49 Megawatts
Canada (2007)
31 minutes
Director: Bryan Smith
 After a century of drowning the world’s river valleys, is hydro power actually renewable? A keen kayaker, Bryan Smith captures the passion and debate around a new hydro-power project on the Ashlu River in British Columbia. In the rich tradition of the campaigns to save rivers throughout the Pacific Northwest, this film skilfully incorporates a balanced series of interviews and is set against a backdrop of river development throughout British Columbia. 49 megawatts will resonate with those who have rivers in their veins, and those interested in the consequences of the privatisation of water.
Thursday 22 May / 7 pm / The Globe
Saturday 7 June / 5:45 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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A Makara Windfarm: a debate
New Zealand (2007)
5 minutes
Director: Alex Johnson, Alice Meads, Hana Small
 Camera in hand, the team reported as the Makara wind farm debate raged in Wellington. At the heart of the debate is the Makara Guardians Committee court battle against Meridian Energy developing 70 wind turbines at Makara. They argue that wind turbines produce unacceptable sound pollution. Does it? The team presented a number of different views, including those of a Makara Guardian Committee member, a Meridian Energy representative and Economic Development Minister, Trevor Mallard. What decision would you make?
Wednesday 28 May / 5:45 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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A World Without Jam...
United Kingdom (2008)
12 minutes
Director: Peter King
 Imaginative members of the Woman’s Institute bring the causes and effects of climate change into the home as they contemplate the potential impacts on daily family life. Transported into the future, A World Without Jam is a surprising film that illustrates the power of individual actions.
Thursday 29 May / 2 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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An Alchemy in Green
New Zealand (2005)
50 minutes
Director: Dave Dawson
 Can the creativity and energy of one man restore a landscape? Sometimes yes. An Alchemy in Green is a compelling story of an individual’s determination to restore life to a ravaged land. Following the story of Barry Brickell – artist, railway builder and nature conservationist - this film is a relevant and interesting exploration of the loss and restoration of New Zealand’s impressive forests, shot on the Coromandel Penninsula.
Tuesday 27 May / 8 pm / Downtown Cinemas
Thursday 29 May / 5:45 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Brave New West
United States of America (2008)
86 minutes
Directors: Doug Hawes-Davis & Drury Carr
 Brave New West is an off-the-wall odyssey that tells the story of how one man’s passion for the natural world fuelled the creation of an extraordinary and unlikely institution in the American West. It also shows how the passion of youth is tempered and ripens with age into a balanced view of a natural world. Jim Stiles arrived in Utah in 1975, a follower of the cult of Ed Abbey, a copy of Desert Solitaire in his backpack, and a dream of preserving the natural beauty of the American Southwest via any means. Three decades on, with most of the Ed Abbey followers having long ago dispersed, Stiles remains – a on-man show who has devoted his life to carrying on Abbey’s legacy. When he realises that his beloved town of Moab, Utah is beginning to deteriorate with every new subdivision, Stiles begins a crusade. Stiles has been branded a curmudgeon, a hermit, and a modern-day Don Quixote, and he is no stranger to controversy. In his vision to keep his independent paper going, Stiles traverses the high ground around the more nebulous and difficult questions arising from concern about our environment.
Tuesday 27 May / 5:45 pm / Downtown Cinemas
Friday 6 June / 8 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Bright Ideas
New Zealand (2007)
4 minutes
Directors: Ross Inness-McLeish, Jack Tippler, Ollie Neas , Nelson Boys College
 Can Nelson Boys College be brighter about its energy bill? You bet! The cast and crew take up the challenge with enthusiasm and creativity, reclaiming kilowatts left right and centre with there school wide campaign to educate and motivate change.
Saturday 24 May / 7 pm / The Globe
Tuesday 3 June / 8 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Broken Arrow: nuclear accident in Palomares
Spain (2007) Some English subtitles
95 minutes
Director: José Herrera Plaza
 This explosive documentary takes the lid off a quiet part of the American military’s nuclear legacy. In January of 1966 two American airplanes collided over Palomares (Almeria/Spain). On board were four H-bombs, two of which exploded upon impact with the earth. Aided by a strong wind radioactive material was scattered over the Palomares region. Broken Arrow is a well produced documentary that counteracts claims of nuclear safety in the context of war machines.
