Ecolnoa ‘Eco-Cinema’ Film Festival In Jerusalem

If you love the moving image as much as us here at Green Prophet, and believe in its power as an agent of change as well as information and entertainment, here’s advance notice of the 5th ‘Eco-Cinema Festival’, which opens tomorrow night at Jerusalem’s Cinemateque on Hebron Road.

Opening with Israeli director Uri Rosenwaks new film, ‘Garbage Country’, previewed in a Green Prophet post here, the festival contains a wonderful variety of films all with an environmental message, ranging from angry polemics to the fun and the frivolous. Short films, longer documentaries and animations, from all over the world, feature across the 5 day festival; some selective highlights we have picked out below.

‘Garbage Country’ is at 9.00 on thursday 15th may, after the opening party and speeches which begin at 8.00.

‘Addicted to Plastic’ (1985) is on friday 16th at 2.00. This is a feature-length documentary about finding solutions to the growing problem of pollution from plastic. This project was filmed over 3 years, in 12 countries on 5 continents. the director Ian Connacher will be present to discuss the project and answer questions after the screening.

‘The Queen of Trees’(2006) follows at 3.30 on friday afternoon. This subtle film explores the delicate interwoven eco-system of insects, birds and vertebrates that live in an around an African fig tree.

‘Khadak’ (2006) on saturday is a stunning drama that exposes the tension between nomadic life on the Mongolian steppe (which worships the natural world), and the economic push for mining which rips huge holes in the once pristine landscape. Read a previous Green Prophet review of this wonderful film here.

‘Waste=Food’ (2005) shows the collaberation between an American designer and a German chemist who try to link every product made to this simple formula: waste=food. But their plan unravels due to power and politics..

‘The 11th Hour’ (2007) on sunday 18th at 5.00. This is Leonardo Di Caprio’s contribution to the education campaign raising awareness of the threats posed by climate change. I think its a more watchable and hard-hitting film than Al Gore’s ‘The Inconvienient Truth’. Well worth watching.

‘Being Caribou’ on monday 19th at 5.00. This is an awareness-raising film made to highlight the threat to the Caribou Herd in the Arctic, which is being threatened by the proposed exploitation of the oil and gas reserves there. The film follows the Caribou across 1,500 kilometres of rugged Arctic tundra. Gripping.

‘Garbage Warrior’ (2007) unfortunately also on monday 19th at 5, in the smaller cinema, is this must-see polemical study of green architect Michael Hodges, who builds truly eco structures around the world. Read a previous glowing Green Prophet review here. A must for anyone who plans or hopes to live in a green house.

‘Earth’ (2007) (on friday 16th at 10.00 and monday 19th at 7.30) is BBC TV’s finest film: over 5 years, using 31 cinematographers across 200 locations, directors Alastair Fothergill & Mark Linfield made the most profound cinematic study of what life on earth looks like in many of its varied forms. Don’t miss the rare chance to see this on the big screen. Powerful filmmaking, both subtle and dramatic.

These are only my selective highlights, pulled out of a packed programme. If you see someone wandering round with red eyes, who looks as though he’s been in a cinema for 4 solid days, come and say hello!

Further information (in Hebrew & English) at www.ecocinema.org.il.

Author: James Murray-White

Growing up in a green village outside Cambridge, UK gave me an eye into the natural world, and years later, after being an actor, dramatist, weary traveller and anthropologist, the environment fires me up the most – and the need to save and nurture it… while we live within it. I now live in the UK, with partner Tania and 2 pesky cats – writing and filming the world (slowly making a documentary about the Bedouin situation) take up my creative time. I do this while growing things organically and composting profusely take up the remainder. James can be reached at james (at) greenprophet (dot) com.

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