To celebrate Conservation Week 2008 the Hauraki branch of the Forest & Bird Protection Society present a selection from the Reel Earth Aotearoa Environmental Film Festival. This successful festival has been running in Palmerston North for the last 4 years, bringing together recent movies and documentaries from all over the world.
These movies are very topical, highly professional productions, that will not appear on public TV, as they tend to delve a bit deeper and don’t shy away from controversy. A great opportunity to gain some new insights in environmental issues here in New Zealand and around the globe. And its not all doom and gloom; some of these films are simply hilarious, others are full of hope for the future.For more information, see the local papers for session times, call Waiheke Cinema (372 4240 or Jan Ramp (3728992). Fliers are available at the cinema, the library and several shops around Waiheke.
- Artworks, Oneroa, Waiheke Island
- All sessions start at 5pm sharp and have a 5 minute intermission.
- Admission by koha ($10 pp would be great thanks) Proceeds will go to the Hauraki Branch of Forest & Bird.
- Sun 7 Sep 5pm Why birds sing - United Kingdom (2006) 80 minutes Cheat neutral -New Zealand (2008) 5 minutes Common scents - Canada (2007) 3 minutes
- Mon 8 Sep 5pmThe Greening of Southie - United States Of America (2007) 85 minutes Xtreme Waste - New Zealand (2007) 8 minutes Mohikinui - New Zealand (2008) 5 minutes
- Tue 9 Sep 5pmSounds of the seas - Germany (2008) 94 minutes Fish for the future- New Zealand (2008) 24 minutes
- Wed 10 Sept 5pm Energy crossroads - United States Of America (2006) 67 minutesCountdown on the Yangtze - Germany (2008) 52 minutes Bright ideas - New Zealand (2007) 4 minutes
- Thur 11 Sep 5pm The nuclear comeback - New Zealand (2007) 75 minutes No nukes is good nukes - New Zealand (2007) 50 minutes
- Fri 12 Sep 5pm An alchemy in green - New Zealand (2005) 50 minutes Taking root: the vision of Wangari Maathai - United States Of America (2007) 81 minutesShort description of the movies ( there are 5 themes in the festival)
- Sun 7 Sep 5pm Why birds sing - United Kingdom (2006) 80 minutes Cheat neutral -New Zealand (2008) 5 minutes Common scents - Canada (2007) 3 minutes
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 Peninsula.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Fish for the Future (was not part of the Reel Earth Festival)
New Zealand (2008) 24 minutes Director: David Elisco
A playfully presented film about the need for Marine Reserves in New Zealand. Featuring footage from the popular Goat Island and Poor Knights areas, but also from remote areas such as the sub-antartctic islands, Kermadec Island and the brand new Marine Reserves around the bottom of the South Island. Beautiful underwater footage, and a highly original cast of presenters make this film great viewing.
Mohikinui
New Zealand (2008) 5 minutes Director: Ben Jackson
Nestled in a cleft of the South Island's West Coast, a wild river runs free through a Gorge of magnificent proportion. So magnificent that it attracts the government's eye, with a view to drop an 85 metre concrete face into the Gorge terminus. The clever mix of river run footage, sharp interview, and crack helicopter shots; Ben Jackson's film debut clearly puts the question: Are dams in wild rivers the way forward?
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.
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.
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.
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 his viewers 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.
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 centers around the experience of a handful of characters - a skeptical 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 - selectivelyharvested 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.
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.
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.
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