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New: MOVIES IN THE MARGINS: SF Green Film Festival—April 20-26

Gar Smith
Saturday April 22, 2017 - 08:20:00 PM

One of the neat things about the San Francisco Green Film Festival is its dedication to action and principle. It walks the talk. Or maybe we should say: "It screens the scenes."

As the SFGFF fact sheet puts it: "From the Amazon to Standing Rock, from the streets of SF to the fields of Ethiopia, see new stories from around the world" and when you're not enjoying "acclaimed environmental films" you can hit the low-impact parties and events and rub green elbows with filmmakers, environmental activists, and special guests.

The SFGFF is a non-profit that's interested in more than sharing well-crafted and inspiring cinema. It also works to encourage individual and community action as part of their mission is "to educate and connect communities through forward-thinking programs of environmental films, dialogues, and action opportunities."

It was ten years ago that watching Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth inspired SFGFF founder Rachel Caplan to create an annual film screening to promote environmental action. Now in its seventh year, the Green-fest has become a must-see event on every enviro's Califlower Calendar.

 

 

 

The Green-fest proudly lists its efforts to create a low-impact and zero-waste event.  

Local & sustainable: Food, beer & wine are provided by local, green-minded vendors. 

No new purchases: For decor, we use rented or recycled items. 

Plastic-free! No plastic serving ware or utensils are allowed. Everything must be 100% biodegradable. 

Zero landfill: everything must be either composted or recycled. 

Zero food waste: leftover food is taken home by team members or donated locally. 

No bottled water: Water stations are provided with delicious Hetch Hetchy tap water. 

Some solutions are hum-drum. Others are inspired: 

"We keep our use of paper materials to a minimum," the Green-fest manifesto explains. "Where we do have to have these, they are printed locally using recycled paper and soy-based inks. Our 2016 Festival program guide was one sheet (!) of paper without any glue or staples. Guest passes, signage and décor are reused from one year to the next. Printing Festival vinyl banners without specific dates means they can be reused each year." 

Festival staffers commute to work on public transit, shoes, and bikes—or work remotely. The Festival inhabits a green building with natural lighting, CFL or LED light bulbs, low-flow toilets, etc. 

No new office furniture. Desks and chairs are second-hand or donated. 

Energy-efficiency-certified appliances only and supplies from certified green vendors—e.g., New Resource Bank, Dharma Merchant Services, Western Web, Good Green Moving, and Blue Heron Catering. 

Try to beat this record: The office has used only 2 reams of recycled paper in the past 12 months. (You can bet they print double-sided.) 

All tableware and utensils are reusable or compostable—no single-use plastic allowed. 

And the office boasts its own mini-forest—"including a banana tree!" 

Oh, yeah. I almost forgot about the films. 

The festival kicks off with the latest from award-winning Bay Area filmmaker Mark Kitchell (Berkeley in the Sixties, A Fierce Green Fire). Evolution of Organics is a loving look-back at the heady, Super-8 days of yore when Bay Area hippies left the cities and learned to till the land and, in the process, laid the roots for the organic farming revolution. 

 

The film screens at the Castro at 7:30. There also is an Opening Night Reception at 6 in the Castro Mezzanine to meet Festival filmmakers and special guests while enjoying local food & beverages to kick-off Green Film Fest. Separate ticket required 

For Berkeley audiences, there will be a screening of Theater of Life at the Brower Center. 7 pm on April 24, 2017. 

 

The Brower Center screens the Berkeley premiere of Theater of Life. Renowned chef Massimo Bottura - patron of the world's best restaurant - creates an extraordinary soup kitchen. Bringing together 60 famous chefs, he uses food waste to cater for homeless people in Milan. 

A panel discussion immediately follows the screening featuring: Anna Lappe, Founder, Real Food Media; Ruben Canedo, Research & Mobilization Coordinator, UC Berkeley; and Zoe Loftus-Farren, Contributing Editor, Earth Island Journal. 

Click here to Purchase Tickets online. 

 

April 21, 2017, 6:30 - 9:30 pm 

Celebrate Earth Day at the Brower Centeron April 21 with a 6:30 screening of Before the Flood. Leonardo DiCaprio's acclaimed film will screen at 7pm in the Goldman Theater. Before the Flood explores the topic of climate change and discovers what must be done to prevent catastrophic disruption of life on our planet. Please note that the Climate Action Expo is FREE but we recommend that you purchase a ticket in advance to secure your seat for the film. 

$15/$14 Students & Seniors 

Here Is the Complete SFGFF Schedule Listed Alphabetically 

4 Wheel Bob 

Get on the trail with intrepid adventurer and wheelchair hiker Bob Coomber. 

Sat, Apr 22 3:15 PM 

The Age of Consequences 

Investigating the impacts of irreversible climate change through the lens of U.S. national security and global instability. 

Sat, Apr 22 7:15 PM 

The Art of Recovery 

After the devastating Christchurch earthquake, community members began using newly vacant city land for art, gardens, and gathering spaces. 

Mon, Apr 24 6:30 PM 

Atomic: Living in Dread and Promise 

Director's Choice: Mark Cousins' bold doc is an impressionistic kaleidoscope of our nuclear times, with a new musical score by Mogwai. 

Fri, Apr 21 

Can You Dig This 

Following four improbable gardeners as they join a movement to uproot the status quo in South L.A. 

Sat, Apr 22 8:30 PM 

Cheshire, Ohio 

This is coal country. Residents in Cheshire, Ohio, fight for their health, the environment and their home. 

Sat, Apr 22 12:40 PM 

[The Climate Studio] x Survival Media Agency Pop-Up Gallery 

Gallery Opening Party for the latest pop-up from [The Climate Studio], featuring original photos from Survival Media Agency. 