Monday 26 May / 5:45 pm / Downtown Cinemas
Thursday 5 June / 2 pm / Downtown Cinemas |
Calici: a rural conspiracy
New Zealand (2007)
24 minutes
Director: Claudia Babirat
 Calici: a rural conspiracy makes for compelling viewing as it examines the illegal release of the Calici rabbit virus in the South Island ten years ago. Motivated by despair and desperation, frustrated by perceived bureaucratic delays, and with the risk of dire consequences, the farming community took the introduction and spread of the Calici virus into their own hands. The illegal introduction and spread of the Calici virus was viewed by some as a gutsy act to save farms and the nation from the devastating impacts of high rabbit populations, and by others as an act of environmental crime. With informative and amusing interviews with local farmers, MAF officials, and politicians, Calici is an entertaining and thought provoking look at ‘kiwi ingenuity’ in the face of biosecurity checks and balances.
Saturday 24 May / 7 pm / The Globe
Monday 2 June / 5:45 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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cheat neutral
United Kingdom (2007)
13 minutes
Director: Beth Stratford
 Two young men launch a cunning corporate parody of the notion that carbon trading is of itself a solution to global climate change. Simply put, when you cheat on your partner you add to the heartbreak, pain and jealousy in the atmosphere. So what if there was an easy solution to counteract all that pain? Welcome to Cheatneutral.com This ingenious duo’s website will, for a small fee, offset your cheating by funding someone else to be increasingly faithful, or even celibate. This brilliant offset neutralises the pain and unhappy emotion your infidelity may have caused, ensuring that there is no net increase in emotional pain in the world. This service has the added appeal of leaving the cheater with a clear conscience. It is on this notion that this clever and satirical short film builds to proposition that carbon offsetting, based on a similar philosophy to Cheatneutral, is also a joke.
Saturday 24 May / 7 pm / The Globe
Wednesday 28 May / 5:45 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Children of Armageddon
Canada (2008)
95 minutes
Director: Fabienne Lips-Dumas
 Join the director as he steers you steadfastly into the wake of a nuclear legacy launched in Japan and stretching into the South Pacific, exploring the human side of a string of very unnatural disasters. Children of Armageddon is a passionate, deeply moving and well produced film which explores the legacy of nuclear arms in New Zealand and around the world. The themes of this emotional film are presented through the experiences of three young woman and set against the backdrop of a potential nuclear renaissance.
Sunday 25 May / 8 pm / Downtown Cinemas
Wednesday 4 June / 5:45 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Common Scents
Canada (2007)
3 minutes
Director: Steve Whitehouse
 A whimsically animated tale of lust, greed and the overwhelming desire to smell good. Common Scents is a brilliantly crafted allegory warning of the dangers of mindless and unsustainable resource use.
Thursday 22 May / 7 pm / The Globe
Friday 30 May / 2 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Coral Connections
Mexico (2007) Some English subtitles
15 minutes
Director Ana Salceda (Sea Studios)
 The 4.7 million annual visitors to the Mexican Riviera Maya come for the white beaches, the sun, the natural beauty, often with little consideration of their impact. Coral Connections explores the tension between tourism, the local economy, the Peninsula’s water system and the sustainability of the coral reef to a backdrop of beautiful imagery.
Sunday 1 June / 5:45 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Countdown on the Yangtze
Germany (2008)
52 minutes
Director: Thomas Weidenbach
 Shot with an eye for detail, Weidenbach’s newest film traverses one of the greatest environmental revolutions China has ever known. Over the last decade, construction has been underway on a single structure of unimaginable size - the world’s largest dam. But at what cost is this economic miracle to the Yangtze River and the two million people forced to relocate? An impressive, professional, and well-narrated journey into a very old world, and another that is just coming into form.
Sunday 1 June / 8 pm / Downtown Cinemas
Saturday 7 June / 2 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Crash: a tale of two species
United States Of America (2008)
56 minutes
Director: Allison Argo
 Experience a beautiful and unusual relationship between man and animal, and between the most ancient sea species and a global migratory bird. The horseshoe crab is harvested for fishing bait and thanks to its copper rich blood, for medicinal purposes. The migratory red knot, is dependent on the horseshoe crab’s eggs after flying across an entire hemisphere. Both species are declining. Crash illustrates nature's amazing ability to create fragile connections between species, and of our potential as humans to damage or destroy those connections -- or restore them.
