Sun Come Up

Saturday March 5th, 3 pm/ Location/ Tickets

Jennifer Redfearn/ 2011/ 38 min/ Climate Change & Community Response

Sun Come Up is an Academy Award® nominated film that shows the human face of climate change. The film follows the relocation of the Carteret Islanders, a community living on a remote island chain in the South Pacific Ocean, and now, some of the world’s first environmental refugees. When climate change threatens their survival, the islanders face a painful decision. They must leave their ancestral land in search of a new place to call home. Sun Come Up follows a group of young islanders as they search for land and build relationships in war-torn Bougainville, 50 miles across the open ocean.

Sun Come Up (trailer) from Sun Come Up on Vimeo.

Food & Agriculture

"Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret"

Filmmaker: Kip Anderson

TICKETS - Saturday, March 7, 11 am

Elmhurst College, Schaible Science Center (corner of Prospect and Elm), Illinois Hall.   -- 190 S. Prospect Avenue

Watch the Trailer

*Followed by post film Q&A

Animal agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation, water consumption and pollution, is responsible for more greenhouse gases than the transportation industry, and is a primary driver of rainforest destruction, species extinction, habitat loss, topsoil erosion, ocean “dead zones,” and virtually every other environmental ill. Yet it goes on, almost entirely unchallenged.

As Andersen approaches leaders in the environmental movement, he increasingly uncovers what appears to be an intentional refusal to discuss the issue of animal agriculture, while industry whistleblowers and watchdogs warn him of the risks to his freedom and even his life if he dares to persist.

Edible City

Filmmaker: Andrew Hasse

Watch the Trailer

Screenings Date & Time TBA

Rating TBA

Edible City  introduces a diverse cast of extraordinary San Francisco based activists who are challenging the paradigm of our broken food system.  The film digs deep into their unique perspectives and transformative work, finding inspirational, grass-roots solutions based on growing local food systems and economies.

Ground Operations:

Battlefields to Farm Fields

Filmmaker:

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Screenings Date & Time TBA

Rating TBA

 America needs a million new farmers. Veterans want the job! Ground Operations: Battlefields to Farmfields champions combat vets who are rebuilding their own lives as organic farmers & ranchers and revitalizing their communities with access to local, affordable, fresh, healthy food. These heroes blow the lid off stereotypes and you’ll be rooting for them all the way to your farmers market.

The Sustainable

Sunday March 6th 12:30 pm/ Ascension Catholic Church / Tickets

A light lunch will be served at noon, immediately prior to the films. Three short films (Bomb Trains on the Hudson, Backyard, and The Sustainable) will be woven together with quotes from the recent Papal Encyclical, Laudato Si, which urges a sense of integral ecology and care for our common home and common family. Post-film opportunities include a panel of experts in trains that carry hazardous materials, fracking in Illinois and updates on the solar energy field. There will be time for Q&A and opportunities to take concrete action on various issues, including local environmental issues in Cicero and information on socially responsible investing (Joe O'Krepky with Edward Jones). Facilitator: Gina Orlando, DePaul Faculty; Wellness Coach, Consultant, Hypnotherapist at Healthy is Wealthy.

Panelists include:Alexis Aurigemma, Co-producer of the film "The Sustainable" Lisa Albrecht, Board member of ISEA (Illinois Solar Energy Association) Stacey Durley Hess, Environmental consultant for environmental investigations and remediation in the Midwest. Dawn Dannenbring, Environmental organizer for Illinois Peoples Action

Justin Cerone/ 2015/ 22 min/ Architecture & Building

FILM DESCRIPTION: The Sustainable is a documentary about a couple in Upstate New York and their decision to design and build their home to produce its own electricity. Watch the trailer to see their home's amazing transformation and how this project changed their lives.

