Abita

Directed by Shoko Hara & Paul Brenner

An animated short film about the dreams and realities of Fukushima children who can’t play outside due to radioactivity. Nature can't be decontaminated. The children in Fukushima have to be inside and cannot enjoy the freedom in the beautiful nature. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Badru's Story

Directed by Benjamin Drummond & Sara Joy Steele

Each year Badru Mugerwa sets 60 camera traps in the rugged forests of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. His work is part of the TEAM Network, a global web of field stations that provide an early warning system for loss of biodiversity in tropical forests. Badru and his fellow TEAM scientists have collected over one million images of mammals and birds to help guide conservation efforts. Learn more about the Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring Network: teamnetwork.org. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Chasing Water (2014 Encore)

Directed by Pete McBride

This film was shown in the 2012 EcoFocus, and we brought it back for the 2014 festival, where it was included in the Ripple Effect Film Project Events. 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. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

DamNation

Directed by Ben Knight, Travis Rummel

DamNation is a collection of impassioned voices and spirited stories from the people on both sides of this divisive issue of dam removal. Dam removal is at the center of modern environmental and cultural movements. The benefits from dams, including hydropower, urban water supply, irrigation, and flood protection have played a critical role in the development of the United States, but river ecosystems and Native American heritage have been greatly damaged. Now, many antiquated dams are classified as public safety hazards by the Army Corps of Engineers. Examining the history and controversy behind current and proposed dam removal projects, DamNation presents a dynamic perspective on mankind’s attempt to harness and control the power of water at the expense of nature. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Dying Green

Directed by Ellen Tripler

Set in the foothills of the Appalachians, this film explores one man’s vision of using green burials to conserve land. Dr. Billy Campbell, the town’s only physician, and his efforts have radically changed our understanding of burials in the United States. Dr. Campbell’s dream is to conserve one million acres of land. Dying Green focuses on the revolutionary idea of using our own death to fund land conservation and create wildlife preserves. Winner of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 39th Annual Student Academy Awards. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Espero? (Hope?)

Directed by Simone Giampaolo

A humorous and entertaining animated comedy that depicts how Gaia, our planet Earth, met humankind years and years ago, and the consequences of that meeting. A criticism of our modern society and of the way we've been "evolving" over the centuries. With a unique visual style, Espero? is also the very first 3D animated film fully dubbed in Esperanto, a beautiful universal language created over a hundred years ago to foster peace and international understanding between people. Trailer and screening times >>

EcoKids Film, Short Film

GMO OMG

Directed by Jeremy Seifert

Today in the United States, by the simple acts of feeding ourselves, we are unwittingly participating in the largest experiment ever conducted on human beings. Each of us unknowingly consumes genetically engineered food on a daily basis. The risks and effects to our health and the environment are largely unknown. Yet more and more studies are being conducted around the world, which only provide even more reason for concern. We are the oblivious guinea pigs for wide-scale experimentation of modern biotechnology. GMO OMG tells the story of a father's discovery of GMOs in relationship to his 3 young children and the world around him. We still have time to heal the planet, feed the world, and live sustainably. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Growing Cities

Directed by Dan Susman & Andrew Monbouquette

From rooftop farmers to backyard beekeepers, Americans are growing food like never before. Growing Cities tells the inspiring stories of these intrepid urban farmers, innovators, and everyday city-dwellers who are challenging the way this country grows and distributes its food. From those growing food in backyards to make ends meet to educators teaching kids to eat healthier, viewers discover urban farmers are harvesting a whole lot more than just good food. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Hidden Rivers of Southern Appalachia (Short Film Showcase)

Directed by Jeremy Monroe & Dave Herasimtschuk

Biodiversity. It’s in the rivers of the Amazon, the jungles of Borneo, the coral reefs of Belize... oh, and the creeks of Georgia. That’s right, Southern Appalachia is a little-known hotspot for aquatic life and is home to some wildly diverse fish, mussels, salamanders, crayfish and other critters. Hidden Rivers takes an immersive look at the little-known creatures of these waters, their striking beauty and extreme vulnerability. This film series focuses on how some Southerners are finding new ways to celebrate and protect this precious life, and reminding us all that biodiversity is everywhere and rivers are always deeper than you think! Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

