ARTIVIST FILM FESTIVAL – HOLLYWOOD EDITION UNVEILS 2011 FILM LINE-UP

11 FEATURES AND MORE THAN TWO DOZEN SHORTS TO SCREEN AT THE HISTORIC EGYPTIAN THEATER, AUGUST 18-20

JULY 19, 2011 – The Artivist Film Festival, a unique showcase of films exploring socially active themes, has selected its 2011 features and short film line-up for the festival’s eighth annual Hollywood edition, to be held August 18-20 at the historic Egyptian Theater on Hollywood Boulevard.

With the exception of the Opening Night Film which will be announced at a later date, the festival’s complete film line-up follows. Advance tickets may be reserved now at www.festival.artivist.com/.

All 11 feature film presentations at the 2011 Artivist Film Festivals represent the Los Angeles premieres. Both the features and short films speak to the mission of Artivist Collective, Inc., the nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness for international human rights, children’s advocacy, environmental preservation and the humane treatment of animals.

Programming Highlights

The feature films include “Because We Were Beautiful” (director Frank van Osch) and “Shed No Tears” (director Kaitlyn Summerill), which document in different ways the modern-day phenomenon of human slavery. The former shines a spotlight on the plight of the so-called “comfort women,” teenage girls who were forced into prostitution during World War II, and how much there is to learn from their previously untold stories.

The latter film reveals how even in the 21stcentury, parents in impoverished countries like Benin, Africa are literally selling their children for hard labor.

Themes of social justice in the U.S. are explored in “Better This World” (directors Kelly Duane de la Vega and Katie Galloway), a dramatic story of idealism, loyalty and betrayal set against the backdrop of the 2008 Republican Presidential Convention and “Straight White Male” (director Michael Brownstein), revealing a rarely covered side of the transgender experience.

The same theme of social justice is seen through an international lens in three features: “Love Hate Love” (directors Don Hardy and Dana Nachman), executive producer Sean Penn’s film about the survivors of three separate terrorist acts in different parts of the world and how they rebuilt their lives by refusing to become merely victims; “Surfing Soweto” (director Sara Blecher), documenting the lives of three “lost boys” of South Africa’s forgotten generation, born after the demise of apartheid but too early to reap the benefits of freedom; and “Left By The Ship” (directors Emma Rossi Landi, Alberto Vendemmiati), which follows the plight  of the thousands of Amerasian children in the Philippines left behind when the U.S. closed its enormous Subic Bay Naval Base in 1992.

Magnificent environments and their animals that are falling prey to human exploitation are explored in two feature documentaries - “Saving America’s Horses” (director Katia Louise) and “Green” (director Patrick Rouxel). Set against the dramatic vistas of the American West, “Saving America’s Horses” takes a tender yet honest look at the inhumane treatment of horses in the U.S. and the efforts to stop this. “Green” is an emotional, heart-wrenching journey of an orangutan’s final days in her beloved Indonesian rainforest.

Also especially noteworthy in this genre are two featurettes about endangered species - “Spoil” (director Trip Jennings), set in the rainforest of Canada’s British Columbia about what local native Americans call “the spirit bear,”; and “Lost Years: A Sea Turtle Odyssey” (director Jeremy Hogarth), an extraordinary journey beneath the deep waters of the Pacific Ocean that documents for the first time the natural world of loggerhead sea turtles.

Two features explore how advanced technology can be both a boom and a bane to the future of the human race. “The 4th Revolution: Energy Autonomy” (director Carl A. Fechner) makes the case of how a global switch to 100% renewable energy sources is within our reach by 2040. “What In The World Are They Spraying?” (director Paul Wittenberger) discloses that the innocent-looking white jet streams in the sky are actually evidence of a largely secretive, seemingly sinister industry known as “geo-engineering,” driven by scientists, corporations and governments with no public oversight.

Artivist Satellite Festivals & Awards

The name Artivist is a combination of “artist” and “activist.” Since its inception in 2003, Artivist has screened 400+ films representing more than 60 countries and has produced film festival tours in Los Angeles, New York, London, Tokyo, Mexico City, and Lisbon, that have reached more than 35 million people.