WILDLIFE

Field Biologist

Filmmaker:

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Screening Date & Time TBA

Rating TBA

Field Biologist is the story of 22-year-old Tyler Christensen, a remarkably talented but somewhat rudderless high school graduate from New Jersey still trying to figure out what to do with his life. Tyler’s great love is being outside, chasing birds and studying wildlife. One day he decides—brushing aside his lack of a college degree or scientific credentials—to drop everything and travel to Costa Rica to start doing his own conservation-oriented research on birds in the tropics.

From Billions to None

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Screening Date & Time TBA

Rating TBA

From Billions to None: The Passenger Pigeon's Flight to Extinction reveals the compelling story of the unlikely extinction of the passenger pigeon. For millennia, the sleek long-distance flyer was the most abundant bird in North America and perhaps the world. Then, in a matter of decades, it was hunted to extinction. On September 1, 1914, Martha, the last passenger pigeon in captivity, died in the Cincinnati Zoo, marking the end of the species.

This award-winning film follows naturalist and author Joel Greenberg, A Feathered River Across the Sky: The Passenger Pigeon's Flight to Extinction, (Bloomsbury USA, 2014), as well as scientists, artists and teachers that are drawn to this literal teachable moment and its striking relevance to conservation challenges today.

Project Wild Thing

Filmmakers: Green Lions

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Screening Date & Time TBA

Rating TBA

"This film will change your life" -  The Guardian.

Project Wild Thing is a film led movement to get more kids (and their folks!) outside and reconnecting with nature. The film is an ambitious, feature-length documentary that takes a funny and revealing look at a complex issue, the increasingly disparate connection between children and nature.

Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai (Encore Presentation!)

Sunday March 6th, 12:30 pm/St. Benedict the African-East Catholic Church/ Tickets

Please stay for post-film discussion, and opportunities for taking concrete action, which will be shared by local advocacy groups such as Faith in Place. Facilitator: Toni Anderson, Founding Executive Director, Sacred Keepers Sustainability Lab.

Lisa Merton and Alan Dater/ 2008/ 81 min/Food, Agriculture

FILM DESCRIPTION: Taking Root tells the dramatic story of Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai whose simple act of planting trees grew into a nationwide movement to safeguard the environment, protect human rights, and defend democracy—a movement for which this charismatic woman became an iconic inspiration.

This Changes Everything

Pre-Event Screening: Thursday Feb. 11th, 7 pm/ Dominican University/ Tickets

Join us post-film for an activating multi-disciplinary panel, comprised of faculty from Dominican University:

Scott Cummings, Associate Professor of ChemistrY; Patrick Homan, Assistant Professor of Political Science;  Scott Kreher, Associate Professor of Biology. Tim Milinovich, Assistant Professor of Theology; Tama Weisman, Associate Professor of Philosophy. Concrete action opportunities will be available from GoGreen Oak Park, Green Community Connections, and Citizens Climate Lobby. Refreshments will be served. Facilitator: Monica Halloran, Director of Academic Programs, Dominican University.

Saturday March 5th, 3 pm/ Experimental Station/ Tickets

Stay after the film to learn about concrete, local action opportunities. First Presbyterian food program and other local advocacy groups will be present. Facilitator: Karen Snyder, Institute of Cultural Affairs.

Saturday March 5th, 3 pm/ Institute of Cultural Affairs/ Tickets

Stay for post-film dialogue, and to hear about opportunities for collaborative action and organizing with Eco-Up Group, the Chicago Sustainable Leaders Network, and The United Nations USA. Facilitator: Caitlin Sarro, Program Manager, Institute of Cultural Affairs.

Saturday March 5th, 7 pm/ College of Lake County/ Tickets

Please stay for post-film discussion, and concrete opportunities for action.

