Portland EcoFilm Festival 2014
2014 FESTIVAL FILM SELECTIONS and SPECIAL GUESTS:
Winner of the 2014 Portland EcoFilm Festival's Best Feature Film Award
SEEDS OF TIME
A perfect storm is brewing as agriculture pioneer Cary Fowler races against time to protect the future of food. Gene banks of the world are crumbling, crop failures are producing starvation-inspired rioting, and climate change is already affecting farmers globally. Fowler's personal passion and worldwide journey - including founding the Svalbard Global Seed Bank in the Arctic Circle - may hold the key to saving the one resource we cannot live without: our seeds. Watch trailer here.
Winner of the 2015 Portland EcoFilm Festival's EcoHero Award
The Portland EcoFilm Festival is honored to posthumously present our 2015 EcoHero Award to Elmer Crow Jr., Nez Perce elder, champion of Pacific Lamprey and leader of efforts to restore the species to PNW rivers. Accepting the award in memory of Mr. Crow was his wife, Lynda Crow and son Jeremy Five Crows. Mr. Crow's work is profiled in the film THE LOST FISH.
THE LOST FISH
Directed by Freshwaters Illustrated. Filmmaker Jeremy Monroe in attendance!
One of the Pacific Northwest's oldest fish is disappearing, and along with it the sacred place it holds among many American Indian tribes. The sharp declines in Pacific Lamprey populations are a signal of how severely we have changed our river systems. THE LOST FISH profiles people working to raise public awareness of the ecological importance, conservation needs and cultural significance of Pacific Lamprey to Pacific Northwest tribes.
DAMNATION
Directed by Travis Rumel, Ben Knight, Matt Stoecker -filmmakers in attendance!
This powerful film odyssey across America explores the sea change in our national attitude from pride in big dams as engineering wonders to the growing awareness that our own future is bound to the life and health of our rivers. Dam removal has moved beyond the fictional Monkey Wrench Gang to go mainstream.
BRINGING IT HOME
Directed by Linda Booker - filmmaker in attendance!
Here in the US, hemp could be a money-making crop for farmers and create jobs. So why can't we grow it here? BRINGING IT HOME tells the story of hemp: past, present, and future and a global industry that includes textiles, building materials, food products, bio-plastics, auto parts, and more.
GMO OMG
Directed by Jeremy Siefert
A film exploring the corporate takeover and potential loss of humanity's most precious and ancient inheritance: seeds. GMO OMG director/concerned father Jeremy Siefert is in search of answers. How do GMOs affect children, the health of our planet, and freedom of choice?
ECO SHORTS PROGRAM
Short films profiling people who turn progressive environmental ideas into actions. Films include THE LOST FISH (see above), BACKYARD, GREGG TREINISH: A MOVESHAKE STORY, and BROOKLYN FARMER.
BACKYARD
Directed by Deia Schlosberg
A documentary film about fracking and its effects on five people's lives. Following stories in Pennsylvania, Colorado, North Dakota, and Montana, an eerie similarity emerges among them, despite the vast differences in geography and personal histories. It is a story of seeing broadly, looking towards the future, and considering the greater good.
GREGG TREINISH, A MOVESHAKE STORY
Directed by Alexandria Bombach
When asked how others could follow their passion for making change, Gregg Treinish simply replied, "Three seconds of courage...that's all it takes." After being named Adventurer of the Year by National Geographic, Gregg combined his passion for adventure, his deep interest in education and wildlife biology, and three seconds of courage to found Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation.
BROOKLYN FARMER
Directed by Michael Tyburski
BROOKLYN FARMER explores the unique challenges facing Brooklyn Grange, a group of urban farmers who endeavor to run a commercially viable farm within the landscape of New York City. As their growing operation expands to a second roof, the team confronts the realities in operating the world's largest rooftop farm in one of the world's biggest cities.
WRENCHED: THE LEGACY OF THE MONKEY WRENCH GANG
Directed by ML Lincoln
WRENCHED captures the passing of the monkey wrench from Edward Abbey and other pioneers of eco-activism to the new generation who will carry their legacy into the 21st century. The fight continues to sustain the last bastion of the American wilderness - the spirit of the West.
ABOVE ALL ELSE
Directed by John Fiege - filmmaker in attendance!
This film is an intimate portrait of a group of landowners and activists in East Texas who tried to stop the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, a $7 billion project slated to carry tar sands oil from Canada to Texas Gulf Coast refineries. Risking financial ruin, personal safety and family security, these people's stories of resistance and direct action explore the human spirit and how social change happens in America.
TINY: A STORY ABOUT LIVING SMALL
Directed by Christopher Smith - filmmaker in attendance!
TINY is a documentary about home and how we find it. The film follows one couple's attempt to build a "tiny home" from scratch and profiles other families who have downsized their lives into homes smaller than the average parking space. Through homes stripped down to their essentials, the film raises questions about good design, the nature of home, and the changing American Dream. Filmmaker Christopher Smith in attendance.
Thanks to our filmmakers, sponsors, audiences and to the community members/organizations who were featured at our films and event panel discussions!
Participants included: Friends of Portland Community Gardens, The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, Friends Of The Columbia Gorge, Oregon Right To Know, Hemp History Week, Pad Tiny Houses, Micro Community Concepts, Shelter Wise, 350PDX, Food and Water Watch.
