2019 FESTIVAL FILM SELECTIONS & AWARDS
Best Feature Film Award
MOSSVILLE: WHEN GREAT TREES FALL
“Welcome to beautiful downtown Mossville,” Stacey Ryan says wryly. “Population: one.” Mossville, Louisiana is a shadow of its former self – a community rich in natural resources and history, founded by formerly enslaved people, where neighbors lived in harmony, insulated from the horrors of Jim Crow. Today, however, Mossville no longer resembles the town it once was. Surrounded by 14 petrochemical plants, Mossville is the future site of apartheid-born South African-based chemical company Sasol’s newest plant – a $21.2 billion project and the largest in the western hemisphere.
At the center of it all is a man named Stacey Ryan. 48 years old and a lifelong resident of Mossville, Ryan has lost both parents to cancer and seen the neighborhood he grew up in demolished to make way for Sasol’s new multi-billion dollar project. He experiences these changes while dwelling in a FEMA trailer formerly owned by his parents, and smack in the middle of where the new Sasol facility is being built. He is the last man standing in the way of the plant’s expansion and refusing to leave. Directed by Alexander John Glustrom. US, 1 hr 15 mins, PNW premiere
Best Short Film Award
BODIES LIKE OCEANS
A dreamy portrait of photographer Shoog McDaniel, a self-described queer fat southern freak, whose work with fat bodies in nature transgresses reality. From mountain-fed waterfalls to the clear blue and weightless world under the surface of a natural spring, this film is about finding beauty in new places. Directed by Kat Cory. US, 13 mins, PNW filmmaker
Best Conservation Film, Branded Content Award
REWILDING A MOUNTAIN
The sagebrush sea is a landscape of beauty and wildlife, yet rapid desertification and extractive industries threaten this vast basin. But at Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge, aspen explode alongside thriving creeks, migratory birds nest in willow branches and even the endangered sage grouse seem to be recovering. Director Trip Jennings. US, 27 mins, PNW premiere
EcoHero Award
STACEY RYAN
A lifelong resident of Mossville, Louisiana who took a public stand refusing to leave his formerly-thriving African American town, now surrounded and decimated by 14 petrochemical plants, and the future site of apartheid-born South African-based chemical company Sasol’s newest plant – a $21.2 billion project and the largest in the western hemisphere. Featured in the film MOSSVILLE - WHEN GREAT TREES FALL.
AN ISLAND IN THE CONTINENT (UNA ISLA EN EL CONTINENTE)
An immersive, experiential trip along the 1,300 km long Peninsula of Baja California in Mexico, a mythological and magical land. From the astounding beauty of the prehistoric Great Mural cave paintings of Cuestra Palmerito to the modern-day development and extraction plans placed on the Sierra de la Laguna biosphere reserve, Baja California is like a symphony, but it is already missing many instruments. Featuring poet Edmundo Lizardi. Director Juan Pablo Miquirray. Mexico, 1 hr 10 mins, PNW premiere
BECOMING FOREST TREES
Japanese Zen Buddhist priest Genpou Chisaka realized that throughout Japan, large areas of land were being abandoned by farmers, nature was being replaced by invasive exotic plant and animal species. Cemeteries were full, forcing authorities to open new ones, destroying more native nature. So he bought abandoned farmland in Ichinoseki, and turned it into a new type of a cemetery that removes the invasive species, restores nature and buries deceased people with indigenous plantings. Directed by Ran Levy-Yamamori. Israel and Japan, 27 mins., US premiere
CONFLUENCE
The Colorado River has carved a deep imprint on both the physical landscape of the American Southwest, and on the people who live near its waters. Confluence follows the indie folk band, The Infamous Flapjack Affair, as they traverse this endangered river system and create original music documenting the people and places along their journey. Directed by Amy Marquis and Dana Romanoff. US, 55 mins, PNW premiere
DAMMED TO EXTINCTION
For eons, a one-of-a-kind population of killer whales has hunted Chinook salmon along the Pacific Coast of the US. For the last 40 years, renowned whale scientist Ken Balcomb has closely observed them. He’s familiar with a deadly pattern - as salmon numbers plummet, orcas starve. The solution, says Balcomb, is getting rid of four fish-killing dams 500 miles away on the largest tributary to what once was the largest Chinook producing river on earth. Directed by Michael Peterson. US, 51 mins, Oregon premiere, PNW filmmaker. Screening Sponsor: Joan & Paul Sher
