by Michael Holding | Dec 1, 2018
Saturday 10:00 am UNS
77 min.
2018
Director: Lindsey Grayzel
If a crime is committed in order to prevent a greater crime, is it forgivable? Is it, in fact, necessary? The documentary, The Reluctant Radical, follows activist Ken Ward as he confronts his fears and puts himself in the direct path of the fossil fuel industry to combat climate change. All of the traditional legal avenues were not making a difference so he made the difficult decision to take non-violent direct action to shut down all the US tar sands pipelines on October 11, 2016. The film reveals both the personal cost and also the fulfillment that comes from following one’s moral calling – even if that means breaking the law – an implicit challenge to all of us. This is a story of heroism, full of love, anguish and humour.
by Michael Holding | Dec 1, 2018
Love and Bananas: An Elephant Story
Saturday 10:00 am LNS
75 min.
Cargo Film and Releasing, 2018
Director: Ashley Bell
Cinematography: Van Royko
Elephant rescues in Thailand are rare, unpredictable and often life-threatening. There is no need to abuse an elephant to control it; conservationist Lek Chailert shows that you can motivate an elephant to follow your lead simply with love and bananas. Director Bell and Lek Chailert work to save a blind, ageing elephant named Noi Na from the rampant abuse at an elephant trekking park and take her across Thailand to Chailert’s rescue park. Love & Bananas will hopefully provide a solution to keeping this species alive. The film ignites a sense of hope while exposing the plight of Asian elephants and the people who work tirelessly to save them.
by Michael Holding | Dec 1, 2018
1948: Creation and Catastrophe
Saturday 10:00 am FFR
85 min.
Collective Eye Distribution, 2018
Director: Andy Trimlett & Ahlam Muhtaseb
Through riveting and moving personal recollections of both Palestinians and Israelis, 1948: Creation & Catastrophe reveals the shocking events of the most pivotal year in the most controversial conflict in the world. It tells the story of the establishment of Israel as seen through the eyes of the people who lived it. This documentary was the last chance for many of its Israeli and Palestinian characters to narrate their first-hand accounts of the creation of a state and the expulsion of a nation. While Israelis mark Independence Day, it is known as the Nakba (Catastrophe) for Palestinians.
by Michael Holding | Dec 1, 2018
Fertile Ground: Brewing Change in Northwest India
Saturday 11:30 am UNS
5 min.
Filmmakers: Tom & Amy Skelton
Since 2003, Fertile Ground East/West Sustainability Network has provided educational and technical support to farmers and growers in Assam, India. They do this by creating opportunities for people from northeast India and the west coast of Canada to work and learn together - to grow healthy food, care for the soil and celebrate cultural diversity. This short film celebrates the important work they all do.
by Michael Holding | Dec 1, 2018
Nothing Without Us: The Women Who Will End AIDS
Saturday 11:30 am LNS
67 min.
Women Make Movies, 2017
Filmmaker: Harriet Hirshorn
This is the story of the inspiring women at the forefront of the global AIDS movement. Combining archival footage and interviews with female activists, scientists and scholars in the US and Africa, Nothing Without Us: The Women Who Will End AIDS reveals how women not only shaped grassroots groups like ACT-UP in the US, but have also played essential roles in HIV prevention and the treatment access movement throughout sub-Saharan Africa. The film explores the dynamics that keep women around the world at risk of HIV, while introducing the remarkable women who have some of the answers to ending this 30-year old pandemic.
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