Cinema Verde 2014 Environmental Film Festival

GMO OMG director and concerned father Jeremy Seifert is in search of answers. How do GMOs affect our children, the health of our planet, and our freedom of choice? And perhaps the ultimate question, which Seifert tests himself: is it even possible to reject the food system currently in place, or have we lost something we can’t gain back? These and other questions take Seifert on a journey from his family’s table to Haiti, Paris, Norway, and the lobby of agra-giant Monsanto, from which he is unceremoniously ejected. Along the way we gain insight into a question that is of growing concern to citizens the world over: what's on your plate?

From Farm To Table is an Eco-documentary film showcasing a school's commitment to integrating stewardship of our earth's resources into its curriculum. The film follows students working in their school garden and sustainable organic farm from planting to harvesting and demonstrates the link between fresh locally grown sustainable products and healthier eating while simultaneously building community and promoting the stewardship of our earth's resources. The important issues of conservation, preservation, biodiversity and animal welfare are addressed. In conclusion, as a call to action we are encouraged to learn more, ask questions and take action by growing our own food and buying local food.

As We Grow is a short documentary following the development of Tallahassee Sustainability Group, a young Tallahassee student organization dedicated to educating the public about food and agriculture, increasing accessibility to fresh, healthy, food, and strengthening communities by means of urban farming. Though there are many problems that exist in our current industrialized food system, motivated people can begin our transition to a healthy food system by taking action locally and building a sustainable local food community. The concept of urban farming is paramount to this transition and growing food on unused or underutilized land where people actually live is the first step to food security and empowerment

Vermont herbalists Jeff and Melanie Carpenter sold their natural products business to buy raw land and start an organic farm to grow medicinal herbs, rather than source them from half-way around the world.

A documentary film that examines the role of urban farming in America and asks how much power it has to revitalize our cities and change the way we eat.

Hungry for Justice: Spotlight on the South provides a snapshot of the injustices present in our current food system and introduces one of the promising market-based solutions that has arisen—Food Justice Certification. It tells the story of one farm in the South and their commitment to focus on social justice issues for their farmworkers by seeking this certification and market label. Food Justice Certification, a project of the Agricultural Justice Project (AJP), is a unique program in the domestic fair trade movement as it is the only verification program in the marketplace that has included farmworkers and farmworker representatives in the development of the certification standards and includes them in the verification process.

Reynaldo lives in the Rainforest region of Manu in Peru. Early on in his life he was a farmer and cleared the forest for his crops, moving to new land when the soil turned barren. After many years he realised he needed to change the way he lived, to live a more sustainable life. He taught himself agroforestry, a method of farming which works alongside nature; the crops feed the soil and trees provide shade and protection from the wind. Now he helps farmers all across the region to work in this way, also helping families to grow their own food, battling malnutrition. Reynaldo reveres the forest and has a passion to help keep it alive. By helping people to change the way they live and work he is helping build a future for people and forest alike.

Sea the Truth is the second documentary of the scientific bureau of the party for the animals, which is the only political party in the World that represents animals. The documentary shows us the conditions of the oceans, which is shocking. In 2048 the oceans will be emptied, if we do not act today! Seen through the eyes of underwater photographer Dos Winkel, this documentary follows two marine scientists as they research his observations and come to the conclusion that we should not eat fish anymore. Not only are the oceans polluted but the fish we eat too. This and other issues such as overfishing, by-catch and problems in fish farms are addressed.

Amidst national controversy surrounding the potential dangers of hydraulic fracturing, or 'fracking,' environmental activist Pauline Matt stands alone to protect her native homeland - the Blackfeet Reservation of northern Montana.

Bhopali is an award winning documentary about the survivors of the 1984 Union Carbide gas disaster of Bhopal, India. What was one of the world's worst industrial disasters of the past continues to cause suffering of thousands to this day, prompting victims to fight for justice against Union Carbide (now owned by DOW Chemical), the American corporation responsible.

What if the greatest chemical disaster of our time did not involve oil spills or nuclear meltdowns? Instead, imagine much lower levels of exposure, inflicted over several generations and affecting every person on the planet. The result: rising rates of everything from cancer to autism to infertility. This is the shocking reality explored in The Human Experiment. The film follows a band of unlikely activists who are fighting back. Ranging from Howard, a conservative businessman, to Jessica, a teenage radical, they are stalking their reputation, career and future in this battle to protect our health. And their opposition is Goliath, the powerful chemical industry is heavily invested in maintaining the status quo, pulling unseen strings to create an aura of skepticism and confusion.

In 2010, the United States announced the first new nuclear power plant construction in over 32 years. The 'Nuclear Renaissance' was born, and America's long-stalled expansion of nuclear energy was infused with new life. On March 11, 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit Japan and caused chaos at the Fukushima Power Plant. That accident sent ripples all the way to the US and suddenly the fierce debate over the safety and viability of nuclear power was back in the public consciousness. Our documentary takes the viewer on a journey to reactor communities around the country. This film exposes the truths and myths of nuclear power, and poses the question of whether or not man can responsibly split the atom.

