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EPIC Hosts Wild and Scenic Film Festival


Thursday, September 26 at the Arcata Theatre Lounge.

The Wild & Scenic Film Festival is a call to action. At Wild & Scenic, film goers are transformed into a congregation of committed activists, dedicated to saving our increasingly threatened planet. We show environmental and adventure films that illustrate the Earth’s beauty, the challenges facing our planet, and the work communities are doing to protect the environment. Through these films, Wild & Scenic both informs people about the state of the world and inspires them to take action. Wild & Scenic raises resources and awareness for EPIC’s initiatives to recover Northwest California’s native species and to protect and restore the redwood forest ecosystem.

Tickets can be purchased in advance at the EPIC Office at 145 South G Street, Suite A in Arcata. Call 822-7711 for more information.

Doors open at 6pm. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $8 for students.

****Special Membership Packages: include a one-year membership to EPIC, t-shirt and admission to the film festival $35 general/$25 student ****

FILM CHOICES:

Chasing Water Follow the Colorado River, source to sea, with photographer Pete McBride who takes an intimate look at the watershed as he attempts to follow the irrigation water that sustains his family’s Colorado ranch, down river to the sea. Traversing 1500 miles and draining seven states, the Colorado River supports over 30 million people across the southwest. It is not the longest or largest U.S. river, but it is one of the most loved and litigated in the world. Today, this resource is depleted and stressed. Follow its path with an artistic, aerial view on a personal journey to understand this national treasure. McBride teamed up with his bush-pilot father to capture unique footage and also shadowed the adventure of Jon Waterman who became the first to paddle the entire length of the river. Best Doc, Clearwater FF; Most Inspirational, 5 Point FF; Best Environmental Film, San Franscisco Frozen F. www.petemcbride.com  (18min)

Dark Side of the Lens Dark Side of the Lens is one man’s personal and heartfelt account of life as an ocean based photographer. This short film takes you on an eerie, stunning and moving journey amongst the epic oceanic grandeur of Ireland’s west coast. Renowned documentarian of the heavy salt, Mickey Smith, has succeeded in creating a visual poem of sorts, that offers a humble glimpse into his strange and magical world, reflecting insights that in turn ring true with many of our own lives. Best cinematography, 5Point FF; Best short, New York Surf FF; Grand Prize, Chamonix FF.  (6min)

Facing Climate Change: Potato Farmers John O’Conner grew Idaho potatoes where they had never been grown before. Then – with mountain snowpack dwindling – the state bought his water permanently drying up the farmland. This short film is part of a series that explores global climate change through people who live and work in the Pacific Northwest. (5min)

Finding Their Way Jen Slotterback was hiking in her favorite park when she found signs of surveying for industrial gas drilling, or fracking. She went home and told her husband Jim, and although the two had never been actively involved in the issue of gas drilling, they immediately began a campaign to save the park. The board that controlled the park was set to vote on whether to drill in the park in 11 days. The story of the Slotterback’s journey over those 11 days is the subject of this film. http://earthjustice.org/finding (7min)

Generation Green Generation Green follows the journey of Patrick Hearps, a young chemical engineer working at an oil refinery, as he becomes increasingly concerned about his companies contribution towards adverse climate change. Torn between his career and a higher obligation of environmental stewardship, his personal struggle reflects the great dilemma of our generation. Patrick’s courageous choices and eventual path forward highlight the actions needed to shape the world of tomorrow. www.beyondzeroemissions.org  (Australia, 2012, 13min)

Of Souls + Water – The MOTHER The life of a woman – her life, her dreams, her legacy – painted on the canvas of still waters in deep. (6min)

One Plastic Beach Richard Lang and Judith Selby Lang have been collecting plastic debris off one beach in Northern California for over ten years. Each piece of plastic Richard and Judith pick up comes back to their house, where it gets cleaned, categorized and stored before being used for their art. The couple make sculptures, prints, jewelry and installations with the plastic they find washed up, raising a deeper concern with the problem of plastic pollution in our seas. http://vimeo.com/18672227  (8min)

Public Lands, Private Profits: Boom or Bust The Center for American Progress, in partnership with the Sierra Club, undertook a series of video mini-documentaries that revealed three places held in the public trust threatened by pending proposals to mine and drill in or around them. In Part Two, we look at a fight brewing in a small Utah town over the expansion of a nearby coal mine and its effects on majestic Bryce Canyon National Park. (6min)

Song of the Spindle In this animation, a man and a sperm whale have a conversation about who is smarter. Each one lists various upsides and downsides of human and cetacean brains, but eventually come to an understanding. Audience Award for Short Film, Ashland Independent FF. www.drewchristie.com (4min)

The Story of Change Can shopping save the world? The Story of Stuff Project teamed up with Free Range Studios to create “The Story of Change” because shopping your values is a great place to start, but a terrible place to stop. In this video Annie Leonard walks through key ingredients for successful change-making: a big idea, commitment to work together, and citizen action. Watch this short animation and learn how you can flex your citizen muscle! www.storyofchange.org (6min)

Stories of TRUST: Calling for Climate Recovery, Part 1: TRUST California – WITNESS, Our Children’s Trust and the iMatter Campaign Stories of TRUST is the perfect trifecta of law, science, justice and daring youth who are pursuing what has been recognized as the last best chance to protect our atmosphere. In Part 1 of this series, meet youth plaintiff Alec Loorz, a 17-year old climate champion who has been working to find solutions to the climate crisis since he was 12. Alec inspired youth from around the country to join together with public interest attorneys, top law students, distinguished scholars and top climate scientists to take their case to court. (6min)

Streams of Consequence In summer 2010, photographer James ‘Q’ Martin and conservation biologist Chris Kassar started an organization called Rios Libres. The organization uses multi-media to join the fight to protect the wild lands of Patagonia from proposed dams that threaten two of the most pristine rivers in one of the world’s most spectacular regions.

Last April, Q traveled south once again and landed in the thick of some of the largest anti-dam protests the country has ever seen. He captured historic footage of the protests, then spent nine weeks traveling the length of the country talking to gauchos, scientists, activists and the public in search of answers. The result is a solution-based film that addresses the hard questions that remained unanswered in Rios Libres’s first film: “What does an alternative energy model look like?” “How do the Chileans feel about it?” and “Could Chile become a global leader by gaining energy independence via green technology?” www.rioslibres.com  (25min)

Wild Things Native carnivores balance ecosystems and keep wilderness healthy. But they are also seen as a threat to livestock, and for decades ranchers and government trappers have slaughtered them. The Wildlife Services program within U.S.D.A. kills a hundred thousand coyotes, wolves and other native carnivores annually. It is a battle against nature that is costly, brutal, and not very effective.  Does the battle really need to be fought? Wild Things introduces audiences to progressive ranchers learning to peacefully coexist with these animals and features scientists, conservationists and even former Wildlife Services trappers, who believe it is time for a major change in the way we treat our magnificent native carnivores. www.nrdc.org (39min)

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