Dumpster diving, disappearing bees and killing Lake Winnipeg

Reel Green Film Festival pulls environmental issues into focus

In Play Again, director Meg Merill explores the disconnect children have with nature because of technology. Meg Merill

Environmental groups and films constantly bombard us with apocalyptic rhetoric to demonstrate the immediacy of environmental problems. In the face of overwhelming stats and doomsday scenarios, it’s easy to feel helpless about the possibility of making any change. 

The Reel Green Film Festival, which is taking place Feb. 4 and 5 at the Winnipeg Art Gallery and the University of Winnipeg, will feature a diverse range of environmental films.

But don’t fear – these films will not induce a catatonic state. The festival has actively chosen films that are uplifting, topical and engaging.

“We’ve tried really hard to not always be sending out the negative, but also the hopeful and the positive, including things about what’s going on that’s really great, innovative and new,” said Kristina Hunter, a member of the organizing committee. 

“This film festival is really meant to combat that problem of people saying ‘Well there’s nothing I can do.’ Actually there are lots of things you can do, some radical and some simple, but it’s fun to think about those options,” she added.

Friday night will feature David Suzuki’s film The Force of Nature, followed by the Earthie awards and a wine and cheese reception.

On Saturday, the festival will give Winnipeggers access to recent films on environmental topics ranging from dumpster diving to bees.

Among these is the highly acclaimed film Qapirangajuk: Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change, a collaborative project between Winnipeg scientist Dr. Ian Mauro and the renowned Inuk director Zacharias Kunuk.

The film documents the Inuit perspective on the severe environmental changes in the Arctic.

“Indigenous knowledge is a different way of knowing and it can be contradictory to science, but it can also be a system of understanding that gives us completely new insights into environmental change,” said Mauro.

Play Again, an American film about children and their disconnect from nature due to their involvement with technology, will also be featured.

“Kids are constantly bombarded with negative media messages about the natural world – toxic pollution, species extinction, climate change… it can be paralyzing,” said producer Meg Merill.

“And we have to ask ourselves: how will kids grow up to be stewards of the planet if they have only an intellectual or virtual connection to it?”

The films will be followed by discussions, with Mauro and Helen Fallding, director of No Running Water, present to discuss their films.

“If you’ve been wondering about an issue or want to figure out what’s going on environmentally, this is a great way to do that and also connect with others in the community,” said Hunter.

The Reel Green Film Festival takes place Feb. 4 and 5 at the Winnipeg Art Gallery and the University of Winnipeg. Regular tickets are $12, or $10 for students. Visit www.tinyurl.com/Reel-Green.

Published in Volume 65, Number 18 of The Uniter (February 3, 2011)

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