain long-term environmental well-being.
DESCENT OF THE REFUGE (Dir. Molly Booth and Morgan Shields) 8:35 mins
A film following 3 friends on a skiing adventure in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This film focuses on the importance wild places have in our lives and why conservation of The Refuge is so important.
SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER/COMMENTATOR PENDING
SAISONS
SHORTS PROGRAM - Outdoors Adventure
watch the trailer >
buy tickets >
Eight Short Films for your enjoyment and thrills. Total Run Time is 77:15 mins.
SAISONS (Dir. Hugo Manhes)- 13:16 mins
'SAISONS' is a tribute to the grandiose and mystical landscapes of the Massif Central, an immaculate place located in the middle of France. From winter to spring, from summer to autumn, athletes practice their own disciplines in a wild and singular environment. Whether it's on snow, land, water or in the air, they do it without any concession, in a full commitment.
BERMUDIAN HUNTER (Dir. Curtis Albucher) - 6:08 mins
Bermudian Hunter takes us on a journey hunting the treacherous reefs of Bermuda, where the risk is worth the reward.
JACKSON HOLE MOUNTAIN GUIDES (Dir. Cheyne Lempe) - 4:00 mins
In their own words, meet the veteran team of Jackson Hole Mountain Guides.
PARADICE (A journey into frozen waterfalls)(Dir. Daniel Bleuer, Jonas Schild, Nicolas Hojac) - 18:00 mins
In winter, the Alps turn into a paradise for top alpine sport. Huge waterfalls freeze to ice and leave unique formations. Paradice shows three of the most beautiful Swiss ice climbing tours from an unusual perspective. A film about risk, responsibility and the beauty of nature.
DEE MOLEMAAR (Dir. Eric Becker) - 14:50 mins.
A living alpine legend and prolific artist revisits his favorite mountain on his 100th birthday.
RECYCLED TO RIDE (Dir. Anna Burns) 4:22 mins
'Recycled to Ride' features Korey Nolan, a local New Hampshire surfer and surf crafter. Nolan has blended his love of surfing with his passion for environmental advocacy to create sustainable, creative surf craft that inspires change. Along with his sustainable fin brand hydrophile surfcraft, Nolan is well known for his surfboards made of recycled trash and discarded fishing gear. The boards have drawn nationwide attention, and Nolan hopes that seeing them in the lineup at local beaches helps spread awareness of the need to protect our ecosystems in order to continue doing what we love the most in the outdoors.
BELGIUM WILDERNESS (Dir. Sébastien PINS) 2:30
In this short film of 2 minutes and thirty seconds, entirely shot in Belgium, I tell, with poetry and sensiblity, the way I appreciate Nature and wild Belgium landscapes. The ones which people don’t always suspect but in which I like spotting all these natural beauties and wealth which enrich me and make me a happy man. Indeed, you don’t need to go far to see beautiful things, and above all, to live extraordinary adventures.
NUBIVAGANT (Dir. Jacob Kupferman) 14:50 mins
In the summer of 2018, an American climbing team completed a free ascent of the Pico Cão Grande tower in São Tomé & Principe. The trip was documented through photos and video. Pico Cao Grande, also known as “Great Dog Peak,” is located on the coast of the southern part of Sao Tome. It’s a small nation, sharing dominion with the tiny Principe, and resides in the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean.
SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER/COMMENTATOR PENDING
Seasons of Change on Henry’s Farm
watch the trailer >
buy tickets >
For a quarter-century, Henry Brockman has worked alongside nature to grow delicious organic vegetables on his idyllic Midwestern farm. But farming takes a toll on his aging body and Henry dreams of scaling back. While his former apprentices run the farm, Henry spends a “fallow year” with his wife Hiroko in Japan. But things don’t turn out as planned, and Henry must grapple with the future of farming in a changing climate on personal, generational, and global levels.
Director, Producer: Ines Sommer
Producer: Terra Brockman
83 Minutes
SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER/COMMENTATOR —- Boulder ENOFF Festival director Richard Paradise interviews Ines Sommer, director of Seasons Of Change On Henry's Farm.
ONE OCEAN FILM TOUR
watch the trailer >
buy tickets >
Submerse yourself in the beauty, adventure and stories of One Ocean- America's Ocean Film Tour. Enjoy our hand-curated compilation of the most spectacular conservation, sport, adventure and unique stories of the seven seas as we present 92 minutes of gripping, non-stop tales.
92 Minutes
SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER/COMMENTATOR Pending
WATSON
watch the trailer >
buy tickets >
Co-founder of Greenpeace and founder of Sea Shepherd, Captain Paul Watson has spent 40 years fighting to end the destruction of the ocean's wildlife and its habitat.
Director: Lesley Chilcott | Star: Paul Watson
99 Minutes
SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER/COMMENTATOR — — Boulder ENOFF Festival director Richard Paradise interviews Paul Watson, Sea Shepherd founder, and director, Lesley Chilcott
ICE ON FIRE
watch the trailer >
buy tickets >
Can we reverse climate change? Ice on Fire explores the many ways we reduce carbon inputs to the atmosphere and, more important, how to "draw" carbon down, bringing CO2 out of the atmosphere and thus paving the way for global temperatures to go down. Reversing climate change is urgent, given that the world passed 400 parts per million CO2 in the atmosphere resulting in climate instability across the globe. We have heard the predictions but now climate related events are a daily reality - summer 2018 was the hottest on record, storms are stronger, droughts are longer, the arctic ice is thin or non-existent and antarctica is melting faster than predicted. Through visiting visionaries and scientists young and old, the film explores the deep hope that we can turn away from the brink. And, just as we figure out drawdown, we face an added complexity, the release of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas in the arctic, that is now entering the atmsphere. As the film says: "Is it game over? Or is it game on? As we have at hand, the ability, the capacity, and solutions that can reverse global warming...not mitigate, not reduce, not stabilize, but reverse.'
Director: Leila Conners
Narrator: Leonardo DiCaprio
88 Minutes