Each evening begins with an
optional
social hour and pot luck supper at
6:00 pm,
followed by the film at
7:30 pm,
followed by a discussion at the end of the film.
Wednesday,
September 2 at 7:30 pm
Out
of
Balance
This
is the story of
ExxonMobile's impact on
climate change.
Tom
Jackson
goes on a personal quest to
find out more about climate
change and the huge forces
that are blocking imperative
change. The result is
this well-researched,
well-sourced piece of
investigative documentary
filmmaking. Tom
exposes a story that will
hardly be mentioned in the
mainstream media. He
exposes the most dangerous
practice of our time
:
record profits at ANY
cost. He arms himself
with a number of climate
change experts such as
Michael Oppenheimer
and
Bill
McKibben.
Bill McKibben points out
that though we are all
responsible for the unusual
warming of our planet, every
problem has a face and the
image of global warming
includes ExxonMobil and its
former CEO, Lee Raymond.
Exxon is the largest public
company in the history of
the world. And its
enormous corporate weight
was put behind a propaganda
campaign to discredit the
wide-spread concern about,
and the science of, climate
change. It went beyond
supporting pseudo-science
and anti-climate change
advocates and effectively
lobbied to influence
government decisions.
Exxon spent millions funding
contrary viewpoints about
climate change. They
forced the public debate to
include the idea that
warming does not exist or
that it's similar to natural
trends. How much time
will Exxon get their way
over the common good?
Wednesday, September 9 at 7:30 pm
Solar
Energy:
Saved by the Sun
As
global-warming concerns and
ominous climate changes
prompt the
fossil-fuel-dependent masses
to begin seeking out
alternative energy sources,
the prospect of solar energy
has once again become a
topic of discussion
--
and not just among
environmental activists.
Though previously dismissed
by many, could solar energy
be at least a partial
solution to our growing
energy concerns?
In this documentary,
filmmakers explore how new
designs, materials, and
technology have made
harnessing the power of the
sun cheaper and more
efficient than ever before.
See Kramer Junction, the
largest solar plant in the
world;
a German pig farmer who
produces solar energy;
and third-world countries
that have new opportunities
through solar energy.
As cutting-edge research
developments are explored,
both proponents and
enthusiasts voice their
opinions on the subject as
the viewer is introduced to
scientists and
businesspeople attempting to
use solar power for
everything from lighting and
heating to running power
plants.
Enjoy
a film experience somewhere
between Marat Sade and a
cool drink of fresh water
--
screamingly objective and
deeply penetrating. In
the summer of 1999 in
Berkeley seven individuals
underwent an intense para-theatre
process to encounter the
crux of what they were
living for. Their
stories are narrated through
interviews and excerpts from
their private ritual
journals. What unfolds
is a series of confessions
and confrontations with what
it means to be crucified to
the cross of one's own
existence, to wake up to
that reality and learn to
live with it.
Antero's
pointed questions expose
essential qualities that
define each character,
allowing the camera to
record moments of intimate
honesty. We are given
tantalizing glimpses into
the results this ritual
exploration has on each
participant. This is
not a film about
Christianity but a para-theatrical
group experiment aimed to
expose and embody the
universal crucifixion
archetype.
Wednesday,
September 23 at 7:30 pm
Double
Feature
--
Green Cities
A
Convenient
Truth:
Curitiba
This
informative, inspirational
documentary aims at sharing
ideas to provoke
environment-friendly and
cost-effective changes in
cities worldwide. It focuses on
innovations in
transportation, recycling,
and social benefits including
affordable housing, seasonal
parks, and the processes
that transformed Curitiba,
Brazil,
into one of the most livable
cities in the world. The city of Curitiba
has demonstrated for the
past 40 years how to
transform problems into
cost-effective solutions
that can be applied in most
cities around the world.
the typical city is a huge, clogged network,
designed long before mass motoring and now
jammed with vehicles, their emissions and
noise. Usually, the average planner’s
response is to make more room for traffic,
leading to even more vehicles and pollution.
However, three decades ago, Curitiba boldly
addressed its traffic problems at root and
consequently found that, with vision and
willpower, all aspects of city life could be
improved. Curitiba’s officials had
decided that people should come first, not
cars. What prompted this approach? In
the 1940s Curitiba’s population was around
150,000 and by the 1980s, it was one
million. This rapidly expanding city
had little money to spend and therefore
great wisdom and courage were required.
Curitiba is now a city of two million and an
inspiring example of urban development. This
documentary tells the Curitiba story.
Cities:
Sao Paolo
And this documentary
tells the story of Sao Paolo. As the
world's cities grow and resources shrink,
people look for ways to live sustainably
with the Earth and with each other.
Can we take care of people and the
environment both?
But we must
!
A community watershed project in Sao Paolo
shows the way. This film looks at what
sustainability means in locations as diverse
as East Los Angeles, Vancouver, Portland,
Curitiba, and Sao Paolo. See what
living sustainably in the world's cities
entails.
Wednesday,
September 30 at 7:30 pm
Holes
in
Heaven
This
alarming film is a prime
example of grassroots
filmmaker
Wendy
Robbins'
good work. Narrated by
Martin Sheen, the film
investigates the
High
Frequency Active Auroral
Research Program
(HAARP), its history and
implications, and examines
the dangers and benefits of
high and low frequencies and
of electromagnetic
technology. The HAARP
facility is used to study
the earth's ionosphere
--
the electrically-charged
belt surrounding the Earth's
upper atmosphere, ranging
between 40 to 60 miles from
its surface. The film
strives to give a fair and
accurate appraisal of HAARP,
and brings before the public
vital information about a
project which could have a
dramatic effect upon our
entire world. The
HAARP Program is jointly
managed by the U.S. Air
Force and the U.S. Navy, and
is based in Gakona, Alaska.
It is designed to
"understand, simulate, and
control ionospheric
processes that might alter
the performance of
communication and
surveillance systems."
But in its zeal to "control
ionospheric processes,"
HAARP may be heating up the
ionosphere and pouring
chemicals into the
atmosphere to an intolerable
degree, putting life on
Earth into question.