Thursday 29 May / 5:45 pm / Downtown Cinemas
Tuesday 3 June / 2 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Crude Impact
United States Of America(2006)
97 minutes
Director: James Jandak Wood
 Crude Impact is a powerful and timely story that deftly explores the interconnection between human domination of the planet and the discovery and use of oil. This documentary film exposes our deeprooted dependency on the availability of fossil fuel energy and examines the future implications of peak oil — the point in time when the amount of petroleum worldwide begins a steady, inexorable decline. Journeying from the West African delta region to the heart of the Amazon rainforest, from Washington to Shanghai, from early man to the unknown future, Crude Impact chronicles the collision of our insatiable appetite for oil with the rights and livelihoods of indigenous cultures, other species and the planet itself. It is a thought-provoking story filled with discovery, sorrow, outrage, humor and ultimately, hope.
Friday 30 May / 5:45 pm / Downtown Cinemas
Wednesday 4 June / 2 pm /Downtown Cinemas
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Cry Sea
Italy (2007)
55 minutes
Director: Luca Cusani
 Tightly woven documentary investigates the impacts when two economies collide leaving in its wake a way of life. Off the west coast of Africa, 500 European fishing factory vessels with radars, GPS and the ability to fish deep and wide for two months non-stop enter the Senegalese traditional fishing grounds and extract enormous quantities of fish for the European market. Meanwhile, 15,000 Senegalese pirogues manned by village fishermen using the movement of the water, the moon’s reflection, and amulets provided by the spiritual guides of the villages try to catch what few fish remain to nourish 600,000 people on shore, as they have for centuries. The European Union pays 18 million euros to the Senegalese Government to enter it’s waters, but little gets to the village. The payment is not preventing the demise of an entire economy or depletion of a resource. The current fish stocks of the Senegalese waters is anticipated to last only another decade.
Wednesday 4 June / 8 pm / Downtown Cinemas
Saturday 7 June / 2 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Dangerous Catch
United States Of America (2008)
57 minutes
Director: David Elisco
 A series of strange, seemingly unrelated events are unfolding across the globe. The events are connected by a common theme - over-fishing. Using impressive graphic effects, Dangerous Catch highlights that the world’s demands on the ocean are impacting life far beyond the shoreline, extending even to the Earth’s own life support systems.
Thursday 29 May / 8 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Death on the Beach
New Zealand (2008)
46 minutes
Director: Justin Pemberton
 Stranded souls or bewildered beasts? We in New Zealand have the poor luck of witnessing an unusually high frequency of whale strandings, thanks in part to our unique landforms. Death On The Beach is an intimate and moving portrait of the special relationship mankind has with the most enigmatic of all creatures, the whales. From the emotional distress of the whale-loving “blubber huggers”, to the spiritual response of indigenous people and the bewildered scientists and conservationists, this documentary expertly captures the human response to crises in the lives of one of our favourite and most mysterious animals.
Friday 23 May / 7 pm Globe Theatre
Friday 30 May / 8 pm /Downtown Cinemas
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Dirty Secrets
United States Of America (2008)
60 minutes
Director: Rob Whittlesey
The old saying about ‘something in the water’ rings eerily true in Rob Whittlesey’s latest investigative documentary produced for National Geographic. Something is amiss in the water supply – ecological processes are breaking down and many species are being effected. Meanwhile, a known hormone-disrupting chemical is being detected in America’s streams, rivers, and estuaries. Dirty Secrets is a relevant documentary that tracks the mysteries of the causes, and impacts of, declining water quality.
Friday 30 May / 8 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Earth Film
New Zealand (2007)
2 minutes
Directors: Awatapu College
This micro film from Awatapu College explores the relationship with the Earth as our collective home. Its your one chance to see the work of budding local talent up on the big screen.
Tuesday 3 June / 8 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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eDump
United States Of America (2007) Some English subtitles
20 minutes
Director: Michael Zhao
Afloat in the digital revolution, what happens when the latest gadget is trumped and then dumped? The unregulated dumping and dismemberment of toxic electronic waste continues to be a growing social and environmental issue - the cost of which is largely borne by the health of the environment and people in China, India and other developing countries. eDump is a disturbing yet enlightening exposé along a twisted trail of electronic waste.