Into the Gyre

Directed by Scott Elliott

Into the Gyre is a film documenting a groundbreaking expedition to study the location, extent and effect of plastic pollution in the North Atlantic Ocean. Thirty-four volunteer researchers, scientists and sailors participated in this five- week long adventure to the remote Sargasso Sea, east of Bermuda. Sailing on a 135-foot tall ship, the SSV Corwith Cramer, the film follows four of the scientists as they collect, count, and archive the plastic they encounter. Along the way, the film examines the history of plastics, the adverse effects it is causing in the ocean, and possible solutions to this problem. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

More Than Honey

Directed by Markus Imhoof

Oscar-nominated director Markus Imhoof tackles the vexing issue of why bees, worldwide, are facing extinction. With the tenacity of a man out to solve a world-class mystery, he investigates this global phenomenon, from California to Switzerland, China and Australia. Exquisite macro-photography of the bees (reminiscent of Microcosmos) in flight and in their hives reveals a fascinating, complex world in crisis. Writes Eric Kohn in Indiewire: "Imhoof captures the breeding of queen bees in minute detail, ventures to a laboratory to witness a bee brainscan, and discovers the dangerous prospects of a hive facing the infection of mites. In this latter case, the camera's magnifying power renders the infection in sci-fi terms, as if we've stumbled into a discarded scene from David Cronenberg's The Fly." This is a strange and strangely moving film that raises questions of species survival in cosmic as well as apiary terms. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

My First Fish

Directed by Ben Galland

My First Fish is a story about a boy’s first experience going steelhead fishing with his father on the Trinity River in Northern California. The film is focuses on the perspective of a child in this new magical environment and the exciting moment of catching his first fish. After and epic battle, the boy has a chance to hold the fish and once they make eye contact, the memory is etched into the child’s brain forever instilling a connection to the wild and the foundation for environmental stewardship. Then upon releasing the fish back into the river, we see him staring deeply into the water and the fish looking back at him, and its this connection to nature that will live on the child’s heart for years to come Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film, EcoKids Film

Population Boom

Directed by Werner Boote

The Earth's population reaches seven billion. Dwindling resources, mountains of toxic waste, hunger and climate change – all the results of overpopulation? Who says that the world is overpopulated? And how many is one too many? Werner Boote travels the globe and examines a stubborn view of the world that has existed for decades. But he sees a completely different question: Who or what is driving this catastrophic vision? Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Rock Wall Climbing

Directed by Jason Houston & Hal Clifford (Take One Creative)

How do big wall climbers get their start? With little walls, of course. This may be the case for 8-year-old climber Kathrin Houston, who convinces her father to build a climbing wall in the other half of their small two-car garage. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film, EcoKids Film

Shored Up

Directed by Ben Kalina

Shored Up tells the story of our modern coasts, where life on the edge of a rising sea has placed towns and cities on the front lines of climate change. Following frustrated scientists, confused politicians and level-headed surfers, Shored Up follows the conflicts that are erupting from New Jersey to North Carolina as the ocean rises and we challenge nature to an unwinnable duel. This is a documentary that asks critical questions about the future of coastal communities and our relationship to the land. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Slomo

Directed by Josh Izenberg

Depressed and frustrated with his life, Dr. John Kitchin abandons his career as a neurologist and moves to the beach. There, he undergoes a radical transformation into SLOMO, trading his lab coat for a pair of rollerblades and his IRA for a taste of divinity. Winner of multiple awards, including the Documentary Shorts Jury Award at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

