EARTH DAY
Happy Earth Day!
April 22nd marks the start of the environmental movement which began in 1970. For the last 52 years, there has been some progression in policy change and awareness of climate change. However, there is still so much more work to be done. We can individually work together by reducing our carbon footprint, using less plastic, and buying local, but a lot of responsibility needs to be placed on larger corporations.
Learn more about Earth Day, and how you can make an impact and continue to take better care of the planet. In the meantime, please check out these films directed by Film Fatales members:
Company Town directed by Natalie Kottke-Masocco
Crossett, Arkansas is home to about 5,500 people, one Georgia-Pacific paper and chemical plant owned by billionaire brothers Charles Koch and David Koch, and a startling rate of cancer and illness. This groundbreaking investigative documentary follows local pastor David Bouie as he fights to save his community. It offers a rare look inside a small town ruled by a single company, where the government’s environmental protections have been subverted and ignored, leaving its citizens to take on entrenched powers in a fight for justice. Crossett’s residents are up against one of the nation’s largest industrial company: Koch Industries. Pastor Bouie worked at the Koch’s Georgia-Pacific plant for ten years, and on the street where he lives, 11 out 15 households lost someone to cancer. He seeks answers and actions to help protect the lives of his neighbors, many of whom have worked their entire lives at the plant, making products like Angel Soft, Brawny Paper Towels, Quilted Northern and Dixie paper cups. He galvanizes the town, revealing untold stories of health and medical crises. Crossett is just one of hundreds of towns across America polluted by big business and failed by local, state and federal environmental protections. Company Town ultimately asks, what do you do when the company you work for and live next to is making you sick? It is the story of a modern-day David vs. Goliath.
Check out Company Town’s website, or watch the film on iTunes.
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First Daughter and the Black Snake directed by Keri Pickett
Winona LaDuke believes Big Oil is the black snake predicted in indigenous prophecy to bring the earth’s destruction. When new oil pipelines threaten sacred wild rice lakes, Winona dreams of riding her horse against the current of oil, organizing a spiritual ride, “because a horse can kill a snake.”
You can watch First Daughter and the Black Snake on Amazon and iTunes.
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Green Green Water directed by Dawn Mikkelson
A U.S. consumer traces the source of her green energy back to the displacement of the indigenous Cree and Metis in northern Manitoba.
You can watch Green Green Water on Amazon.
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Greenlit directed by Miranda Bailey
This documentary explores the damaging effects of the film business on the environment. Greenlit follows Miranda, an indie producer, to the realization that making movies has a tendency to be extremely wasteful. The documentary explores films that have wreaked havoc on our environment and poses the question: What can we do to soften our carbon footprint as filmmakers? Miranda follows the cast and crew of the indie feature film, The River Why, starring Zach Gilford (Friday Night Lights), as they bring aboard a Green Consultant, Lauren Selman, and watch her struggles to ‘Green’ their film. Even in a town as eco-conscious as Portland, the task proves challenging and we see how film crews and film unions maintain that there is no place in the line of filmmaking for someone who’s job description is Environmental Consultant. Both entertaining and humorous, this documentary is filled with compelling and important facts about filmmaking and sustainability.
Check out Greenlit on Amazon and Vimeo.
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Mr. Toilet directed by Lily Zepeda
Obsessed with toilets, eccentric entrepreneur Jack Sim sacrifices his comfortable life for an endless battle against the world’s largest man-made crisis: shit.
Check out the official website for Mr. Toilet here.
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Reef Rescue directed by Su Rynard
Reef Rescue tells the story of five visionaries in a desperate race against time to unlock the secrets of millions of years of coral evolution, and try to speed it up. From high in the sky to under the sea, these scientists are working to “Assist Evolution” by creating resilient corals that can live in future ocean waters. The stakes are huge, as corals are so vital to life in the ocean that even we humans cannot survive without them.
For more information about Reef Rescue, check out these links: official website, television link, and to watch on Amazon, Apple TV, or to buy the official DVD.
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The Reluctant Radical directed by Lindsey Grayzel
If a crime is committed in order to prevent a greater crime, is it forgivable? Is it, in fact, necessary? The Reluctant Radical follows activist Ken Ward as he confronts his fears and puts himself in the direct path of the fossil fuel industry to combat climate change. The film reveals both the personal costs and also the fulfillment that comes from following one’s moral calling- even if that means breaking the law. The film follows Ken through a series of direct actions, culminating with an action that shuts down all the U.S. tar sands oil pipelines and threatens to put him behind bars for 20 years. Ken Ward has no regrets, and his certainty leaves the audience to consider if he is out of touch with reality, or if it is the rest of society that is delusional for not acting when faced with the unsettling evidence that we are collectively destroying our world.
You can watch The Reluctant Radical on Amazon and Vimeo.
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The Women of Standing Rock directed by Shannon Kring
Featuring shocking, never-before-seen law enforcement video surrendered by a disgraced officer, END OF THE LINE: THE WOMEN OF STANDING ROCK is the incredible story of the indigenous women who establish a peaceful camp in protest of the $3.8 billion Dakota Access oil pipeline construction that desecrated ancient burial and prayer sites and threatens their land, water, and very existence.
For more information about The Women of Standing Rock, check out these links: official website, screenings, Aljazeera schedule, official trailer, and to watch on Vimeo and Fuse TV.
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Thirst For Justice directed by Leana Hosea
Thirst for Justice focuses on three battles for clean water—on the Navajo Reservation, in Flint MI, and at Standing Rock—united in the belief that Water Is Life. Armed only with facts and their illnesses, extraordinary citizens take on industry and government, risking arrest to protect clean water.
Check out the official Thirst For Justice website.
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Last of the Right Whales directed by Nadine Pequeneza
North Atlantic right whales are dying faster than they can reproduce. With less than 350 remaining, these great whales rarely die of natural causes. Instead they are run over by ships or suffer lethal injuries from fishing gear. If we don’t stop killing them, in 20 years they could be extinct. With unprecedented access to film the whale migration from the only known calving grounds to the shifting feeding grounds, LAST OF THE RIGHT WHALES follows the right whale migration and the people committed to saving a species still struggling to recover from centuries of hunting. Now climate change is forcing these great whales further north in search of food, putting them on a collision course with deadly ships and fishing gear. Featuring breathtaking footage of the majestic but rarely seen North Atlantic right whale – as observed through the eyes of scientists, photographers, rescuers and fishermen – we bear witness to their struggle and bring hope for their survival.
Check out the official The Last of the Right Whales website, screenings, and official trailer.
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Youth vs Gov directed by Christi Cooper
YOUTH v GOV is the story of the Juliana v. The United States of America constitutional lawsuit and the 21 American youth, ages 14 to 25, who are taking on the world’s most powerful government. Since 2015, the legal non-profit Our Children’s Trust, has been representing these youth in their landmark case against the U.S. government for violating their constitutional rights to life, liberty, personal safety, and property through their willful actions in creating the climate crisis they will inherit.
Check out the official Youth vs Gov website.
Netflix link will be available April 29th 2022.
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