Earlier this month, Artivist Film Festival launched a nationwide expansion of its programming with simultaneous screenings in six cities in the U.S., beyond its traditional annual programs in Los Angeles and New York. The other cities included Austin, Atlanta, Chicago, Seattle, Sedona and Washington D.C.

Some of the films presented at the Artivist Film Festival over the years have been Academy Award winner “Born Into Brothels” and Academy Award nominee “Super Size Me,” as well as the Los Angeles Premiere of critically-acclaimed documentaries “God Sleeps In Rwanda,” “Fast Food Nation,” “Emmanuel’s Gift,” “Zeitgeist,” “Trudell,” “Stolen Childhoods” and  “ReGeneration.”

In addition to film screenings, Artivist Film Festival includes panel discussions and filmmaker-audience question & answer sessions, receptions and live musical entertainment.

The Los Angeles festival annually hosts a Closing Night awards program in which a Hollywood celebrity is honored for their “Lifetime Achievement in the Arts & Advocacy.” Last year’s recipient was film icon Peter Fonda. Past recipients have included Matthew McConaughey, Olivia Wilde, Joaquin Phoenix, Ted Danson, Mira Sorvino, Ed Begley, Jr. and Hank Azaria. Note: The 2011 Artivist Award honorees will be announced at a later date.

The festival also works closely with NGOs in the presentation of film screenings and panel discussions. Artivist has been endorsed by the Audubon, Sierra Club, Care, Amnesty International, The Humane Society, Global Green and many other NGOs as well as by the United Nations.

The 2011 Artivist Film Festival program is presented by Petrobras, the world’s largest alternative energy firm. The festival is also sponsored by Kanon Organic Vodka.

Screenings are free to the public but advanced tickets are encouraged as the programs do “sell out.”  For more information, visit http://www.artivist.com/festival/

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*** NOTE TO THE PRESS ***

Most of the filmmakers are available for interviews prior to the screenings.

Media Contact:
Lisa Carroll, Publicist
ARTIVIST FILM FESTIVAL
626-280-8291
lisadcarroll@yahoo.com

2011 Artivist Film Festival Feature And Short Film Programming

1.2 MILLION CHILDREN

Almost two million children are bought and sold across international borders each year. The majority of these victims are forced into the commercial sex trade. This animated film focuses on human trafficking through the eyes of an African child who tries to pursue a dream of freedom despite the danger. (World Premiere) 0:03:22

Director: Effie Pappa
Children • Greece
Fri, August 19, 7:00 PM | Rigler

A MAD HARVEST

This animated film poetically portrays the surreal nature of nuclear politics and governments' expenditures on such weapons, juxtaposed with the amount spent to tackle poverty. When a mysterious explosion of light frightens the wolves away from their herds, some local shepherds are drawn into buying the fireworks that caused the explosion to protect their animals. But will this protective device be beneficial or destructive? 0:04:53

Director: Anita Shukla
Artivist Spirit • United Kingdom
Fri, August 19, 9:15 PM | Rigler

AT THE END OF SLAVERY

In a world where 27 million children, women and men live as modern-day slaves, the fight for justice cannot wait. Narrated by Danny Glover, AT THE END OF SLAVERY takes you inside the business of slavery from the brothels of the Philippines to the brick kilns of India. Undercover footage, first-person testimony from former slaves and respected experts expose the enormity of this crime. However, a remarkable strategy and the courage of today's abolitionists offer hope for a final end to this brutal trade. (World Premiere) 0:33:12

Director: Ted Haddock
Human • USA, Cambodia, India, Philippines
Sat, August 20, 11:30 AM | Spielberg

BECAUSE WE WERE BEAUTIFUL (OMDAT WIJ MOOI WAREN)

Filmmaker Frank van Osch, photographer Jan Banning (World Press Photo Award 2004) and journalist Hilde Janssen traveled throughout Indonesia to search for former “comfort women” - young women who were abducted and forced to serve as sex slaves to the Japanese Armed Forces during World War II. Many comfort women have already passed away, and the ones still alive are now mostly in their 80s. Still considered a taboo subject in many parts of Asia, the comfort women in BECAUSE THEY WERE BEAUTIFUL depict a little-known but important page of history, bravely describing the systematic rape, the humiliation, the fear of their ordeals and how their lives changed forever as a result. 01:00:49

Director:  Frank van Osch
Human • Netherlands. Indonesia
Thurs, August 18, 5:00 PM | Spielberg

