In the Environment Centre
$8 or $7 to our members, includes refreshments
Reminder about the great variety of movies on tonight - Lines of Flight is about climbing, not birds, by the way!
Rethink the Shark 1 min
Rethink Happiness 2 min
Lines of Flight
Director: Sal Brown & Martin Wood
United Kingdom 2009 (22 mins)
“The discovery of a direction they didn’t know.”
Connecting industrial towns and the barren wilderness of the northern English moors and their gritstone outcrops, film makers Sal Brown and Martin Wood portray the adventure and sheer joy of escape through the physically and mentally demanding world of solo rock climbing. Using spectacular ascents of some of the Pennine region’s iconic gritstone climbs, the film considers the impact of social and economic transformations on the landscape and on the minds of a few individuals. A magnificent meditation on environment, place and humanity. As for the solo climbing — it’s for none but the utterly fearless (or foolish)! A film for any thoughtful person, whether you climb or not.
United Kingdom 2009 (22 mins)
CUD
Director: Joe York
USA 2009 (16 mins)
“My beef is just like industrial commodity beef except it’s healthier, safer, better for the environment, and it tastes better. Other than that it’s exactly the same.” — Georgia cattleman Will Harris
Grass-fed beef, the family farm and a dog named Possum: it could be anywhere in New Zealand, but this is the US. With humour and insight, fourth generation cattleman Will Harris provides a timely reminder that, in the grand scheme of things, grass fed beef in an organic context is a surprisingly sustainable land use and wealth generator.
The paradox for the New Zealand viewer is to see a farmer being held up by the environmental community as a paragon of agricultural virtue while remaining part of the USA’s environmentally disastrous approach to animal production. In New Zealand, that same farmer and his system would be slated by some environmentalists. What a difference a country and a context makes. A film guaranteed to dismay vegetarians and horrify vegans, but offering a different perspective on agriculture. Frank and refreshing.
Homegrown
Director: Jules Dervaes
USA 2009 (16 mins)
“You are in danger of becoming free.”
Fifteen minutes from downtown Los Angeles, an urban homesteader pioneers a journey toward self sufficiency. Inspired by a homesteading stint on New Zealand’s West Coast, Jules Dervaes went on to raise a family and run a microfarm enterprise on a tenth of an acre of land in a residential neighbourhood in Los Angeles. This homespun short film tells the story of how a vision for sustainability can enrich a person, a family and a community. An inspiration for kitchen gardeners and sustainability enthusiasts alike.
Dark Clouds 2 mins
The Hidden Life of the Burrowing Owl 5 mins
A Simple Question: The Story of Straw
Director: Kevin White and David Donnenfield
USA 2009 (34 mins)
Can a child’s question change the course of history? STRAW traces how an innocent question spawned an amazing response that restored not only a natural area network but also helped restore and connect a community. Starring a tiny shrimp, a massive watershed, politicians, mothers, farmers and youth, the well paced, hopeful story shows how a trickle of inspiration can develop into a cascade leading to healthier communities and healthier streams and creeks. The informal camera work and creative energy lend an accessible element to the film and story. One of the most inspiring short films of the 2010 Reel Earth Festival Season.
