Environmental/Wildlife Advocacy
SHORT FILM PROGRAM
Eight Short Films for your enjoyment and advocacy. Total Run Time is 81 Mins.
AKASHINGA “THE BRAVE ONES”
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.
13:00 mins
About the director
Maria Wilhelm is the Executive Director of the Avatar Alliance Foundation and President & COO of CAMERON Companies. She merges social advocacy with a focus on climate change with a broad range of commercial initiatives integrating new technologies and interests in China and elsewhere.
The Global Food Waste Crisis and the Danish Solution
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.
19:33 mins
About the director
Elise M. Dadourian aims to bring light to important matters with little attention. One of her current projects includes a documentary about her family's history with the Armenian Genocide; she is in the process of interviewing her 92 and 95 year old grandparents, who, until this point, have not been able to share their stories and have been carrying the weight of an unrecognized genocide for the majority of their lives. In addition to this project, she is working with the Biology Department of Brown University (her alma mater, '20) to help transition large lecture classes online for the coming year. She hopes to do so in a way that speaks to the excellence of a Brown education. Dadourian has also recently worked as an animator/ graphic artist for "Enduring Ice," a documentary about melting ice-caps in the north, and as a social media manager for Near Future Summit, an annual gathering of forward-thinking entrepreneurs and investors.
Traces
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…
12:00 mins
About the director
No doubt to have about Sebastien Pins’s commitment to nature, he has proved it. Fascinated by the beauty, the fragility and the mysteries of nature, Sebastien Pins has been interested in photography very early. Today, because of his attachment to the natural patrimony of the Ardennes and of his inhabitants, he tries, through his films, to reconcile Man with Nature by inviting the spectator to act positively in favor of the preservation of tomorrow’s world. In 2012 he made a short film called : “My Forest”, in which he succeeded to attract, with emotion and sensibility, strong moments, through a 3-year-old boy’s eyes. This short film was rewarded over and over again, in particular by the United Nationsin Istanbul “Forum on Forest”. It was selected in more than 100 festivals, among them the “Oscar ™ nominating festival”. His work is backed up by iconic personalities like Hubert Reeve, Marion Cotillard, Ségolène Royal, UNO, Frédérique Back, Tanguy Dumortier, Thierry Machado, Benjamin Stassen, etc. In 2014 he made the short film “A Passion of Gold and Fire,” telling us about a beekeeper’s concerns for the future of his Apiary School. This tribute to the beekeeper soon raised a worldwide success and was selected in numerous and famous festivals like the “Oscar ™ nominating Festival”. Mr Pins graduated in The Institute of Arts and Broadcasting. In 2015 he began the shooting of a short fiction film about a logger and his workhorse. He aimed at letting know and praising the work of these men, who contributed to the health and saveguard of our forests through centuries.
Alabama's Beautiful Cahaba Lilies
Named after one of the most biodiverse rivers in the nation, the rare Cahaba Lilies are endemic to the Southeastern United States. Each flower is in bloom for a single day, and their temporary beauty is a reminder of the need to preserve and protect Alabama’s precious Cahaba River.
2:00 mins
About the director
Lauren Musgrove is a filmmaker and actress from Houston, Texas. She received a BA in Media Production from The University of Alabama. She has won 3 Southeast Emmys and an INMA Global Media Award for her social media documentaries about the nature and people of the South, with Red Clay Media in Birmingham, Alabama. Her work in independent films and music videos has led to festival selections such as Cannes (Blackface - Editor), Tribeca (A Day in the Life of America - AL Cinematographer), and Sidewalk (RWB - Director, Editor, Co-Writer). She loves to blend genres, tell emotional stories, utilize fantastical imagery and words to convey truth, and has a particular interest in hybrid films.
ETHYL: Part 2
In this sequel to ETHYL: Part 1, we meet the 82-foot-long blue whale sculpture named Ethyl (as in polyethylene, the plastic) made from hand-recycled plastic trash and the artists, Yustina Salnikova and Joel Stockdill, who made her. Follow Ethyl’s journey, traveling from her birthplace in Monterey, CA to her new home in Santa Fe, NM, and her installation process on the campus of Santa Fe Community College. Students, faculty and community members partake in the sustainability programs at SFCC and welcome Ethyl to campus with a corn ceremony.
9:00 mins
About the director
Jody McNicholas is an award winning filmmaker and has been directing inspirational films since 2004. Jody directed Community Voices, a Meow Wolf original series highlighting non-profits and community members making a difference in New Mexico and beyond. The series has been featured on CNN and at film festivals across the US.
Through The Breaks
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.
9:30 mins
About the director
Tom Attwater is originally from Wichita, KS, but now lives in Missoula, MT. In the past he has worked seasonally as a backcountry instructor and river guide. He graduated from the University of Montana in 2016 with a BFA in Media Arts and Digital Video Production.
As a visual storyteller, Tom is interested in all mediums, but he primarily focuses on documentary filmmaking and photography. His ultimate goal is to bring the core of the story to the surface with subtle but powerful and creative techniques that encourage the audience to engage in the story. As an artist, he hopes to inspire other creative minds while having a positive influence on anyone viewing his work.
Our Catchment
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.
7:30 mins
About the director
San Franciscan, born Michael J. Lutman, is an award-winning independent filmmaker with a keen interest in environmental advocacy. His first feature documentary Plasticized (2011) followed Marcus Eriksen and the 5 Gyres Institute’s ground breaking plastic pollution research in the South Atlantic ocean. This film, along with the topical follow up Baykeepers (2014, OIFF Best Short Documentary), helped show that marine plastic pollution is part of a global epidemic. He has also created an extensive body of work for numerous NGO’s covering topics such as female employment in Afghanistan to battling poverty in Sri Lanka, such as the fundraising Cycle on Ceylon (2012) film for Practical Action’s (UK NGO) infrastructure projects. Bolstered by a commercial sensibility garnered from working as an editor for 8 years at one of Australia’s most respected post-production houses, The Butchery, Michael has a relentless passion for making soulful and thought provoking films challenging stagnant perspectives.
Descent of the Refuge
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.
8:35 mins
About the director
Molly Booth is an outdoor enthusiast who has a passion for experiencing the outdoors, preserving these wild spaces, and capturing their beauty through photography and film. She is a first time filmmaker and is the Director and Editor of the film Descent of the Refuge. Morgan Shields is the Director of Photography and Assistant Editor on this project. Morgan earned his degree from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and has since worked in the outdoor filmmaking industry working in a freelance capacity with industry leaders such as Camp4 Collective, Teton Gravity Research and Stept.