BETTER THIS WORLD 

 When two young activists from Midland, Texas were arrested at the volatile 2008 Republican Convention, their story became a media sensation. The two friends–David McKay and Bradley Crowder–had fallen under the sway of a charismatic revolutionary ten years their senior, and the boys crossed a line that radically changed their lives. The result: eight homemade bombs, multiple domestic terrorism charges and a high stakes entrapment defense hinging on the actions of a controversial FBI informant. A dramatic story of idealism, loyalty, crime and betrayal, BETTER THIS WORLD goes to the heart of the War on Terror and its impact on civil liberties and political dissent in post-9/11 America. 1:33:00

Directors: Kelly Duane de la Vega, Katie Galloway
Artivist Spirit • USA
Fri, August 19, 9:15 PM | Rigler

BODY OF CHRIST

A week before he is to be baptized, a closeted gay teen struggles to balance his faith with his sexuality and must come to terms with his family, community and himself. It is a film about family, love, the confusion that comes from being a young person and the struggle to find a home in a world that at times can seem devoid of tolerance. 0:20:00

Director: Darek Kowal
Human • USA
Thurs, August 18, 7:15 PM | Spielberg 

CROOKED BEAUTY

Poetic yet powerful, CROOKED BEAUTY chronicles artist-activist Jacks McNamara's transformative journey from childhood abuse to psych ward patient to pioneering mental health advocate.  It is an intimate portrait, interwoven with poignant testimonials, of McNamara’s intense personal quest to live with courage and dignity, as well as a powerful critique of standard psychiatric treatments. 0:30:00

Director: Ken Paul Rosenthal
Human • USA
Sat, August 20, 11:30 AM | Spielberg

DAMS – THE LETHAL WATER BOMBS

Two governing states in India are caught in a raging and ongoing controversy over the 100-year-old Mullaperiyar Dam, which borders both states and is threatening the lives of thousands of those who live nearby. Filmmaker Sohan Roy (a naval architect by profession) provides an explanation of the problems of this dam, trying to alert those who would ignore the possibility of a massive natural disaster. (World Premiere) 0:19:28

Director: Sohan Roy S K
Environment • Egypt, India
Fri, August 19, 4:00 PM | Spielberg

DE 54

In the squeeze of the subway, a disturbing scene unfolds before Eve's eyes: a man seems to be taking a girl somewhere against her will. Eve deliberates with herself about what she is seeing, but she hesitates about taking action. When she finally does, will it be too late? 0:13:58

Director: Philip Hering
Children • Netherlands
Fri, August 19, 9:30 PM | Spielberg

DECEMBER 6

Clever and uncompromising, this spoken-word dance tour de force recalls the events of the Montreal Massacre at L'Ecole Polytechnique on December 6, 1989, in which fourteen women were murdered on the campus by a rabid anti-feminist. The film commemorates the 20th anniversary of the massacre, making a bold statement for the abolishment of violence against women. 0:09:45

Director: Cara Mumford
Human • Canada
Thurs, August 18, 5:00 PM | Spielberg

FARM TO FRIDGE

Narrated by Academy Award nominee James Cromwell, this powerful documentary takes viewers on an eye-opening exploration behind the closed doors of the nation’s largest industrial poultry, pig, dairy, and fish farms, hatcheries and slaughter plants--revealing the often unseen journey that animals make from FARM TO FRIDGE.  Using arresting images covertly recorded on hidden camera, the film puts into focus the harsh reality faced by farmed animals - creatures granted no federal protection from abuse during their lives on factory farms. 0:12:00

Director: Lee Iovino
Animal • USA
Sat, August 20, 12:00 NOON | Rigler

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Hunger in Orange County is as prevalent as its theme parks and striking beaches. In one of the most affluent counties in the nation, one in five people live below the poverty line and cannot afford to eat a single meal. Second Harvest Food Bank, located in Irvine, works tirelessly to eliminate hunger among its most vulnerable residents. (World Premiere) 0:12:06

Directors: Victor Amezquita, Serena Felsher, Elizabeth Hartnett, Alessandra Maman
Artivist Spirit • USA
Sat, August 20, 2:30 PM | Rigler