SP#4

Directed by Carl Knickerbocker

Evolution of a society. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

The Clean Bin Project

Directed by Jenny Rustemeyer & Grant Baldwin

Grant and Jen go head to head in a comedic competition to live zero waste for an entire year. This multiple award winning, festival favorite shares moments of humor, struggle, and hope in the cinematic and creatively executed story of a couple who ask the question “What can an individual do?” Described as a combination of An Inconvenient Truth and Super Size Me, The Clean Bin Project features laugh out loud moments, stop motion animations, and captivating interviews with TED lecturers Chris Jordan and Captain Charles Moore. A fun and inspiring call to environmental action that speaks to crowds of all ages. Trailer and screening times >>

EcoKids Film, Short Film

The Ghosts in Our Machine

Directed by Liz Marshall

The Ghosts in Our Machines illuminates the lives of individual animals living within and rescued from the machine of our modern world. Through the heart and photographic lens of acclaimed animal photographer Jo-Anne McArthur, we become intimately familiar with a cast of non-human animals. The film follows McArthur over the course of a year as she photographs animal stories in parts of Canada, the U.S. and in Europe. Each story is a window into global animal industries: Food, Fashion, Entertainment and Research. McArthur has documented the lives of animals with heart-breaking empathic vividness and professionalism. Are non-human animals property to be owned and used, or are they sentient beings deserving of rights? Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

The Great Vacation Squeeze

Directed by John de Graaf, David Fox, Diana Wilmar, Greg Davis

The United States is the only rich country without a law requiring paid vacation time for workers, and American vacations, already among the shortest in the world, are getting shorter. Vacations matter - for health, family bonding, nature appreciation, and many other factors. Beautifully photographed in Yosemite National Park, Europe and Washington State, this film makes the case for more vacation time, using personal stories, humor and expert commentary from Yosemite National Park ranger Shelton Johnson, travel writer Rick Steves and cardiologist Sarah Speck, and suggests that Americans would do well to make vacation time a political policy issue. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film

The Human Experiment

Directed by Dana Nachman & Don Hardy

The Human Experiment lifts the veil on the shocking reality that thousands of untested chemicals are in our everyday products, our homes and inside of us. Simultaneously, the prevalence of many diseases continues to rise. From Oscar winner Sean Penn and Emmy winning journalists Dana Nachman and Don Hardy, The Human Experiment tells the personal stories of people who believe their lives have been affected by chemicals and takes viewers to the front lines as activists go head-to-head with the powerful and well-funded chemical industry. These activists bring to light a corrupt system that’s been hidden from consumers… until now. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

The Scared is Scared

Directed by Bianca Giaever

I asked a six year old what my movie should be about. This is what she told me. Trailer and screening times >>

Short Film, EcoKids Film

Thin Ice: The Inside Story of Climate Science

Directed by David Sington & Simon Lamb

Geologist Simon Lamb takes a look at what’s really happening with global warming, filming scientists at work in the Arctic, Antarctic, Southern Ocean, New Zealand, Europe and the USA. The result is both a unique exploration of the science behind global warming and an intimate portrait of a global community of researchers racing to understand our planet’s changing climate. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

This Space Available

Directed by Gwenaëlle Gobé

You can turn a page, change a channel or close a window on your computer, but you can't erase a billboard from a landscape. This Space Available is a captivating documentary that takes us to several of the world's greatest cities including Toronto to explore outdoor advertising's proliferation and dire lack of regulation. The film considers the blurry line dividing art and ads, questions the economic viability of billboards and asks: at what point does advertising become visual pollution? Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Tiny: A Story About Living Small

Directed by Merete Mueller & Christopher Smith

What is home? And how do we find it? TINY follows one couple's attempt to build a Tiny House from scratch with no building experience and profiles other families who have downsized their lives into houses smaller than the average parking space. Through homes stripped down to their essentials, the film raises questions about sustainability, good design, and the changing American Dream. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film

Wild Things

Directed by Daniel Hinerfeld, Molly O'Brien, Lisa Whiteman

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. Trailer and screening times >>

Feature Film