FOR AYAN
Farah and her family have a tree planting tradition in memory of their daughter Ayan. Director Zach Putnam. US, 4 mins, PNW premiere, PNW filmmaker
GAJA BORNEO
Inspired by real events, the story of human-elephant conflict comes to life in a stop motion world made out of recycled paper. Directed by Shervin Hess. Borneo & US, 5 mins, PNW premiere, PNW filmmaker
GIANTS
During 2015, Everett Custom Homes purchased a property in Portland’s Eastmoreland Neighborhood. On the lot stood three giant sequoias, which the developer planned to cut down. "Giants" details the efforts and challenges neighbors of Eastmoreland confronted in their attempts to save these unique trees. The film brings a fresh look into local activism and the importance of community organizing. Directed by Luz Carasa. US, 27 mins, PNW filmmaker
HIKE THE DIVIDE: A CONVERSATION ABOUT CLIMATE ACTION ON THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE TRAIL
Self-described “jaded millennial” Connor DeVane, treks 2,700 miles from Canada to Mexico on the CDT seeking hope in the face of climate breakdown. A physical journey through environments both harsh and beautiful, this film shares stories of community activists and problem solvers working on a spectrum of approaches to climate action, including grassroots community organizing, land regeneration to store CO2 in soil, non-violent civil disobedience and more. His journey intersects with diverse voices united in not only picking us up off the floor, but also to shoving us out the door to build a better future. Directed by Connor DeVane. US, 1 hr 22 mins, PNW filmmaker
INSTRUMENTS IN THE ARCHITECTURE: BUILDING THE PIANODROME
Pianos are being thrown away at a tremendous rate – hauled away, set on fire and their valuable heavy metal sold for scrap. Tim, Leon and their team of inspired artists, musicians and volunteers have reclaimed these unloved instruments to build the world’s first 100-seater amphitheatre made entirely from up-cycled pianos. Balancing the artistic integrity of Tim’s vision with Leon’s practicality and realism tests the strength of their relationship as they race to complete the Pianodrome for its debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Directed by Austen McCowan & Will Hewitt. United Kingdom, 14 mins
L’EAU EST LA VIE (WATER IS LIFE): FROM STANDING ROCK TO THE SWAMP
On the banks of Louisiana, fierce Indigenous women are ready to fight—to stop the corporate blacksnake and preserve their way of life. They are risking everything to protect Mother Earth from the predatory fossil fuel companies that seek to poison it. Directed by Sam Vinal, Mutual Aid Media. US, 24 mins
OREGON WILD: A NEW TRADITION
A daughter continues her mother’s legacy of love for Oregon’s wild places. Directed by Anny Gutierrez. US, 2 mins, PNW premiere, PNW filmmaker
OUR TRAILS TOO
In one of the whitest states in the USA, a queer African American woman disrupts the outdoor adventurer stereotype. Directed by Liz Haan and Emilia Quinto. US, 31 mins, PNW filmmakers
QUEEN WITHOUT LAND
A true story about the meetings between Frost, a polar bear mother, and Asgeir Helgestad, a Norwegian wildlife filmmaker, during his 4-year journey on Svalbard. Rising temperatures are causing changes in Frost’s ecosystem at record speed. From complete darkness to the absolute light of the midnight sun, Svalbard transforms seasonally from a cold, inhospitable place to the most joyous and lively scenery for ice algae, fish and animals. But alongside these seasonal transformations, the disappearing ice forces life to new limits. Director Asgeri Helgestad. Norway, 1 hr 10 mins, US West Coast premiere
ROCKY INTERTIDAL ZONES
A six year old boy explores the rocky intertidal zones of the Oregon Coast. He brings along prehistoric creatures, art materials, and a small tank which inspire musings about ancient and present day life. Directed by Irene Tejaratchi Hess, US, 3 mins, PNW premiere, PNW filmmaker
RYUICHI SAKAMOTO: CODA