GRACE

GRACE gives us a look into the lives of scavengers in the Philippines through the story of a courageous young girl. Thirteen-year-old Mary-Grace Rapatan has lived on top of a notorious garbage dump in the Philippines her entire life, picking through mountains of trash to feed her family while persevering to get an education. The film shows the determination and potential of this young teenager despite the challenges she faces. 0:22:49

Director: Meagan Kelly
Children • Switzerland, Philippines
Thurs, August 18, 9:30 PM | Spielberg

GREEN

Her name is Green, and she is alone in a world that doesn't belong to her anymore. Green is a female orangutan, a victim of deforestation and resource exploitation. The recipient of over 20 international film festival awards, including the United Nations’ International Forest Film Festival “Best of the Festival” award, GREEN is an emotional, heart-wrenching journey of Green's final days in her beloved Indonesian rainforest. The film is a visual ride, presenting the treasures of rainforest biodiversity and the devastating impacts of logging and land clearing for palm oil plantations. 00:47:00

Director: Patrick Rouxel
Animal • France, Indonesia
Thurs, August 18, 9:45 PM | Rigler

IT’S WHAT’S FOR DINNER

When a family goes to a nice restaurant for an evening out on the town, they are shocked to find their waiter reluctant to place their order. What initially appears to be a breach of basic customer service etiquette, turns considerably darker when the waiter takes them on a comedic and enlightening (if somewhat harrowing) journey through the meat production process. 0:02:59

Directors: Chris Anderson, Ariel Goldberg
Animal • USA
Thurs, August 18, 9:45 PM | Rigler

LEFT BY THE SHIP

What is your life like when everybody can see that your mother was a prostitute and your father abandoned you? Robert, JR, Charlene and Margarita are Amerasians: the sons and daughters of Filipina sex workers and American servicemen stationed at the Subic Bay Naval Base, once the largest US Naval Base outside mainland USA. When the Base closed in 1992, thousands of Amerasian children were left behind. Over the course of two years, we follow the lives of four Amerasians as they struggle with discrimination, family problems and identity related issues, trying to conquer a past for which they are in no way responsible. 1:19:14

Directors:  Emma Rossi Landi, Alberto Vendemmiati
Children • Italy, USA, Philippines  
Thurs, August 18, 9:30 PM | Spielberg

LIKE TOY DOLLS

LIKE TOY DOLLS is a touching and powerful mockumentary about the increasing baby dumping crimes in Malaysia--a lament of the unwanted. Using dolls as a metaphor for those tiny children who are thrown away into the trash, abandoned and sometimes killed, this short film depicts their tragic fate. (World Premiere) 0:04:29

Director: Yihwen Chen
Children • Malaysia
Fri, August 19, 9:30 PM  | Spielberg

LOST YEARS: A SEA TURTLE ODYSSEY

This feature reveals for the first time one of many great mysteries of the natural world--the vanishing of many thousands of loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings into the vast depths of the Pacific Ocean. Ultimately, just a few return to Australian waters to feed and breed. What happens after these remarkable creatures disappear from human sight? Documentary maker Jeremy Hogarth takes an extraordinary journey beneath the deep, with some amazing underwater photography, to document the work of noted marine biologist Col Limpus and the private lives of these ancient voyagers who are on the endangered species list. 00:51:30

Director: Jeremy Hogarth
Animal • Australia
Sat, August 20, 3:30 PM | Spielberg

LOVE HATE LOVE

Executive Producer Sean Penn presents LOVE HATE LOVE, a film about the victims of terrorism and how they must rebuild their lives. It's been eight years since Liz Alderman's son Peter was murdered by terrorists. Every day since, Liz is faced with the same two options - succumbing to the depths of despair or finding a way to survive. Esther Hyman knows about this choice as well; her sister was killed when the bus she was riding to work was blown up. And Ben Tullipan now lives minus his two legs and his hearing because of the one-ton bomb that went off just a few yards away. Their lives, shattered by terrorists, are now on a new path and they’re taking thousands of people along for the ride. LOVE HATE LOVE follows these survivors as they search for honor, meaning and a new future. 01:23:00

Directors: Dana Nachman, Don Hardy
Artivist Spirit • USA  
Sat, August 20, 2:30 PM | Rigler

