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Saving Mes Aynak

Saving Mes Aynak follows Afghan archaeologist Qadir Temori as he races against time to save a 5,000-year-old archaeological site in Afghanistan from imminent demolition. A Chinese state-owned mining company is closing in on the ancient site, eager to harvest $100 billion dollars worth of copper buried directly beneath the archaeological ruins. Only 10% of Mes Aynak has been excavated and some believe future discoveries at the site have the potential to redefine the history of Afghanistan and the history of Buddhism itself. Qadir Temori and his fellow Afghan archaeologists face what seems an impossible battle against the Chinese, the Taliban and local politics to save their cultural heritage from likely erasure. Saving Mes Aynak examines the conflict between cultural preservation and economic opportunity through the lens of the Afghan archaeologists and local villagers who work and live near Mes Aynak.

Our Last Refuge

This is the story of the Badger-Two Medicine, the sacred homeland of the Blackfeet Nation, and the decades-long struggle to protect it from gas exploration. Located at the intersection of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Glacier National Park, and the Bob Marshall Wilderness, the Badger is an undeveloped expanse of mountains, ridges, river valleys, and wetlands. In 1981, the U.S. government illegally leased the Badger at $1 per acre for oil and gas development—without consulting the Blackfeet Tribe and without conducting a proper environmental review. One of the highest profile conservation efforts in recent history, Our Last Refuge is the first in-depth telling of this critical struggle.

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86 MIN

Su Rynard’s wide-ranging and contemplative documentary The Messenger explores our deep-seated connection to birds and warns that the uncertain fate of songbirds might mirror our own. Moving from the northern reaches of the Boreal Forest to the base of Mount Ararat in Turkey to the streets of New York, The Messenger brings us face-to-face with a remarkable variety of human-made perils that have devastated thrushes, warblers, orioles, tanagers, grosbeaks and many other airborne music-makers.

“Their findings unequivocally caution on the necessity of averting the birds’ extinction because they are an integral part of the ecological system… The slow-motion close-ups alone should convince you these magnificent creatures are well worth the effort.” – Martin Tsai, The Los Angeles Times

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89 MIN

Jumbo Wild

Director: Nick Waggoner

For decades, First Nations, conservationists, backcountry skiers and snowboarders have fought a proposed large-scale ski resort deep in the Purcell Mountains of British Columbia. After 24 years of opposition, what more will it take to keep Jumbo wild for good? This film explores the value of protected wilderness and the ever-encroaching battle against development at all costs. Breathtaking beauty, filmed in British Columbia.

Moving the Giants

Director: Michael Ramsey

Moving the Giants, A Urgent Plan to Save the Planet tells the story of arborist David Milarch, as he helps California coast redwoods migrate northward to survive climate changes that threaten their current habitat. His is one path to promote “treequestration,” a mass movement to use one of nature’s most prolific methods to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and reduce the amount of future climate change.

This event is sponsored by the Athena Cinema and Alden Library.

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Drilling down the Antarctic icefields in the 1950’s, the former brought about a sweeping change in our vision of the world as they discovered the origins of climate change. Today, the latter offer new means for transforming man’s imprint on its environment.

With Ice & Sky, Wild-Touch and Luc Jacquet travel back to the genesis of collective intelligence and forge a bond between the past and present stakeholders and the general public. Stemming from such a promise, a dynamic will encourage each one of us to join forces and respond to climate change, and together rewrite the rules of our future society.

This event is sponsored by the Athena Cinema and Alden Library.

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89 MIN

Sonic Sea

Directors: Michelle Dougherty, Daniel Hinerfeld

Sonic Sea is a 60-minute documentary about the devastating impact of industrial and military ocean noise on whales and other marine life. The film begins with a mystery: the unexplained stranding and mass mortality of several species of whales in the Bahamas in March 2000. As the mystery unfolds, the film explores the critical role of sound in the sea, and the sudden, dramatic changes human activity is inflicting on the ocean’s delicate acoustic habitat — changes that threaten the ability of whales and other marine animals to prosper, to function, and ultimately, to survive

Pangolin

Director: Katie Schuler

Journey of a single pangolin, from the moment it is taken from the wild to its final destination in China. Filmed on location across three countries with the help of reformed poachers and wildlife enforcement officers, the film acts as a surrogate for an estimated hundred thousand pangolins that are poached and smuggled annually in SE Asia and Africa. Pangolin offers audiences the opportunity to experience the life, death and afterlife of one of the most illeally trafficked and endangered mammals on the planet.

Monarchs: The Milkweed Mission

Director: Turk Pipkin

The latest conservation film from director Turk Pipkin and The Nobelity Project, The Milkweed Mission tracks the amazing year-long path of North America’s main Monarch butterfly migration, documenting threats from logging and community conservation challenges in the winter reserves in Michoacán, Mexico to loss of essential pollinators and milkweeds due to droughts, climate change and chemical agriculture across the U.S. and into the northern migration range in Canada.

This event is sponsored by the Athena Cinema and Alden Library.

Showtimes: ONE NIGHT ONLY: Wednesday, February 22nd at 7:00PM. Free admission!

