Welcome to the 2020 Earth Day Film Fest, hosted by Wyoming Rising.

All films will be available until April 26th at 11pm

Wyoming Rising Earth Day Film Festival

We close out our week-long festival with two of the most meaningful films we were able to share.

The Story of Plastic

The Story of Plastic documentary presents a cohesive timeline of how we got to our current global plastic pollution crisis and how the oil and gas industry has successfully manipulated the narrative around it. It introduces audiences to the heroes and the villains behind one of the world’s most pressing environmental issues, from the extraction of fossil fuels to plastic disposal, and to the global resistance fighting back.

https://indee.tv/screener/view/VzGYx5SoLSsFg4zNV1m7S9dXiw9N30oE/

. . . . . . .

People of a Feather. See trailer here:

People of a Feather – The Award Winning Feature Film from the Canadian Arctic from Arctic Eider Society on Vimeo.

Because of licensing requirements, we are not able to offer “People of a Feather” for free on our site. You can rent it for $4.99 from Vimeo, which will contribute to the work of the filmmakers. And it’s available for free on Amazon Prime.

Featuring groundbreaking footage from seven winters in the Arctic, People of a Feather takes you through time into the world of the Inuit on the Belcher Islands in Canada’s Hudson Bay. Connecting past, present and future is a unique relationship with the eider duck. Eider down, the warmest feather in the world, allows both Inuit and bird to survive harsh Arctic winters.

Traditional life is juxtaposed with modern challenges as both Inuit and eiders confront changing sea ice and ocean currents disrupted by the massive hydroelectric dams powering New York and eastern North America. Inspired by Inuit ingenuity and the technology of a simple feather, the film is a call to action to implement energy solutions that work with nature.

Earth Day Field Trip

This event has ended, but the video was recorded and is still available!

At noon Eastern time (10 Mountain time), join American Museum of Natural History experts for Field Trip Earth, a live round-the-world journey that uses interactive data-visualization software to provide views of sites like the Himalayas and the Great Barrier Reef from space.

Gather the whole family for a live flight around the world to marvel at our planet’s natural wonders—from the Amazon rainforest to the Sahara Desert, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Himalayas! Join Director of Astrovisualization Carter Emmart and Museum astrophysicist Jackie Faherty as we blast off into the outer reaches of our atmosphere and see our planet from outer space.

Film Fest selections for Wednesday, April 22 through Sunday, April 26:

Feature:

Planet of the Humans

1 hour 40 minutes.

Michael Moore presents Planet of the Humans, a documentary that dares to say what no one else will this Earth Day — that we are losing the battle to stop climate change on planet earth because we are following leaders who have taken us down the wrong road — selling out the green movement to wealthy interests and corporate America. This film is the wake-up call to the reality we are afraid to face: that in the midst of a human-caused extinction event, the environmental movement’s answer is to push for techno-fixes and band-aids. It’s too little, too late.

Removed from the debate is the only thing that MIGHT save us: getting a grip on our out-of-control human presence and consumption. Why is this not THE issue? Because that would be bad for profits, bad for business. Have we environmentalists fallen for illusions, “green” illusions, that are anything but green, because we’re scared that this is the end—and we’ve pinned all our hopes on biomass, wind turbines, and electric cars?

No amount of batteries are going to save us, warns director Jeff Gibbs (lifelong environmentalist and co-producer of “Fahrenheit 9/11” and “Bowling for Columbine”). This urgent, must-see movie, a full-frontal assault on our sacred cows, is guaranteed to generate anger, debate, and, hopefully, a willingness to see our survival in a new way—before it’s too late.

Featuring: Al Gore, Bill McKibben, Richard Branson, Robert F Kennedy Jr., Michael Bloomberg, Van Jones, Vinod Khosla, Koch Brothers, Vandana Shiva, General Motors, 350.org, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sierra Club, the Union of Concerned Scientists, Nature Conservancy, Elon Musk, Tesla.

Music by: Radiohead, King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Blank & Jones, If These Trees Could Talk, Valentina Lisitsa, Culprit 1, Patrick O’hearn, The Torquays, Nigel Stanford, and many more.

Michael Moore Presents: Planet of the Humans | Full Documentary | Directed by Jeff Gibbs

GRIZZLY COUNTRY from Ben Moon on Vimeo.

Overview: The words of Wallace Stegner on the need to preserve wilderness

Hipcamp Presents: A Letter to Congress from Christopher Newman on Vimeo.

Overview: The great primatologist provides some inspiration

Jane Goodall – Mother Earth from The Inspiration Journey on Vimeo.