MOONSCAPE

Devastated by the tragic accident of her son, a border patrol agent has to cope with her pain over his death or risk being destroyed by her anger. MOONSCAPE portrays the walls we build to protect ourselves from our intimate connection to others. 0:11:10 

Director: Marco Ferrari
Artivist Spirit • Italy, USA
Fri, August 19, 7:20 PM | Spielberg

NELSON

As a young Korean student, Ik Nam Cho was drafted into the US Army to fight in the Vietnam War where his name was changed to Nelson. Now a senior citizen with a bullet permanently residing in his back, he carries his past. The film poignantly explores the meaning of identity and how it can mold us. 0:03:15

Director:  Iva Radivojevic
Human • USA
Sat, August 20, 11:30 AM | Spielberg

PATRIARCHY

When Marcus Freeman's father picks him up from jail, he is forced right back into the prison of his father's control. After learning his father's secrets, Marcus must choose between betraying his own father or following in his furtive footsteps. 0:11:17

Director: Robert Boler
Children • USA
Fri, August 19, 7:00 PM | Rigler

PLAINCLOTHES AGENTS

In June 2009, millions of Iranians went to the polls to select the country's next president with high hopes for their future. Within 24 hours, they found out that they were a part of the biggest voter fraud in Iran's history, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was announced the winner. In the following days people poured into the streets and asked, “Where is our vote?” But instead of answers, the government unleashed its PLAINCLOTHES AGENTS, crushing the protest with batons, bullets and blood. Using raw footage from those who courageously taped the demonstrations at their own peril, this documentary focuses on those fateful days, the force behind the Plainclothes Agents, and on the major players behind the scenes of Iranian politics.  (World Premiere)  0:50:00

Director: Sarem Yadegari
Human • USA, Iran
Fri, August 19, 5:55 PM |Spielberg

RAJU

Shortly after Jan and Sarah Fischer of Germany pick up their adoptive child, four-year old Raju, from an orphanage in Calcutta, India, the little boy disappears without a trace. The Indian police give the couple little hope, and Jan begins to search for the child by himself. Then Jan discovers two shocking truths about the adoption of their young son. 0:23:40

Director: Max Zahle
Children • Germany, India
Fri, August 19, 9:30 PM | Spielberg

SAVING AMERICA’S HORSES

This passionate documentary is a compelling compilation of expert testimony, undercover footage and true-life stories. Viewers will adventure across the nation's sweeping landscapes to witness the magnificence, power and free spirit of one of America’s most treasured icons: the horse. Featuring Paul Sorvino, Michael Blake, Willie Nelson, Tippi Hedren, Linda Gray, Peter Max, Ken Wahl, The Barbi Twins and Amy & Raelyn Nelson, the film takes a tender yet honest look at the reality that American horses are born into and the inhumane treatment they are frequently given. The untold truth, as reported by the nation’s top equine experts, celebrity and grassroots horse advocates, draws a sharp contrast to misleading mainstream propaganda. 1:30:00

Director: Katia Louise
Animal • USA
Sat, August 20, 12:00 NOON | Rigler

SAVING PELICAN 895

Nearly 9,000 birds were found in the oily waters of the Gulf Coast in the wake of the 2010 BP oil spill.  One of them was a young pelican coated by oil near his nest in Louisiana.   SAVING PELICAN 895 is the story of the 895th bird to be rescued and rehabilitated by a dedicated team of wildlife experts and every day people, many of whom travel the world responding to oil disasters.  0:38:55

Director: Irene Taylor Brodsky
Animal • USA
Fri, August 8, 9:25 PM | Spielberg

SHED NO TEARS

Children as young as three years old are forced into hard labor, exploited, beaten, and malnourished - robbed of their childhood.  A voice for those too young to demand justice, SHED NO TEARS is a first-hand account of the stories of trafficked children, their parents, aid workers and the traffickers themselves in Benin, Africa.  The film follows three victims: Ruphine, Bertin, and Zenaba. What emerges is a portrait of a poverty-stricken country in which parents sell their children, hoping that they will have a better life.  Instead these young ones are shuttled from place to place, losing contact with family members, and are terrorized into slavery. The film also highlights the valiant efforts of those trying to rescue these children, including a village leader and an Italian nun. 01:13:49

Director: Kaitlyn Summerill
Children • USA, Benin
Sat, August 20, 3:30 PM | Spielberg