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Through the stories of workers and entrepreneurs in the U.S. and China, the film captures the global race to lead the clean energy future. Over the course of a solar jobs training program, the film follows the hope and heartbreak of unemployed American workers seeking jobs in the solar industry. With countries like China investing in innovative technologies and capitalizing on this trillion-dollar opportunity, the film tells the story of the global energy transition from the perspective of workers and entrepreneurs building solutions to income inequality and climate change with their own hands. Their successes and failures speak to one of the biggest questions of our time: will the U.S. actually be able to build a clean energy economy?

“A must-see film. An eye-opening look at workers and entrepreneurs on the forefront of the clean energy movement that will transform, and enliven the way you see the future. What is clear is the wonderful opportunity the transition to clean energy represents.”  – Actor, Mark Ruffalo

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75 MIN

At a popular bakery café, residents of New York’s Upper East Side get bagels and coffee served with a smile 24 hours a day. But behind the scenes, undocumented immigrant workers face sub-legal wages, dangerous machinery, and abusive managers who will fire them for calling in sick. Mild-mannered sandwich maker Mahoma López has never been interested in politics, but in January 2012, he convinces a small group of his co-workers to fight back.

Risking deportation and the loss of their livelihood, the workers team up with a diverse crew of innovative young organizers and take the unusual step of forming their own independent union, launching themselves on a journey that will test the limits of their resolve. In one roller-coaster year, they must overcome a shocking betrayal and a two-month lockout. Lawyers will battle in back rooms, Occupy Wall Street protesters will take over the restaurant, and a picket line will divide the neighborhood. If they can win a contract, it will set a historic precedent for low-wage workers across the country. But whatever happens, Mahoma and his coworkers will never be exploited again.

“A crowd pleaser… a captivating David & Goliath story.” Anthony Kaufman, Indiewire

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87 MIN

This epic documentary follows Leonardo DiCaprio as he travels the world to examine firsthand the effects of climate change, and to learn more about possible ways to prevent catastrophic damage that could make the Earth unsustainable for human life. During his journey, he speaks with such influential figures as President Barack Obama, Pope Francis and tech innovator Elon Musk, and makes a speech before the United Nations calling for greater action on this issue.

“The sincerity of its message, its ability to assemble such a watchable and comprehensive account gives it an undeniable urgency.” — Andrew Barker, Variety

This free event is being hosted by The Common Experience Project on Sustainability and is a MUST see before Election Day.

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96 MIN

THE COMMON EXPERIENCE PROJECT ON SUSTAINABILITY IS HAPPY TO PRESENT A GREAT LINEUP OF DOCUMENTARY FILMS THIS FALL. The project goal is to create an engaging and educational experience for students, faculty, staff and the regional community. Attendees will acquire a deeper understanding of the current issues and concepts related to sustainability. No matter how much or how little you know about these issues, the films present an accessible avenue to learn about the topics presented. The films explore the intersection of the environment and sustainability through consumer demands and biodiversity, social justice, forest protections and grass roots innovation, energy production and industry control, species impacts and educational approaches to problem solving and engagement. Each film is pertinent to the challenges facing us, chosen for its beauty and current relevance. Following each showing a panel discussion or talk with the film producer or filmmaker is offered to the audience. This year we are welcoming director Eve Morgenstern (Cheshire Ohio) and Todd Walters producer (International Peace Parks Expeditions) as well as a variety of faculty, students and community members who share in the discussion and exploration of each film. This event is sponsored by the Athena Cinema, the Environmental Studies program,Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, Alden Library, OU College of Arts and Sciences: Sustainability Studies, Food Theme, Ohio Sense of Place, and the Office of Sustainability.

I AM CHUTTY WUTTY

dir. Fran Lambrick/ 57 mins.

In Cambodia’s Prey Lang Forest deforestation is devastating the lives of the indigenous population. Environmental activist Chut Wutty is determined to fight the illegal practices of logging companies but when investigating a secret military-controlled logging site, Wutty is shot dead. The film follows Wutty’s fierce battle against illegal logging in an extraordinary tale of one person’s courageous battle to save Cambodia’s forests. Following Wutty through the campaigns which ultimately led to his death, I am Chut Wutty offers inspiring insight into his battle against the destruction of Cambodia’s forests.

EARTH, WATER, WOMAN

dir. Sarah Feinbloom & Alexandra Swati Guild / 23 mins

This film tells the inspiring story of a sustainable agro-forestry community in Trinidad & Tobago West Indies, called Fondes Amandes, led by a charismatic Rastafarian woman, Akilah Jaramogi. Three decades ago Akilah settled on a barren, deforested hillside, blighted with floods in the rainy season and fires in the dry season. Together with her late husband, Tacuma, they started a family and reforested over 150 acres, restoring health to the hills and the watershed just outside the capital city of Port-of-Spain. When her husband died, Akilah continued this great work, initiating the Fondes Amandes Community Reforestation Project (FACRP), training community members as stewards of the forests and waters. Today Fondes Amandes is a thriving village atop a flourishing forest of 150 acres where residents have planted about 60,000 seedlings over the past thirty years. This documentary urges young viewers everywhere to examine opportunities in the face of challenges.

A FOREST RETURNS

dir. Jean Andrews and Steve Fetsch/15 mins

A Forest Returns follows the environmental and social conditions that led to the establishment of the Wayne National Forest and the region’s evolving relationship with the land and forests told by local conservationist Ora Anderson. By local filmmaker Jean Andrews and Steve Fetsch.

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97 MIN