Cape Spin! An American Power Struggle tells the surreal, fascinating, tragicomic story of the battle over America’s most controversial clean energy project. Cape Wind would be the U.S.’s first offshore wind farm… But strange alliances formed for and against: Kennedys, Kochs, and everyday folks do battle with the developer and green groups over the future of American power. With full access to both sides, a commitment to impartial storytelling and fueled by a satiric ‘revolutionary’ soundtrack, Cape Spin! is a “gripping and entertaining study of eco-capitalism and grassroots democracy. It proves that environmental films can be crowd pleasers, and not at all just about the environment.”

Gasland Part II, which premiered at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival, shows how the stakes have been raised on all sides in one of the most important environmental issues facing our nation today. The film argues that the gas industry’s portrayal of natural gas as a clean and safe alternative to oil is a myth and that fracked wells inevitably leak over time, contaminating water and air, hurting families, and endangering the earth’s climate with the potent greenhouse gas, methane. In addition the film looks at how the powerful oil and gas industries are in Fox's words "contaminating our democracy".

An estimated 42 people a year have been killed in Chicago by the Fisk and Crawford coal-burning plants, two of the oldest remaining in the US. Leila Mendez, who has lived 4 blocks from the Fisk since she was 9 years old, knew nothing about this until she herself got cancer. She has since worked tirelessly to shut down these plants, which she comes to realize disproportionately affect people of color. Monsters follows Leila over several years - through triumphs and setbacks - and above all is testimony to the power of hope. "I was raised to believe in David and Goliath," she says. "That you can slay the giant."

Do the Math is based on a Rolling Stone article by Bill McKibben last year, and on a multi-city tour he took over the last few months. He states we only need to know three numbers to understand climate change. This film opens up the debate on the issue.

This film reveals how diverse environmental problems, from climate change to species extinction to ruined ecosystems, are all ultimately rooted in the “growth at all costs” attitude that pervades modern industrial society. Through beautiful and disturbing images and interviews with ecological scholars, spiritual leaders and activists, The Wisdom to Survive argues that the survival of humanity and most living beings on the planet will not come from technology, but from a profound raising of consciousness and deep spiritual transformation of humans who finally realize that we must live differently on planet earth.

Last Call tells the story of the rise and fall, and today's rebirth of one of the most controversial and inspiring environmental books of all times: 'The Limits to Growth'. Its message is today more relevant than ever: unlimited growth in a limited planet will bring our society and environment into overshoot and on the edge of collapse. Supported by extraordinary archive materials, 'The Limits to Growth' authors provide a provocative insight on the reasons of the global crisis and share their visions of our common future. Is there still time for a last call?

Psychiatrist and musician Clark advocates for natural burial – and plans his own – while battling lymphoma. Capturing the genesis of a revolutionary social and environmental movement, this film is a life-affirming portrait of people coming to terms with mortality by embracing our connection to death and nature.

Life wants to live. It is not a thing, it is a process. In this film, which is constructed as a journey, we discover men and women who make a living out of death and have chosen to work in the funeral world, in Belgium, the Netherlands and Great Britain.

Why should you care about privacy if you're not doing anything "wrong"? Privacy is important, even if you think you have nothing to hide. It is the basis of free speech and a core value of all Americans.

A Fierce Green Fire: The Battle for a Living Planet is the first big-picture exploration of the environmental movement – grassroots and global activism spanning fifty years from conservation to climate change. Directed and written by Mark Kitchell, Academy Award-nominated director of Berkeley in the Sixties, and narrated by Robert Redford, Ashley Judd, Van Jones, Isabel Allende and Meryl Streep, the film premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2012, has won acclaim at festivals around the world, and in 2013 begins theatrical release as well as educational distribution and use by environmental groups and grassroots activists. Inspired by the book of the same name by Philip Shabecoff and informed by advisors like Edward O. Wilson, A Fierce Green Fire chronicles the largest movement of the 20th century and one of the keys to the 21st. It brings together all the major parts of environmentalism and connects them. It focuses on activism, people fighting to save their homes, their lives, the future – and succeeding against all odds.

For nearly 40 years, Scott Camil has worked as an educator and activist visiting classrooms and lecture halls speaking out against war as “organized murder.” Scott Camil Will Not Die focuses on Camil's work in these spaces, examining the intersections between Camil as historical figure, Camil as educator, and Camil as himself—a complex individual who struggles with the psychological traumas of war and refuses to be silenced.

Yogi, Buddhist teacher and activist Michael Stone arrives on a pilgrimage to Japan, in the wake of the tsunami and Fukushima meltdown. Reactor is a short film project that aims to uncover how and why we can let go of our old stories, and move towards personal and social awakening.