Sunday 1 June 5:45 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Energy Crossroads: the burning need to change course
United States Of America (2006)
67 minutes
Director: Christophe Fauchere
If you’re headed in the wrong direction, does it help to drive faster? Most experts agree that global peak production of fossil fuel will soon occur, drastically changing the very fabric carrying our industrialised world. Energy Crossroads takes the high road to happiness, spotlighting the opportunities for renewable energy, coupled with higher efficiency and conservation, as sensible solutions for sustaining our quality of life.
Thursday 5 June / 5:45 pm/ Downtown Cinemas
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Eternal Mash
Netherlands (2007) English subtitles
53 minutes
Director: Catherine Van Campen
Championing garden style biodiversity, vegetable veteran Ruurd Walrecht has embarked on a life-long crusade to protect, preserve and maintain an incredible collection of hundreds of historic crop strains and species on the brink of extinction. Eternal Mash is one man’s story, compellingly told by his colourful mix of helpers. From salads to sweet potatos, this film will give you a whole new appreciation for the vegetable among us.
Tuesday 27 May / 8 pm / Downtown Cinemas
Saturday 31 May / 2 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Exhuming Adams
New Zealand (2005)
24 minutes
Director: Brant Backlund and Thassilo Franke 
Exhuming Adams tells the story of a mistletoe plant that mysteriously disappeared from New Zealand a half century ago, only to survive as a painting and a memory. Set amongst New Zealand’s spectacular wilderness, dusty museum collections and high-tech laboratories, the film explores the clues that may dissolve this mystery. An exciting forensic investigation reveals a lethal chain of seemingly unrelated events, leading to the complete annihilation of this extraordinary plant. One small change in nature can have drastic unforeseen consequences…
Friday 23 May / 7 pm Globe Theatre
Tuesday 3 June / 8 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Fins Flukes and Family
New Zealand (2006)
10 minutes
Director: Mike Potton 
Fins Flukes and Family highlights the role of genetics as a critical tool in the conservation of whales and dolphins in the Hauraki Gulf. Using mitochondrial DNA, scientists can examine current populations and make informed predictions for the future. This short film made by students of Nelson College, provides hope alongside a message of caution.
Sunday 1 June / 5:45 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Fishy Business
Australia (2008)
14 minutes
Director: Chris Johnson
Invisible deadly nets dangle deep in seven seas. Despite a world-wide ban, the driftnet fishery continues illegally throughout the Mediterranean. Fishy Business uses dramatic footage and informative interviews to compactly document the plight of populations of migratory fish, sea turtles and cetaceans caught in the driftnets, and the efforts of Oceana, an organisation working to stop driftnetters in their tracks.
Friday 23 May / 7 pm / The Globe
Friday 30 May / 2 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Gates of the Arctic: Alaska's Brooks Range
United States Of America (2007)
57 minutes
Director: Rory Banyard
Veteran filmmaker Rory Banyard explores one of the wildest places left to our planet, skilfully capturing the atmosphere of the land and the people. The Brooks Range, Alaska is one of the wildest places on earth, and stands in many people’s eyes as the postcard image of wilderness. Gates of the Artic skilfully captures the atmosphere of the land and the people, intertwining stories from Nunamiut Eskimo culture, a local subsistence hunter and trapper, and passionate conservationists who were inspired by these stunning landscapes to start a national wilderness protection movement. This is a visually breathtaking portrait of a remote land, its people, and its wildlife.
Thursday 5 June / 8 pm / Downtown Cinemas
Friday 6 June / 2 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Global Warming: solutions
United States Of America (2007)
50 minutes
Director: Stacey Stone
Perhaps the sky is falling, but solutions are coming. What are they, and how are they being brought into our lives? Stacey Stone proficiently profiles individuals and businesses that have shifted their thinking from personal to global concerns in response to the threat of global warming. The film explores the difficulties faced and the rewards gained by living in practical, profitable, and responsible ways. Global Warming is a constructive documentary that leads to a sustainable future by example.
