Green Planet Films Presents THE INTERNATIONAL OCEAN FILM FESTIVAL

22 Bayview Avenue,Stonington CT 06378

02 October, 2021

Description

Ocean films curated for the CT/RI coast. Watch/discuss coastal erosion, sharks, fisheries, whales, lobsters, shipping and sonar films "Green Planet Films Presents” is our new initiative, where we invite existing environmental film festivals from around the world to showcase 12 hours of documentary films and discussion which will include award winners and topical documentaries curated to our region. Because of our coastal location, the first festival we will present is The International Ocean Film Festival, based in San Francisco, CA DATES: October 2-3, 2021 LOCATION: The Velvet Mill, Stonington, CT 6 Programs, 2 hours each Major funding supported by CT Humanities ----------------------------------------------------------- Saturday 11-1pm >>>>> COASTAL EROSION >>>>> SAND WARS (52 mins) Denis Delestrac. Sand Wars is a surprising investigation into one of the most consumed natural resources on the planet. Due to the high demand for sand, the planet’s reserves are being threatened. Three-quarters of the world’s beaches are in decline and bound to disappear as victims of erosion, or of sand smuggling. What will be the consequences of sand extraction on the environment and life on the planet? Sand Wars will take us around the world to witness this new gold rush firsthand. TIDEWATER (42 mins) Roger Sorkin. Water is rising, land is sinking, and the military is here to stay. In Hampton Roads, Virginia, the U.S. military is fighting to save its highest concentration of bases from sea level rise, attempting to solve one of the greatest challenges to our national security and economic prosperity the nation has ever faced. DISCUSSION | Q&A Saturday 2-4 pm >>>>> SHARKS >>>>> EMPERORS OF THE DEEP (76 mins) William McKeever. Sharks are frequently discounted as demons, but Sharks Emperors of the Deep reveals the complexities around the world’s most feared fish. Horrified after seeing sharks killed at a tournament in Montauk NY, filmmaker William McKeever takes us on a journey around the world, diving and exposing slavery and illegal fishing at sea with Greenpeace. We discover the truth about the massive destruction of shark populations and that humans are the real demons. In Sharks Bay Australia, scientists demonstrate how humans need sharks as they keep the seas healthy. SHARK SHORTS (25 mins) DISCUSSION | Q&A Saturday 5-7 pm >>>>> FISHERIES >>>>> FISH +MAN (85 mins) Darby Duffin, Adam Jones. A comprehensive approach to better understanding the high cost of cheap fish in the modern US seafood economy, this film shows the dire consequences on five specific fish species. With an estimated 91% of our fish being imported, we need to become more aware of the origin of our seafood. With the help of local fishing communities, pioneering fishermen, and celebrated chefs, a movement is underway to embrace a more local, seasonal and sustainable seafood industry. Reconnect with fishermen who risk their lives to harvest the oceans and discover new varieties of seafood. SONG OF THE SPINDLE (4 mins) An animated interspecies conversation that leads to a neuron found in the brains of humans and whales that makes us capable of compassion, whether we use it, or not. SPINNAKER (14 mins) Nadine Licostie. The story of a whale named Spinnaker, who was tracked from her birth until her death -- across three entanglement events. Spinnaker’s life is a rare example where marine biologists were able to see how deeply entanglement can impact DISCUSSION | Q&A Sunday 11-1pm >>>>> WHALES >>>>> WHALE WISDOM (50 mins) Rick Rosenthal. Filmmaker Rick Rosenthal embarks on a journey into the minds of whales, and discovers their ingenuity and tenderness, their risk-taking and curiosity, and even their music. Filmed in 7 countries, WHALE WISDOM gives us a glimpse of the intelligence of these giants with whom we share our oceans. CALL OF THE BABY BELUGA (52 mins) Suzanne Chilsom & Michael Parfit. One day in Quebec, a baby beluga whale washes up on a gravel beach along the St. Lawrence River. Unexpectedly, she is vigorously alive. A scientific team decides to take unusual steps to try to save her. The story of this baby whale leads us on a larger journey through the amazing world of the St. Lawrence beluga whales and of the scientists who have worked for decades against long odds to help them. Like the story of the baby, it is a tough trip in a beautiful place, a true tale of drama, uncertainty, camaraderie, hard work, achievement, perseverance, and love, brightened by a glimpse of hope. DISCUSSION | Q&A Sunday 2-4 pm >>>>> LOBSTERS/OCEAN POLLUTION >>>>> LOBSTER WAR (74 mins) David Abel. A film about a climate-fueled conflict between the United States and Canada over waters that both countries have claimed since the end of the Revolutionary War. The disputed 277 square miles of sea, known as the Gray Zone, were traditionally fished by US lobstermen. But as the Gulf of Maine has warmed faster than nearly any other body of water on the planet, the area’s previously modest lobster population has surged. As a result, Canadians have begun to assert their sovereignty, warring with the Americans to claim the bounty. JUNK (29 mins) Chris Jones. Of the plastic we use in a year, under 5% is recycled. We throw the rest away. This film asks, “Where is away?” Two men sail from LA to Honolulu on a boat whose hull is made of 15,000 plastic bottles. The plastic the two men collect by trolling is made up of small bits and pieces, just the right size to be eaten by small fish, the kind many people like to eat. DISCUSSION | Q&A Sunday 5-7 pm >>>>> SHIPPING/SONAR >>>>> SONIC SEAS (60 mins) Michelle Dougherty, Daniel Hinerfeld. Sound is essential to the survival and prosperity of whales, sharks and dolphins. But man-made underwater noise is threatening this fragile world - with devastating consequences. FREIGHTENED: The Real Cost of Shipping (52 mins) Denis Delestrac. An audacious investigation reveals the mechanics and perils of freight shipping. An incredible 90% of the products consumed in the Western world come from overseas. This expansive journey uncovers the obscure world of container ships that are central to our economy and environment. DISCUSSION | Q&A GOAL: The goal of this program is to bring to our community an illuminating platform, such as documentary film screenings, to help us expand our understanding of the critical environmental challenges that face us globally and locally today, plus celebrating successes that mitigate these challenges. Sample topics for this particular event are rising seas, fisheries, sharks, shipping and sonar, light houses, belugas, and plastic pollution. We aim to influence reasonable movement within people’s personal or business lives, or contact their government, to help implement changes that are important to them after seeing the films. ABOUT the International Ocean Film Festival (IOFF) The largest ocean film festival on Earth, the IOFF inspires ocean activism through through independent film. Founded in 2004 in San Francisco, CA, the IOFF is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is dedicated to restoring, protecting, and balancing ocean biodiversity - one film at a time. ABOUT Green Planet Films Green Planet Films is a non-profit distributor of Nature, Environment, and Human Ecology Films. Our mission is to disseminate, exhibit and discuss educational documentary motion pictures with academic institutions, businesses, and the public. Green Planet Films is a Stonington CT- based non-profit distributor of Nature, Environment, and Human Ecology Films . Our mission is to disseminate, exhibit and discuss educational documentary motion pictures with academic institutions, businesses, and the public. We promote environmental education through film. www.greenplanetfilms.org www.greenplanetstream.org