Fri, Apr 21 7:00 PM 

Dark Circle 

Film Classic: Acclaimed 1982 doc exploring in evocative, personal and immediate terms how all of us have been affected by the nuclear age. 

Sun, Apr 23 12:30 PM 

Dead Donkeys Fear No Hyenas 

2017 Green Tenacity Award: A new wave of colonialism is hitting Africa - the murky world of foreign investors buying farmland in developing countries. 

Sun, Apr 23 5:45 PM 

Death by a Thousand Cuts (Muerte por Mil Cortes) 

The murder of a park ranger highlights the tension between Haiti and the Dominican Republic over charcoal exploitation and mass deforestation. 

Fri, Apr 21 12:00 PM 

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb 

Film Classic: Stanley Kubrick’s classic 1964 Cold War satire, with Peter Sellers as the eponymous Doctor with an ingenious and irrevocable scheme. 

Tue, Apr 25 7:00 PM 

Eco-Animation from Russia 

A program of eco-themed animated shorts, guest curated and presented by Russia’s ECOCUP Green Film Festival. 

Sat, Apr 22 9:15 PM 

Evolution of Organic 

Opening Night: From a motley crew of back-to-the-landers to the exciting new futures of sustainable agriculture. 

Thu, Apr 20 7:30 PM 

Flint: a work-in-progress 

A preview of Anthony Baxter’s latest feature documentary about the lead in drinking water crisis in Flint, Mich. 

Sun, Apr 23 3:45 PM 

Food for Thought 

This program of short films presents a new take on food production - methods that restore our land, water and wildlife.  

Sun, Apr 23 12:45 PM 

Generation on the Wind 

Film Classic: During the 1978 'energy crisis', a group of artists, mechanics & environmental activists set out to build the largest electrical generating windmill in the world. 

Sun, Apr 23 6:30 PM 

Green VR 

Experience virtual reality for yourself in this hands-on viewing of stunning new VR environmental films. 

Fri, Apr 21 5:00 PM 

The Islands and the Whales 

The whale hunters of the Faroe Islands believe that hunting is vital to their way of life, but now marine pollution is threatening this forever. 

Mon, Apr 24 8:30 PM 

Last of the Longnecks 

Exploring the plight and extinction of giraffes and the implications of their demise in our rapidly changing world. 

Sat, Apr 22 12:30 PM 

The Memory of Fish 

A documentary portrait of one man, the wild salmon he loves, and his fight to free a river. 

Sat, Apr 22 3:00 PM 

Plastic China 

11-year-old Yi-Jie lives in a recycling workshop, sorting through mountains of plastic waste. She dreams of her future. 

Tue, Apr 25 6:30 PM 

A Plastic Ocean 

An epic global adventure following a filmmaker and a world record free-diver as they travel the earth discovering the shocking impact plastic is having on our oceans. 

Fri, Apr 21 6:00 PM 

Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman 

This illuminating film spotlights unlikely conservationists, stewards of the land and sea who don't fit preconceptions of environmentalists. 

Wed, Apr 26 6:00 PM 

RISE Standing Rock 

2017 Best Feature Award: An essential documentation of one of the most urgent environmental struggles happening today - to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline. 

Sun, Apr 23 8:15 PM 

RiverBlue 

River advocate Mark Angelo journeys through some of the world's most polluted riverways to reveal the dark side of the fashion industry. 

Sun, Apr 23 3:00 PM 

Samuel in the Clouds 

In Bolivia, the glaciers are melting as Samuel, an old ski lift operator, looks out of his window on the rooftop of the world. 

Tue, Apr 25 8:30 PM 

Twelve Pianos 

Closing Night: A documentary film about artist/musician Mauro ffortissimo, and some pianos that want to save the world. 

Wed, Apr 26 8:30 PM 

Women's March 

On Jan. 21, 2017, people across this country come together to stand up for causes they believe in. What is their motivation to march? 

Sun, Apr 23 5:00 PM 

Yasuni Man 

An incredible expedition through Ecuador’s Yasuni exploring the impact of oil development on the biodiversity of the forest and its people. 

Sun, Apr 23 8:30 PM 

You've Been Trumped Too 

A chronicle of the confrontation between billionaire Donald Trump and feisty 92-year-old Scottish widow, Molly Forbes. 

Sat, Apr 22 4:50 PM 

 

Green Film Fest Events 

Happy Hour @ FestHQ 

FestHQ is the place to meet Fest guests and share your reactions to the films. 

Fri, Apr 21 5:00 PM 

Sat, Apr 22 5:00 PM 

Sun, Apr 23 5:00 PM 

How do you know if your story is making a difference? 

This interactive workshop with Active Voice founder Ellen Schneider will help you make informed, realistic decisions about your campaign. 

Sat, Apr 22 3:15 PM 

How do you tell your story in three minutes? 

Meet short filmmakers from this year's festival and find out how you can create depth and emotion in a small package. 

Sun, Apr 23 1:00 PM 

How should you distribute your film? 

Meet film distributors, including Green Planet Films, Kanopy, and ro*co educational, and hear their insider view on how to make sure your film reachs a wide audience. 

Sun, Apr 23 2:30 PM 

Inspiring Lives: a conversation with Flo Stone 

2017 Inspiring Lives Award: As Founder of the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Captial, Flo Stone’s work has inspired countless people through the power of cinema. 

Sat, Apr 22 1:30 PM 

Theater of Life 

Renowned chef Massimo Bottura - patron of the world's best restaurant - creates an extraordinary soup kitchen. 

Sat, Apr 22 5:45 PM 

Mon, Apr 24 7:00 PM 

Tidewater 

American Resilience Project's first production explores the Tidewater region of Virginia and North Carolina, whose vulnerability most affects overall U.S. national security. 

Sun, Apr 23 2:45 PM