Saturday 31 May / 8 pm / Downtown Cinemas
Thursday 5 June / 8 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Hybrid.Pedal
United States Of America (2007)
27 minutes
Director: Dan Austin
Hybrid.Pedal is a thousand-mile bike ride across the Western United States. Along the way, the riders interact with grassroots groups and draw attention to seven endangered wildland areas. Hybrid.Pedal is an upbeat film which encompasses the ethos of protection and recreation in wild places, and celebrates the successful coming together of industry and conservation.
Friday 30 May / 2 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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In Only One Direction
New Zealand (2007)
5 minutes
Director: Rik Roberts
Through classic Kiwi wit, In Only One Direction asks if the debate surrounding global warming may itself be leading to an apathetic lack of action. And the consequences? Positively fishy.
Wednesday 28 May / 5:45 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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In The Pink
India (2006)
24 minutes
Director: Ashima Narain
Is pollution good for birdlife? Every year, 20,000 flamingos arrive in the polluted city of Mumbai, India. The increase of nutrients in the waterways has led to an increase of algae, the food source of flamingos. But how long before pollution starts to have a negative impact on the ecosystem? This is a visually stunning documentary from the subcontinents pulsing heart which poses some hard questions.
Wednesday 28 May / 2 pm / Downtown Cinemas
Friday 30 May / 2 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Just a Lawn
Canada (2007)
13 minutes
Director: Megan Durnford
Just a Lawn follows the evolution of the lawn from humble beginnings to an iconic element in the suburban landscape. During this love affair with the lawn, a reliance of pesticides and herbicides has been cemented. This lively and fascinating short story explores and exposes the link between these chemicals, human health and the environment.
Wednesday 28 May / 5:45 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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KaiMoana
New Zealand (2008)
22 minutes
Directors: Carlos Valdivieso and Ana Bravo-Perez
In 1986, as increasing stress was placed on inshore fisheries, the internationally highly acclaimed Quota Management System was introduced to New Zealand. Twenty years on, three companies hold the majority of the quota and several fish species are in decline. Kai moana skillfully brings together the many and varied viewpoints on this highly relevant issue.
Friday 23 May / 7 pm / The Globe
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Kilowatt Ours
United States Of America (2007)
55 minutes
Director: Jeff Barrie
Can we switch our switches to renewable energy? Kilowatt Ours traces the wires from an American light switch directly to social and environmental catastrophes from childhood asthma to global warming. The film offers a thought-provoking search for solutions that will strengthen the economy, improve the quality of our lives and lead to a healthier environment. A constructive and largely optimistic documentary with a strong relevance to New Zealand.
Wednesday 4 June / 8 pm / Downtown Cinemas
Saturday 7 June / 5:45 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Mink Invasion: new exotic animals on Navarino
Germany (2006)
24 minutes
Director: Peter-Hugo Scholz
New Zealand, we are not alone! Others have also suffered the blight of unwanted predators unbalancing nature to the detriment of creatures great and small. The mightly mink first appeared on the southern Chilean island of Navarino in 2001, to terrorise the native species and drive to despair the local farmers. Mink Invasion documents the fieldwork of biologist Elke Schüttler, and explores the ecological consequences of exotic species on vulnerable island ecosystems.
Tuesday 3 June / 2 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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No Nukes is Good Nukes!
New Zealand (2007)
50 minutes
Director: Claudia Pond Eyley
A lively historical documentary about the colourful, but deadly serious New Zealand grassroots nuclear free movement. No Nukes is Good Nukes! is vividly told through interviewees recalling their experiences protesting the entry of nuclear ships into our harbours, and participating in marches nationwide for a nuclear free nation. For some a trip down memory lane, for others a must-see visit into a page of New Zealand’s social and environmental history.
Tuesday 27 May / 2 pm / Downtown Cinemas
Saturday 31 May / 8 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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One Man, One Cow, One Planet
New Zealand (2007)
56 minutes
Director: Barbara Sumner Burstyn
Peter Proctor is 78. He has a glass eye and is partially deaf. He can not stomach hot, spicy food, sings opera obsessively and off-key, and has left the comforts of life in suburban New Zealand to live and work in India. He is also quietly determined to save the world. Peter is known as the father of modern biodynamic farming, an arcane and extreme form of agriculture. Detractors call it, at best, hopeful farming not grounded in today’s market realities, at worst a new age scam. However, across India biodynamic agriculture is changing the landscape and releasing entire communities from debt cycles. One Man, One Cow, One Planet reveals the hidden battle of marginal farmers to own seeds, and to feed themselves and their communities, suggesting that when multinational corporations dictate what farmers must grow they are controlling what all of us eat.
