The Sydney Film Festival is just around the corner – 2-14 June. Now, if you’re anything like me, you find out about these things after they’ve happened and wished you had time to do some planning beforehand.
Well, this year, I’ve sat down and picked out some films I want to see. While doing that, I thought I’d pick out some choice environmental films and documentaries that are being screened as part of the festival to help you out.
If you’re not in Sydney and you’re interested in seeing one of these, get in touch with organisers of a film festival close to you and ask them to screen the documentary,
Anyway, here’s the list.
Turtle: The Incredible Journey
This is one to take the kids to. Turtle: The Incredible Journey is the story of a little loggerhead turtle that follows in the path of her ancestors on one of the most extraordinary journeys in the natural world. Born on a beach in Florida, she rides the Gulf Stream all the way to the frozen north and ultimately swims around the entire North Atlantic to Africa and back to the beach where she was born.
Turtles are often victim to unsustainable tuna fishing practices that catch a variety of other marine life including sharks and juvenile tuna. You can sign our current petition asking Australian supermarkets to get the worst canned tuna brands off the shelves here.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/QA2p7dGerow[/youtube]
Session times »
Gasland
What would you do if you were offered $100,000 to allow drilling for natural gas on your land? This is what happened to filmmaker Josh Fox. He wanted to know what impact the drilling would have on his land, so he went across America to discover the impact of hydraulic fracturing. Gasland is a troubling look into the environmental and health impacts of this form of gas drilling.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/YmB0iTfug_g[/youtube]
The Rainbow Warriors of Waiheke Island
This is the story of Greenpeace’s first and most iconic ship, the Rainbow Warrior. It looks at some of Greenpeace’s early activist work, as well as the people involved and where they are now. The film promises excellent footage of Greenpeace’s early days.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/g8-yWKbVpFs[/youtube]
Colony
What’s killing the honey bees? In 2006-07, there was a dramatic decline in the number of bee colonies across the United States. So much so, the term “colony collapse disorder” was developed to refer to the crisis. In 2009, a third of American bees did not survive winter. No one knew the cause: was it pesticides or parasites? Colony looks at the crisis, some possible causes and the impacts on bee-keepers in the US.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/ZDWgpo6EJgM[/youtube]
The Most Dangerous Man in America
This isn’t a ‘green’ movie, but it certainly relates to peace. It’s the story of Daniel Ellsberg, the Pentagon official who leaked confidential papers about the conduct of the Vietnam War to The New York Times. Among other things, the papers showed that the government believed the war would not be won, and that an ongoing commitment to the war would cost many more lives.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/XwXylIaJ_Lg[/youtube]
Nénette
Nénette is a 40-something year-old orang-utan from Borneo that’s lived in a Parisian zoo for much of its life. Observe her as she watches zoo visitors stroll past, and listen as adults and kids pass comment, frequently ascribing human emotions and values to Nénette.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/7bd4URgZXjI[/youtube]
Cane Toads: The Conquest
Combining elements of the disaster movie, science fiction and horror, and recasting the constantly multiplying lead monster – the cane toad – using cutting-edge 3D technology, Mark Lewis traces the devastating migration of these amphibian invaders from the sugar crops of Northern Queensland to the wilderness of the Northern Territory.
In the video below, LA Time reporter talks about the documentary’s premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/gYUHnf7Uy1k[/youtube]
Strange Birds in Paradise
In 1999, director Charlie Hill-Smith took a trip to West Papua exploring the lush environment and spending time with the locals; unaware he was in an undeclared war zone. Back in Melbourne, he meets several West Papuan musicians in exile from their homeland – singing both traditional and protest songs in musician David Bridie’s Enormodome studio.
He learns about their culture, history and the Indonesian military’s oppression of their community. Seven years later, the Indonesian-speaking Hill-Smith returns to West Papua, having gained some insight into this troubled area, records the villagers’ stories of violence and intimidation, and interviews members of the underground independence movement.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/P20Bmk0t5Uk[/youtube]
Babies
About 12 years ago, French producer Alain Chabat, already an established comedian, actor and director, had an inspired idea: why not make a wildlife film with human babies? Two years of filming on a quartet of continents later, this utterly charming documentary follows the fortunes of four feisty newborns from in utero anticipation to triumphant first steps. With no voiceover and only glimpses of the parents, the infants interact with siblings, household items and animals (cat lovers will be particularly enthralled, but beware the rooster).
[youtube]https://youtu.be/vB36k0hGxDM[/youtube]
Food Inc
Food Inc isn’t part of this year’s film festival (it was last year), but is currently doing the rounds at selected cinemas. The film examines corporate farming in the United States, concluding that the meat and vegetables produced by agribusiness have many hidden costs and are unhealthy and environmentally-harmful.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/eHJiNC_7wuw[/youtube]