SPOIL

Three world-renowned photographers build relationships with indigenous Gitga’at guides throughout a ten-day photo expedition in their search for the rare, elusive spirit bear. Their mission is to create images of this rare bear and the ecosystem that it relies on, before a proposed oil pipeline from the Alberta tar sands threatens to spoil it. The spirit bear (globally rarer than the panda) lives only on the north coast of British Columbia and the film gives a visually stunning and inspiring display of the interconnectedness of this coastal ecosystem, which has existed in symbiosis with the indigenous communities there for thousands of years. 0:43:50

Director:  Trip Jennings
Environment • USA, Canada
Fri, August 19, 4:00 PM | Spielberg

STRAIGHT WHITE MALE

This documentary explores a rarely covered side of the transgender experience.  Tyler and Nathan, both in their twenties, embark on the long road of transition, dealing with issues such as surgery, relationships, community involvement and familial acceptance. The film aims to challenge the viewer’s notions of gender and demonstrates there is often greater depth to being a STRAIGHT WHITE MALE than some may think.  The cast includes prominent figures in the transgender community: Dr. Marci Bowers, Jamison Green, Max 'Wolf' Valerio, and Dr. Michael Brownstein. (World Premiere) 1:19:43

Director: Tyler Erlendson
Artivist Spirit • USA
Thurs, August 18, 7:15 PM | Spielberg

SURFING SOWETO

DOGTOWN AND THE Z BOYS meets REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE--on the streets of Soweto, South Africa. Over the course of the last three years, Cinga Productions followed and documented the lives of three of the most notorious train surfers in Soweto: Bitch Nigga, Lefa and Mzembe. We see them on the top of trains hurtling through Soweto, venture into the heroin dens of Hilbrow and go into jails with names like Sun City - all in the hope of understanding the train surfers’ frustrations and documenting the lives of the new generation of youth in Soweto. SURFING SOWETO is the story of this forgotten generation; born after the demise of apartheid but too early to reap the benefits of freedom.  01:24:54 

Director: Sara Blecher
Human • South Africa
Sat, August 20, 5:40 PM | Spielberg

SWITCH TODAY

Did you know that most toilet paper comes from trees? Here is a public service announcement about the environmental impact of toilet paper.  SWITCH TODAY won the United Nations’ International Forest Film Festival Special Jury Award for unique and effective communication through short-form PSAs.  0:01:00

Director: Arjun Rihan
Environment • USA
Sat, August 20, 1:15 PM Spielberg

THE 4THREVOLUTION: ENERGY AUTONOMY

THE 4THREVOLUTION: ENERGY AUTONOMY describes the exciting possibility of a global switch to 100% renewable energy sources within the next 30 years. The film’s interviewees - a prominent environmental activist, Nobel laureates, innovative businessmen and politicians - tell us and show us what can be done. Through recent advances in technology, it is now possible for the human race to switch to a 100% free energy, renewable economy. Filmed in ten countries over four years, THE 4THREVOLUTION examines the ways in which individuals can take control of their energy needs and asks whether as a global community, we can summon the will to institute large-scale change. This film also demonstrates the tremendous opportunities provided by the energy revolution, including sustainable economic development and social and economic fairness. 01:23:00

Director: Carl A. Fechner
Environment • Germany, Bangladesh, Denmark, Mali, New Zealand, USA, Germany, Denmark, Mali, New Zealand, USA
Fri, August 19, 4:45 PM | Rigler

THE GRANDFATHERS

Set deep in the Amazon jungle, THE GRANDFATHERS explores a young man's decision to live under the guidance of the Waodani Indians - the very tribe who killed his grandfather. In this fascinating journey of self-discovery, Jesse Saint struggles to find his place in a world dominated by the memory of a famous grandfather he never knew and a heroic father he could not understand. Years spent living among the Waodani and befriending the three old men who took part in the murder, teach him the healing power of dignity, respect and forgiveness. THE GRANDFATHERS is a motion-graphics documentary completing Jim Hanon's inspiring trilogy, which began with BEYOND THE GATES OF SPLENDOR, followed by END OF THE SPEAR. (World Premiere) 0:54:00

Director: Jim Hanon
Artivist Spirit • USA, Ecuador  
Fri, August 19, 7:20 PM | Spielberg