Some for the kids

Overview: A 13-year-old inventor Aidan realized that trees use a mathematical formula to gather sunlight in crowded forests

The Secret of Trees | Albert Maysles from Focus Forward Films on Vimeo.

Overview: Reusing to prevent waste

Re-thinking Progress: The Circular Economy from Matthew Henry on Vimeo.

Overview: some quick birding tips

BY THE RIVER – An Animated Bird Guide from Will Rose on Vimeo.

Overview: Justin, a young Maori boy intercepts a message from a dying Earth to distant caretaker aliens. He and his friends embark on a mission to save the planet

Children’s Sci Fi Web Series – full Season 1 in two parts compiled from webisodes from Manya Wheeler on Vimeo.

Film Fest selections for Monday April 20 through Wednesday April 22:

Overview: See Animals

Award-winning Animation released on Earth Day 2019. Beautiful but surprise ending.

See Animals

Overview: The Story of Stuff: The Ecology of Disease

Join the Story of Stuff for part one video series from The Story of Stuff Project. In Episode 1, environmental journalist Jim Robbins discusses what goes wrong when we start treating nature as a resource to be exploited, rather a complex and essential system whose health is inextricably linked with our own. https://youtu.be/m47FAXRvz9A

Overview: A Failure of the Imagination

“Go out, use your creativity and commit yourself, and then you can solve any problem”

Every year, the UK food industry wastes 1.9 million tones of food. A FAILURE of the IMAGINATION documents the story of one chef and his efforts to change this.

Five years ago, Douglas McMaster opened the restaurant Silo, hoping to change the unsustainable practices of modern food systems. His aim was simple, yet frighteningly ambitious: create an award winning menu using a zero-waste food system designed from scratch.

This is the story of that restaurant’s first five years. This film is part of the series England Your England, an award-winning collection of real stories from the edges of contemporary Britain.

A Failure of the Imagination

Overview: Re-Nylon: A Circular Journey.

This final installment to the National Geographic x Prada series on turning trash into treasure takes the key messages of each explorer’s journey, opening and closing the loop in a sustainable economy for the world of fashion.

Re-Nylon: A Circular Journey

Overview: A Plentiful Feast

After the passing of his father, a young man finds himself responsible for providing for his family.

A Plentiful Feast

Overview: Bears Ears – A Living Museum

The eastern side of the Comb Ridge once served as a home for Ancient Pueblo Peoples who built dwellings in the alcoves and etched drawings into the rock walls.

Bears Ears – A Living Museum

The film fest opened Friday April 17 with Six Independent Documentary Films available here:

Here is a direct link to view the first set of films.
https://vimeo.com/408141170
Password: EarthRise

Overview: Our Gorongosa

Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique has become one of Africa’s most celebrated wildlife restoration stories. After a decade of renewed protection, Gorongosa’s large mammal population has increased 10-fold to over 100,000 animals. But the Park must also find a way to co-exist with the 200,000 people living in surrounding communities.

Dominique Gonçalves, a young African elephant ecologist shares the inspiring story of how Gorongosa is becoming a new model for wildlife conservation and community development. By bringing large-scale, long-term health care, agriculture support, and girls’ education to surrounding communities, Gorongosa is redefining the identity and purpose of this national park. (Trailer)

Overview: Where Life Begins

Directed by Katie Schuler (USA), 10 min.

Along the Arctic Coast, at the northmost point on American soil, we explore the inseparable bond between mother and child, the sacred and fragile moments after birth and the importance of protecting the place “Where Life Begins”.

This film is a powerful reminder of how closely environmental issues are linked to human needs. Along the Arctic Coast, at the northernmost point on American soil, the film explores the intimate relationship between the people there and the caribou, along with the inseparable bond between mother and child, the sacred and fragile moments after birth and the importance of protecting the place “Where Life Begins”. Trailer

Overview: Stekenjokk and the Guardians of the Eggs

In Swedens windiest place, the valley of Stekenjokk rare birds try to breed while their eggs are threaten by poachers. Join two dedicated egg guards in a low-key but thrilling detective drama in a bird watching environment.

Every year during June, police officer Mimmi and nature guard Håkan patrol Sweden’s windiest place, the valley of Stekenjokk. Eggs thieves’ ravages the area where rare bird eggs are laid during the breeding season. Thousands of eggs have been stolen over the years and sold to collectors, threatening the extinction of several species. But this year, spring never seems to arrive at Stekenjokk and the birds have their toughest year so far. A film about this remarkable place, the characters who guard the eggs.. (Trailer)

2020 Earth Day Film Fest