Monday 2 June / 5:45 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Papa Tortuga
United States Of America (2006) Some English subtitles
19 minutes
Director: Rob Wilson
This is Fernando Manzano’s story. Fernanco, who for the last 31 years, has dedicated his life to bringing the Lora turtle back from the edge of extinction. Fernando, in the small town of Tecolutla, Mexico, has battled against Mother Nature, natural predators and poachers. An uplifting film about communities, conservation and a passion for wildlife and wild places.
Wednesday 28 May / 5:45 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Paradise Found: The Phoenix Islands
Kiribati (2006)
20 minutes
Director: Kate Raisz
In a remote corner of the Pacific lie The Phoenix Islands - the world's largest marine reserve. Paradise Found is an account of the efforts of the Kiribati people and the international community to secure reserve status for these islands. This is a enchanting film dominated by stunning imagery of the marine environment.
Tuesday 3 June / 8 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Pulp, Poo and Perfection
Chile (2007)
15 minutes
Director: Angel Marin
This short film investigates two threats to ocean water quality, local surfers, and public health in Chile: sewage, and industrial forestry pollution. Told through the perspective of local surfers, fishermen, and lovers of the ocean, PP&P showcases local communities influencing change and inspires with the message “good health is the only real option”.
Tuesday 3 June / 8 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Sacred Ground
Australia (2007)
54 minutes
Director: Kim Mavromatis
This observational documentary is a poignant portrait of an Aboriginal family fighting to save what is left of their ancient heritage and culture. From the opening scenes to the thought provoking climax, this is a contemporary story - challenging, enriching and emotional - that takes us into an Aboriginal world that is rarely seen or heard.
Wednesday 28 May / 2 pm / Downtown Cinemas
Sunday 1 June / 8 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Shooting to Learn
New Zealand (2007)
18 minutes
Director: Dwayne Fowler
Shooting to Learn is the compelling story of a man driven by passion for the Himalayan tahr - a species whose right to exist in New Zealand is hotly debated. Set against the magnificent landscape of alpine South Island, this is a story of determination, patience and the inherent tensions of conservation issues in a local and global context.
Thursday 22 May / 7 pm / The Globe
Friday 30 May / 2 pm / Downtown Cinemas
Monday 2 June / 5:45 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Smalltalk Diaries: the decomposers
United Kingdom (2008)
14 minutes
Director: Martin Dohrn
Smalltalk Diaries is an amusing portrayal of the unsung heroes of our ecosystem – the insect decomposers. Looking through the ‘Translation Lens’ we watch minibeasts, woodlice, earthworms, dungflies, wood ants, snails, a bluebottle and a cockroach, who manage, in between fighting, arguing and feeding, to explain the basics and importance of decomposition.
Friday 23 May / 7 pm / The Globe
Thursday 29 May / 2 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Sounds of the Seas
Germany (2008)
94 minutes
Director: Volker Barth
What may cause the death on a beach? Sounds of the Seas is an investigative science detective story attempting to untangle the mystery behind the causes of the stranding of deep diving whales. An emotive and political documentary powerfully filmed using the latest high tech equipment, Sounds follows the journey of a young biologist to Europe and the US.
Monday 26 May / 8 pm / Downtown Cinemas
Monday 2 June / 8 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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South Central Farm: oasis in a concrete desert
United States Of America (2007)
23 minutes
Director: Sheila Laffey
Set in Los Angeles, this bursting documentary tells the disquieting story of a high profile controversy involving poor farmers and their supporters, a developer, and the city over a community garden. South Central Farm was the largest urban farm in the U.S. and fed 350 families before it was bulldozed to make way for a warehouse. A vibrant story of community struggle, despair and hope. A film full of keen horticulturalists, and (because it is Los Angeles) the odd celebrity in a tree.
Saturday 31 May / 2 pm / Downtown Cinemas
Sunday 1 June / 5:45 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Sputnik Mania
United States Of America (2007)
87 minutes
Director: David Hoffman
On October 4 1958, the Soviet Union launched their rocket Sputnik, and the effects of ‘Red Monday’ hit America. It provoked the missile gap, exploded an arms race, and began the space race. A sadly ironic film, Sputnik Mania tells of both the negative and positive impacts experienced in America following the launch.