From techno-pop stardom to Oscar-winning film composer, the evolution of Ryuichi Sakamoto's music has coincided with his life journeys. An eminent film composer (MERRY CHRISTMAS, MR. LAWRENCE, THE LAST EMPEROR, THE REVENANT) Sakamoto became an iconic figure in Japan's social movement against nuclear power following the Fukishima nuclear facility disaster. The film captures Sakamoto as he returns to music following a cancer diagnosis, while his haunting awareness of life crises leads to a resounding new masterpiece. Directed by Stephen Nomura Schible. Japan, 1 hr 42 mins
SCAPEGOAT: THE CORMORANTS OF EAST SAND ISLAND
This film documents the US Government's reckless and relentless killings of Double-crested Cormorants on East Sand Island at the mouth of the Columbia River. This colony was once the largest cormorant nesting colony in the world. The justification for killing cormorants was to prevent them from eating federally listed salmon, however the killings caused the collapse of the colony and moved many cormorants upriver where they now eat more salmon than before the killings took place. Directed by Trip Jennings, Balance Media. US, 9 mins, PNW filmmakers
THE MAN OF THE TREES
Daniel Balima is a senior horticulturist from Tenkodogo, a small Sub-Saharan African town in Burkina Faso. As a child he fell ill with polio leaving him without the use of his legs, walking on his hands. Yet he has given life to more than a million trees. Because of the drought in his country, he dreams of planting another million. Directed by Andrea Trivero. Italy & Burkina Faso, 19 mins, PNW premiere
THE SHEPHERDESS
A Navajo shepherdess perseveres in a rapidly vanishing way of life, despite extreme drought on the reservation. “We didn’t even go up the mountain because there’s no water,” she recounts. “Hardships are just lessons and challenges in life and you just can’t dwell on it, you have to live through it.” Directed by Katie Falkenberg. US, 6 mins
THE SOUND OF A WILD SNAIL EATING
When a woman is bedridden by a mysterious pathogen, a forest snail unexpectedly takes up residence on her nightstand. Together, the woman and snail share an intimate journey of survival and resilience. Their captivating and graceful explorations expand the boundaries of the bedroom. Adapted from the award-winning nonfiction memoir of the same title. Featuring the voice of Daryl Hannah. Directed by Elisabeth Tova Bailey. US, 15 mins, PNW premiere
SPEARS FROM ALL SIDES
In 2013 Ecuador's President Correa announced an end to the moratorium on oil drilling in the Yasuni Park - one of the most biologically diverse regions of the world. Opening the Park - and Waorani lands - to oil drilling once again. Nowhere in the world are the battle lines on climate change and indigenous rights more sharply drawn than in the Amazon rainforest - where any destruction affects the entire planet. Filmed over 3 years, SPEARS FROM ALL SIDES reveals the progress of this new oil invasion from the intimate perspective of the Waorani people. Directed by Christopher Walker. Ecuador & US, 1 hr 30 mins, PNW premiere
STORIES FROM THE WATERSHED: KATE
Kate Crump is a world renowned fly fishing guide, owner of Frigate Travel and a board member at Pacific Rivers. Kate lives and works out of Rockaway Beach, Oregon. Like so many Oregonians, weak logging laws under the Forest Practices Act have affected Kate's business and community. Directed by Shane Anderson. US, 5 mins
WHERE LIFE BEGINS
Along the Arctic Coast, at the northmost point on American soil, we explore the inseparable bond between a Gwich’in mother and her child, a caribou mother and her calf, the sacred and fragile moments after birth and the importance of protecting the place "Where Life Begins". Directed by Katie Schuler. Canada, 10 mins, Oregon premiere, PNW filmmaker
THE WILD
Right now, it may be up to us to ensure their very existence of wild salmon will continue. By suddenly dismantling safeguards the EPA had enacted to protect the salmon, water and people of Bristol Bay, Alaska - the current political regime in the US has unilaterally revived a mining corporation’s relentless pursuit to build North America’s largest open-pit copper mine in the headwaters of the most prodigious wild sockeye salmon run in the world. The Wild is a race against time, where the hard-fought-for/hard-won protections for Bristol Bay now seem as fleeting. Fresh into addiction recovery, this urgent threat spurs filmmaker Mark Titus back to the Alaskan wilderness he loves. Directed by Mark Titus. US, 1 hr 3 mins, Oregon premiere, PNW filmmaker
Screening followed by Virtual Reality media experience that places the viewer in Bristol Bay Alaska.