Naomi Klein, Avi Lewis/ 2015/ 89 min/ Climate Change & Community Response

FILM DESCRIPTION: Filmed over 211 shoot days in four years, nine countries and five continents, This Changes Everything is an epic attempt to re-imagine the vast challenge of climate change. Directed by Avi Lewis, and inspired by Naomi Klein’s international non-fiction bestseller, This Changes Everything, the film presents seven powerful portraits of communities on the front lines, from Montana’s Powder River Basin to the Alberta Tar Sands, from the coast of South India to Beijing and beyond. Interwoven with these stories of struggle is Klein’s narration, connecting the carbon in the air with the economic system that put it there. Throughout the film, Klein builds to her most controversial and exciting idea: that we can seize the existential crisis of climate change to transform our failed economic system into something radically better.

The True Cost

Saturday March 5, 11 am,/ Frances Xavier Warde School, Old St. Patrick's Campus/ Tickets

This film is suitable for general audiences and high school+. Post-film program to include discussion with Old St. Patrick's Solidarity Market and fair trade vendors. Hear from Bethany Collins, Catholic Relief Services; Jill Johnson, Ten Thousand Villages; and others. Facilitator: Rachel Lyons, Organizer, Mission for Social Justice at Old St. Patrick's Church. Light refreshments will be served.

Sunday March 6, 12:30 pm/ Northside College Prep/ Tickets

*The film is suitable for high school and above. Fashion-inspired artwork and fashion show by Northside students! Post-film discussion focused on "slow fashion" and conscious clothing, with: Annie Novotny, Adjunct Professor, School of the Art Institute  Fashion Department; Sadie Monroe, Co-Founder of Fibre Athletics; Jamie Hayes, Department of Curiosities. Concrete action opportunities will also be made available through Zady: a Destination for Conscious Consumers, and Chicago Fair Trade. Refreshments will be served after the program. Facilitator: Seva Gandhi, Senior Program Coordinator, Institute of Cultural Affairs.

Sunday March 6th, 3:30 pm View & Brew!/ Wire Music Club/ Tickets (teens/pre-teens welcome, accompanied by parent/guardian)

*The film is suitable for high school and above. Beverages at this View & Brew screening will be available for purchase; patrons 21+ with ID may purchase alcoholic beverages.Post-film discussion about "slow fashion" and conscious clothing with Germaine Curry, Owner and Founder of Majamas clothing company. Facilitator: Stephanie McCray, Executive Coach, Consultant, Speaker.

Andrew Morgan & Michael Ross/ 2015/ 92 min/ Waste, Recycling

FILM DESCRIPTION: The True Cost is about the clothes we wear, the people who make them and the impact the industry is having on our world. The price of clothing has been decreasing for decades, while the human and environmental costs have grown dramatically. The True Cost is a groundbreaking documentary film that pulls back the curtain on the untold story and asks us to consider, who really pays the price for our clothing?

Young Children's International Short Films

Saturday March 5th, 10 am/Young Children's International Short Films/ Oak Park Public Library/ Tickets

Join us at Oak Park Library for a screening of three young international children's short films for ages 3-6+ The theme of the films "We are All Connected in Our One Earth" will teach children about this topic in a fun and engaging way. Discussion and fun, interactive activities will be offered. Action opportunities will be available from JR Herps (who will bring reptiles for the children to "meet"), The Oak Park Park District and the Forest Preserve District of Cook County.  Facilitator: Wendy Negron, Early Childhood Educator.

The Lion and the Mouse/ Africa/ 10 min. In this wordless adaptation of one of Aesop’s most beloved fables, an unlikely pair learn that no act of kindness is ever wasted. With vivid depictions of the landscape of the African Serengeti and expressively-drawn characters, Pinkney makes this a truly special retelling. Combined with a rich soundtrack featuring traditional African vocal music and natural sound effects, Pinkney's stunning pictures speak volumes.

The First Snow of Winter/ United Kingdom/ 29 min. Winner of a BAFTA award for Best Animation at the 4th British Academy Children's Awards. Many other awards followed. Starring the voices of the late Dermot Morgan (Father Ted), Miriam Margolyes and Sorcha Cusack.

The Magic of Life/ India/ 6 min. Piku is a young boy who loves exploring his garden and is always up to all kinds of mischief. But one night a fairy comes to him and things change forever.