From Michel Gondry, the innovative director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep, comes this unique animated documentary on the life of controversial MIT professor, philosopher, linguist, anti-war activist and political firebrand Noam Chomsky. Through complex, lively conversations with Chomsky and brilliant illustrations by Gondry himself, the film reveals the life and work of the father of modern linguistics while also exploring his theories on the emergence of language. The result is not only a dazzling, vital portrait of one of the foremost thinkers of modern times, but also a beautifully animated work of art.

The Paw Project documentary is an inspiring David and Goliath story of a grassroots movement to protect felines, both large and small, from the cruelty of declawing and how the movement has prevailed, despite the efforts of well-funded professional veterinary associations. In the United States today, approximately 25% of domesticated cats are declawed. Declawing is the amputation of the last bone in a cat's toes. Despite the physical and behavioral harm inflicted on cats who are declawed, many veterinarians continue to recommend the procedure, which costs upwards of $1,200. per hour – even for very young kittens. These are animals we love, and with whom we share our homes. Why aren't we being told the truth about what the declawing procedure involves? The Paw Project chronicles the happy and unexpected twist of fate that led to the protection of many animals through the grassroots advocacy efforts led by Dr. Conrad and The Paw Project.

In 1975, a young writer published a book arguing that no justifications exist for considering humans more important than members of other species. It slowly began to gain attention. Today, a quickly growing number of prominent individuals and political activists are adopting its conclusions. They have termed the assumption of human superiority speciesism. As a result, they rank these animal factories among the greatest evils in our history. Speciesism brings viewers face-to-face with the leaders of this developing movement, and, for the first time ever on film, fully examines the purpose of what they are setting out to do.

Across much of the USA and Canada, the black bear population has risen dramatically since the 1970's. Because boundaries now blur between natural bear habitats and human occupied landscapes, bear-human conflicts regularly repeat themselves. So, from the perspective of a street wise dalmatian dog, this film asks people to re-evaluate their behaviors to assure the longevity and health of this amazing species.

In October 2002, the first political party worldwide was founded which does not base its policy on human-centric thinking. The Party for the Animals represents a new political movement that values animal welfare and the environment. "The foundation of The Party for the Animals was received with much skepticism within traditional politics. However, the Party for the Animals quickly appeared to function as a pacer in the marathon", recalls Marianne Thieme - co-founder and party leader. The Pacer in the Marathon is a documentary on the first ten years of the Party for the Animals. Next to in-depth interviews with the party founders, the film provides an insight into the public reception of this pioneering political movement, within science, politics and media.

We buy it, we bury it, we burn it and then we ignore it. Does anyone think about what happens to all the trash we produce? We keep making things that do not break down. We have all heard these horrifying facts before, but with Jeremy Irons as our guide, we discover what happens to the billion or so tons of waste that goes unaccounted for each year. On a boat in the North Pacific he faces the reality of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and the effect of plastic waste on marine life. We learn that chlorinated dioxins and other man-made Persistent Organic Pollutants are attracted to the plastic fragments. These are eaten by fish, which absorb the toxins. We then eat the fish, accumulating more poisonous chemicals in our already burdened bodies. Meanwhile, global warming, accelerated by these emissions from landfill and incineration, is melting the ice-caps and releasing decades of these old poisons, which had been stored in the ice, back into the sea. And we learn that some of the solutions are as frightening and toxic as the problem itself. Academy Award winning actor Jeremy Irons is no stranger to taking centre stage. But his role as our guide in Trashed highlighting solutions to the pressing environmental problems facing us all, could well be his most important yet. “We’ve made this movie, because there are so many people who feel strongly the urgent need for the problem of ‘waste’ and ‘sustainability’ to be addressed,” Irons says. “There is an equally urgent need for the most imaginative and productive solutions to this troublesome subject to be understood and shared by as many communities as possible throughout the world. This is where movies can play such an important role, educating society, bringing ‘difficult’ subjects to the broadest possible audience."

Just outside the snowy, crumbling town of Grants, New Mexico, is a 200-acre pile of toxic uranium waste, known as tailings. After 30 years of failed cleanup, the waste has deeply contaminated the air and water near the former uranium capital of the world. While those in town want the prosperity that new uranium mining would bring, the 200 residents who live near the tailings pile have had enough of the uranium legacy. Tailings is a cinematic, Gasland-esque investigation into the little-known conflict that is a grim reminder of the past, and a timely notice for the future of nuclear energy.

A documentary short on the effects of a contaminated 3.5-mile long natural tidal channel located in the heart of San Juan's poorest community.

In March of 2012 four students from the President’s Leadership Circle at Frostburg State University journeyed to a remote village in Uganda to discover a radically simple solution to an urgent global problem. What they found there changed their lives in unexpected ways. A Simpler Way is a documentary production from Frostburg State University and Interdependent Pictures in association with Water School. The film explores the need for simple, affordable solutions to global development issues and the role of experience in meaningful, transformative education.