THE LEAVES KEEP FALLING

During the Vietnam War, the U.S. military sprayed around 12 million gallons of Agent Orange herbicide on Vietnam. This defoliant was used to immediately destroy crops, clear vegetation, and remove the dense forest that provided food and cover for Viet Cong forces. Forty years later, the dioxin from Agent Orange is still wreaking havoc on three generations of Vietnamese civilians. The film is an intimate portrait of two Vietnamese families whose children, among the millions, must live with the devastating consequences of the pesticide. (World Premiere) 0:16:27

Director: Julie Winokur
Human • USA, Vietnam
Fri, August 19, 4:00 PM | Spielberg

THE STARS KNOW OUR HOME

Two courageous leaders of an endangered culture face opposition from the government of Botswana, which is forcing them from their ancestral lands. Home to the San (Bushmen) for thousands of years, the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa has become the focus of a critical human rights disaster. THE STARS KNOW OUR HOME explores the work of two San tribal leaders who refuse to watch their ancient traditions disappear to make room for tourist attractions and diamond mines, and are in a race against time to save their people. (World Premiere) 0:14:15

Directors:  Tyler Gurd, Gregg Lillie, Marc Schuller, Druv Sharma, Kelsey Steinke
Human • USA, Botswana
Fri, August 19, 7:20 PM | Spielberg

TOGETHER: DANCING WITH SPINNER DOLPHINS

In the deep blue of the Pacific Ocean, a wild Spinner Dolphin and a human dancer meet and discover a common language to express their mutual affection and shared excitement. Eye to eye, two of the planet's most creative creatures swim, dive, swirl and dance...TOGETHER. (World Premiere) 0:03:33

Director: Chisa Hidaka
Animal • USA
Sat, August 20, 3:30 PM | Spielberg

UMOJA: NO MEN ALLOWED

Set in Kenya, an unlikely battle of the sexes erupts in tribal Samburu land. UMOJA: NO MEN ALLOWED tells the amusing and life-changing story of a group of tribal Samburu women in Northern Kenya who reclaim their lives, turning age-old patriarchy on its head when they set up a women's only community. Cast out by their husbands after being raped by British soldiers, the women have bonded together to establish the village of UMOJA, but their prosperity incurs the wrath of men, including their tribal leaders, leading to a gender war. 0:30:00

Director: Elizabeth Tadic
Human • Australia, Kenya
Thurs, August 18, 5:00 PM | Spielberg

UP AGAINST THE WALL (KNIVEN PA STRUPEN)

A critical look at Norwegian fur production. The documentary follows a group of activists that in 2010 documented horrible conditions in Norwegian fur farms for the third consecutive year. This exposé caused a huge debate about fur farming in Norway, and the political aftermath is still going on. 0:15:00

Director: Ola Waagen
Animal • Norway
Thurs, August 18, 9:45 PM | Rigler

WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE THEY SPRAYING?

By now almost everyone has witnessed the crisscrossing streaks of white clouds trailing behind jet aircraft, stretching from horizon to horizon, eventually turning the sky into a murky haze – commonly known as chemtrails. WHO is doing this, and WHY?  Here is the story of a rapidly developing industry called Geo-engineering which is driven by scientists, corporations, and governments intent on changing global climate, controlling the weather and altering the chemical composition of soil and water–all supposedly for the betterment of mankind. But we are being sprayed with toxic substances without our consent and, to add insult to injury, they are lying to us about it. Watch as investigative journalist Michael J. Murphy travels around the world to Geo-engineering conferences, Washington D.C. and other areas, interviewing scientists, politicians, physicians and other professionals about their concerns - evidence that proves that these programs have been started and are a threat to human health and ecology. (World Premiere) 1:37:00

Director:  Paul Wittenberger
Environment • USA, Belgium
Sat, August 20, 1:15 PM | Spielberg

WHAT TO BRING TO AMERICA

On the eve of her eight-year-old daughter's coming of age ceremony, Helen, an Ethiopian immigrant living in Los Angeles, has doubts about getting the young girl circumcised. But pressure is put upon Helen by her husband and family to uphold tradition as she confronts this drastic choice.  0:14:29

Director: Christophe Nassif
Children • USA
Fri, August 19, 9:30 PM | Spielberg

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