Sunday 1 June / 2 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Squander
New Zealand (2007)
3 minutes
Director: David Lee
This short film follows the life-cycle of advertising material from tree to letterbox. Squander relies on visual impact to highlight the waste of natural resources to manufacture nothing but pure rubbish.
Sunday 1 June / 5:45 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Sustainability Ala Craik
Canada (2007)
29 minutes
Director: Steve Wolfson
What’s a place in the middle of nowhere, totally reliant on agriculture, to do about ecological sustainability? Visit Craik, a typical Canadian prairie town with a very big difference – they’re dead keen on sustainability. While just a small community, you’re invited along to the construction of a ultra-modern sustainable building. From straw-bale walls to geo-thermal air conditioning, the film is a discovery of how the Craik Eco-Centre is giving a small Saskatchewan town hope for the future and is seeding rural revitalisation.
Tuesday 27 May / 2 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Taking Root: the vision of Wangari Maathai
United States Of America (2007)
81 minutes
Directors: Alan Dater & Lisa Merton
Fancy a Nobel Peace Prize in tree planting? Taking Root tells the inspiring story of the Green Belt Movement of Kenya and its founder Wangari Maathai, the first environmentalist and first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. At times brutal, always powerful, there is something about this film that is deeply inspiring and moving. Overseas audiences cried, laughed and were moved to action.
Monday 26 May / 2 pm / Downtown Cinemas
Tuesday 3 June / 5:45 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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The Crayfish in the Jam Jar
Germany (2008)
43 minutes
Director: Jan Michael Haft
A wonderfully produced film with stunning photography, The Crayfish in the Jam Jar is an intimate portrait of a habitat, its wildlife and a man who has lived there all his life. Located in Southern Germany, the Isen Valley is a small unknown paradise where small-scale agriculture and wildlife still co-exist. The Valley, species-rich and with beautiful landscape formed by the glaciers of the last ice age, is one of a reducing number of semi-natural living spaces in the world. However, time, land-use change, global warming and development, including a motorway, are increasingly placing the Valley under threat.
Thursday 22 May / 7 pm /The Globe
Wednesday 28 May / 8 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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The End of the Line
Canada (2007) Some English subtitles
18 minutes
Director: Martha Stiegman
Shot on Canada's legendary Bay of Fundy, The End of the Line is well told portrayal of the last handliner on the Bay, a lively and passionate saltdog. Handlining, once the foundation of the rural economy on the Bay, has been in decline since big companies bought up the fishing licences.
Tuesday 3 June / 8 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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The Future of the Great Barrier Reef: bleached or bright?
Netherlands (2003)
50 minutes
Director: Pieter Huisman
A well produced film following the work of research scientists at the Australian Institute of Marine Science, as they ponder a problem of the last decade – coral bleaching caused by increasing ocean temperatures. Their research is as novel as it is controversial, and offers an optimistic outlook for the future of the coral reefs.
Thursday 29 May / 8 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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The Greening of Southie
United States Of America (2007)
85 minutes
Director: Ian Cheney
On the storied streets of South Boston, Massachusetts Boston’s first residential green building is under construction. A $75 million luxury apartment tower, made from recycled steel, sustainable hardwoods, and wheatboard cabinetry, the building is a model of energy efficiency and sustainability. Is this the key to solving the global climate crisis? The Greening of Southie centres around the experience of a handful of characters - a sceptical construction worker, a nervous foreman, the young developer, and an eager tenant. The film takes you from the streets of Southie, to the places of origin of the green materials - selectively-harvested rainforests in the heart of Bolivia and wheatboard farms in Minnesota. But just how green is the building, and will the construction team overcome the deepening ecological cost? A highly entertaining, down-to-earth, funny and optimistic film.
Saturday 31 May / 5:45 pm / Downtown Cinemas
Saturday 7 June / 8 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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The Meadow
Germany (2006)
43 minutes
Director: Jan Michael Haft
A high level production incorporating spectacular cinematography and visual effects, The Meadow is a movie of colour and form. This place, comparable to a coral reef or rainforest, is home to countless animals, big and small. A beautiful portrait of a place of beauty. But for how long?
