The Kogi, last survivors from the world of the
Incas and Aztecs, inhabit an isolated pyramid 18,000 feet above sea level. They call it “The Heart of the World” and their sacred duty is to protect it. In 1990, however, something was wrong. Snow stopped falling and the rivers were not so full. If their mountain was ill, then the world was in trouble. Experience their sincere message to us, their “younger brothers.”

Q & A with the filmmaker via Skype from Paris.

Live Music: Leaf Arrow Storytellers, Joe Cross (Caddo/Potawatani) and Donna Couteau (Sac/Fox).

A riveting story of transformation and healing, the film follows the story of five farmers, an animal rescuer and a humane police officer who each embark on a journey of awakening conscience. This film shatters stereotypical notions of farmers, farm life, and farm animals themselves.

Q & A with filmmaker James LaVeck.

Live Music: Adagietto/Presto by Richard Pearson Thomas, composer/pianist & Naho Parrini, violinist.

In 2008, as the government tried to gift the energy and mining industries thousands of acres of pristine Utah wilderness via a widely disputed federal auction, college student Tim DeChristopher decided to monkey-wrench the process. BIDDER 70 tells the story of this peaceful warrior who won the auction with no intention to drill.

Q & A with Deborah Cipolla-Dennis, founding member of The Dryden Resources Awareness Coalition (DRAC), that spearheaded the successful effort to prohibit oil and gas drilling, including fracking, in Dryden, NY.

Live Music: La Vita Duo, classical guitarist Giacomo and soprano Jeanai La Vita performed for the UN Stockholm Convention Concert on the Environment in Geneva, Switzerland.

BAG IT

Directed by Suzan Beraza, Produced by Michelle Hill
Special Event for Families and Children

Bag It is a touching and often flat-out funny
film, where we follow “everyman” Jeb Berrier, an average American who decides to take a closer look at our cultural love affair with plastics, and its impacts on the ocean, wildlife, and our health.

Q & A with Jeb Berrier via Skype.

Special Live Music for Kids.

TAKING ROOT: THE VISION OF WANGARI MAATHAI

Directed & Produced by
Lisa Merton and Alan Dater

This film tells the dramatic story of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Wangari Maathai from Kenya, whose simple act of planting trees grew into a nationwide movement to safeguard the environment, protect human rights and defend democracy.

Q & A with Lauren Berger, Green Belt USA, the organization Wangari Maathai founded.

Live African Music & Dance.

THE CITY DARK

Produced & Directed by Ian Cheney

The filmmaker asks a simple question - do we need the stars? Exploring the threat of killer asteroids in Hawaii, tracking hatching turtles along the Florida coast, and rescuing injured birds on Chicago streets, Cheney unravels the myriad implications of a globe glittering with lights.

Q & A with the filmmaker.

Live Music: “Ain’t it a Pretty Night” from, Susannah by Carlisle Floyd, sung by Lindsay Rider, soprano.

This film follows efforts to prevent the extinction of oyster reefs, which keep our oceans healthy. Today, because of overfishing and pollution, these reefs are ‘the most severely impacted marine habitat on Earth.’ Scientists, officials, artists and environmentalists fight to bring oysters back to former oyster capital of the world, New York Harbor.

Q & A with filmmaker and The Harbor School Students who are growing the oysters.

Live Music: La Vita Duo – Classical guitar and soprano.

ALUNA – THE AMERICAN PREMIERE

Produced & Directed by Alan Ereira

A follow-up to From the Heart of the World by Alan Ereira which was shown at the beginning of the festival. Learn what the Kogi are telling us today about the state of our world.

Q & A with the filmmaker via Skype from Paris.

Live Music: Leaf Arrow Storytellers, Joe Cross (Caddo/Potawatani) and Donna Couteau (Sac/Fox).

FELT, FEELINGS AND DREAMS

By Andrea Odezynska

This documentary that takes us into the lives of Kyrgyz women, showing how they overcame poverty and made their villages more sustainable through traditional crafts.
Breathtaking mountain ranges are the backdrop of some of the reenactments of Kyrgyz folklore and fables interwoven throughout.

Q & A with Filmmaker.

Live Music: Kyrgyz musicians from Central Asia.

With hummable songs and catchy lyrics, A Cow Named Cow teaches us the importance of friends and family. When Cow is separated from his herd he meets both friend and foe and has to use teamwork to come up with a plan to stop a villain from taking over the world. This comedy is aimed to please both parents and children of all ages.