2019 Earth Day Weekend Films & Summer screenings
AKIRA KUROSAWA’S DREAMS
An Earth Day and 4/20 repertory screening of this lush, visually striking film by acclaimed film director Akira Kurosawa. Based on eight of Kurosawa's reoccurring dreams, DREAMS is a magical realism trip through nature, mankind's complexities and the cycle of life. Directed by Akira Kurosawa. 1980 release.
LANDSCAPE FILM: ROBERTO BURLE MARX
A night of Brazilian film, gardens & music! The Portland film premiere of LANDSCAPE FILM: ROBERTO BURLE MARX: A sensory journey through the gardens, art and life of famed Brazilian Modernist landscape architect, painter and ecologist Roberto Burle Marx. An icon of modernist design, Burle Marx has over 50 plants named in his honor and was one of the first voices to call for the conservation of Brazil’s rainforests. * Event opens with a live music set by Choro da Alegria! a Portland-based ensemble dedicated to playing the melodies of Brazil. Director: João Vargas Penna
THE WOMAN WHO LOVES GIRAFFES
Years before Jane Goodall studied chimpanzees and Dian Fossey studied mountain gorillas, Anne Innis Dagg, a 23 year old Canadian biologist, became the first person from outside the African continent to make a solo journey to South Africa to study animals in the wild. Although Dagg returned home armed with ground-breaking research, she faced insurmountable barriers as a woman in science. In addition to being the world's first "giraffologist" who authored the book considered to be the cornerstone of giraffe biology, Dr. Dagg went on to author books that challenged sexism in academia, science and culture. This film follows Dagg as she re-traces the steps of her groundbreaking 1956 journey to South Africa to study giraffes and recalls her life's work to bring attention to the importance of both giraffes in the wild and to women's rights. Directed by Alison Reid. Oregon film premiere.
TO KID OR NOT TO KID
Documentary filmmaker Maxine Trump (New York Times Critics' Pick MUSICWOOD) shares a deeply intimate exploration of her personal process deciding to "come out" as choosing to live childfree. To Kid or Not To Kid. The movie bravely plunges into an aspect of reproductive choice often misunderstood, mischaracterized or considered too taboo to discuss. With rising public awareness about climate change, resource scarcity and global population, this timely film asks the question "Why can't we talk about not having children?" Directed by Maxine Trump. US West Coast film premiere.
GORILLAS IN THE MIST
Based on the autobiography of primatologist and conservationist Dian Fossey about her work studying Rwandan mountain gorillas for nearly two decades. Released in 1988, the film stars Sigourney Weaver and was nominated for five Academy Awards. Special guest Steven Wise, reknowned animal rights attorney and founder/President of the Nonhuman Rights Project, in attendance! The NhRP works to secure fundamental rights and legal protections for nonhuman animals. Directed by Michael Apted. 1988 release.