Wednesday 28 May / 8 pm / Downtown Cinemas
Friday 6 June / 2 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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The Nuclear Comeback
New Zealand (2007)
75 minutes
Director: Justin Pemberton
In a world living in fear of climate change, the nuclear industry has put its hand up as a solution. It claims that nuclear power generation produces zero carbon emissions and people are listening. There are currently 27 nuclear power stations under construction, and projections for another 136 to be commenced within the next decade. But is there a risk that we might be jumping out of the carbon frying pan and into the plutonium fire? Pemberton takes the viewer on a worldwide tour of the nuclear industry in search of answers, including some of the most famous nuclear facilities (the Chernobyl control room, the UK’s Calder Hall, and a nuclear waste repository under the Baltic Sea). Nuclear power is scary, its expensive, but could it save the earth? The Nuclear Comeback is a well-balanced film in which New Zealand features heavily.
Saturday 24 May / 7 pm / The Globe
Friday 6 June / 5:45 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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The Sacred Food
United States Of America (2006)
6 minutes
Director: Jack Pettibone Riccobono
This short documentary explores the tension between the preservation of traditional wild food crops and biotech companies with plans to genetically modify crops. The Sacred Food features the Ojibwe Native American of Northern Minnesota and the wild rice (manoomin) they consider to be a sacred gift from the Creator.
Friday 23 May / 7 pm /The Globe
Wednesday 28 May / 5:45 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Turtles in a Soup
India (2007)
13 minutes
Director: Kalpana Subramanian
Turtles in a Soup is a revealing depiction of the illegal trade of India’s freshwater turtles. In a country where turtles have largely been revered for generations this exploitation for the South East Asian market is shocking. Yet the turtle crisis remains one that is barely acknowledged let alone addressed.
Sunday 1 June / 5:45 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Wahine Disaster
United Kingdom (2008)
53 minutes
Director: Sharon Barbour
Forty years ago this year, the TEV Wahine sailing into Wellington Harbour, carrying 610 passengers and 125 crew, unexpectedly struck the full force of Cyclone Giselle. Wahine is an intensely moving story that features original footage, reconstructions, and never-before heard stories told from survivors, rescuers and eye witnesses’ memories.
Thursday 29 May / 2 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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White Earth Melting
Greenland (2007)
7 minutes
Director: Jinty MacTavish
White Earth Melting approaches climate change in a very personal manner. After winning the Freemasons Big Science Adventure in 2007, three Otago Girls’ High School students travelled to Greenland to discover it melting. An interesting rendering of discovery, awareness and self-responsibility, set against a dramatically beautiful landscape.
Sunday 1 June / 5:45 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Why Birds Sing
United Kingdom (2006)
80 minutes
Director: Archie Powell
Taken from the book of the same title, Why Birds Sing contains a rich mix of science, philosophy, ornithology, music and performance. The documentary explores the mysterious and often conflicting theories on why birds sing, and why humans are so attracted to the music of nature. An entertaining movie sure to stimulate discussion among bird lovers and musicians alike.
Sunday 25 May / 5:45 pm / Downtown Cinemas
Monday 2 June / 2 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Worms in the Big Apple
United States Of America (2006)
18 minutes
Director: Jenn Guitart
Worms in the Big Apple is a playful mix of devoted gardeners, environmental activists and first graders promoting composting. From small bins in cramped New York apartments, to large scale composting systems in the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, Worms praises the virtues of the cyclical processes of composing and growth. Charming and fun, yet serious and revealing.
Wednesday 28 May / 5:45 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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Xtreme Waste
New Zealand (2007)
8 minutes
Directors: Talbott Walker and Lula Chapman
The story of a proactive community on the West Coast of New Zealand who has taken control of their waste issues, Xtreme Waste is a delightful, upbeat and inspirational film. Faced with the closure of the local outdated landfill and a polluted waterway, the community of Raglan took it upon themselves to address their waste issues head on. The result is a locally run, highly successful transfer station which has reduced content to landfill, created jobs, and instilled an ethos of reuse and recycling. Humorously told by the enthusiastic staff, and set to a local soundtrack, this is a highly enjoyable eight minutes.
Thursday 22 May / 7 pm / The Globe
Tuesday 3 June / 8 pm / Downtown Cinemas
Saturday 7 June / 8 pm / Downtown Cinemas
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