2010 Festival

Thursday, November 4th, 2010

Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai, 2008 | International | 80 min.

An awe-inspiring profile of Kenyan Nobel Laureate Wengari Maathai's thirty-year journey of courage to protect the environment, ensure equality between men and women, defend human rights, and promote democracy-all sprouting from the simple act of planting trees.

The Gulf Islands: Mississippi's Wilderness Shore, 2009 | Saving Seas | 27 min.

The Gulf Islands National Seashore, a collection of historical sites, beaches, and treasured islands along the Mississippi and Florida Gulf Coast, is the focus of this companion piece to Ken Burns' series, The National Parks: America's Best Idea. This film highlights some of the beauty and biodiversity along the Gulf of Mexico's shoreline. 

Plastic Bag, Ramin Bahrani 2009 | Short | 18 min.

This short film traces the epic, existential journey of a common plastic bag (voiced by Werner Herzog) searching for purpose in the world after its grocery-purchasing "maker" discards it. Headed for the Pacific Ocean trash vortex, the plastic bag hopes to lose itself among its own kind.

Die Rechnung (The Bill), Wedel, Peter | International, Short | 5 min.

German, with English sub-titles, The Bill offers a wry commentary on climate change through a Happy Hour discussion among three friends.

Fuel, Joshua Tickell 2008 | Fuels for Thought | 48 min.

Alternative energy evangelist Josh Tickell explores the history and politics of oil and our reliance on it, and provides hope and inspiration for change by highlighting some fascinating- and unlikely-alternative energy sources. His message: we do have a choice. 

Student Filmmaker Showcase

• Albatrocity | Lucks, J. Ollie 2009
  A dramatic tale about the Albatross, king of the sea. Coleridge 's 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner' forms the backbone of this story. Stunning footage of this beautiful bird, shot in New Zealand's Sub-Antarctic Islands, is woven with the harsh realities of the impact of commercial fishing. This is a film that features some of the most innovative visual effects used in modern day documentary.
• Skipjacks: A Dying Breed
  Captain Wade Murphy has dredged Chesapeake Bay oysters for years from the deck of his sail-powered skipjack, Rebecca. Declining populations of the bivalve, though, may mean the end of this waterman's lifelong career. 
• Ebb & Flow | Fidrick, Dawn
  Ethereal and poetic, this animated student-produced short offers a message of innocence and hope for a paradigm shift between predator and prey. 
• Green Screen | Doherty, Kevin 2009
  The story of a filmmaker environmentalist fed up with the waste generated in the film world so he sets out to prove that he can make a Hollywood blockbuster making a film while strictly reusing, recycling, and being green. 
• Food Not Bombs | Murphy, Laura 2009
  A group of loosely organized activists turn Friday night 'garbage' into a Sunday afternoon meal in order to raise awareness on issues of food politics. 
• Senekerim Dohanian: Uncle Sam's Insect Hunter | Coulter, Robert 2009
  In this award-winning short, middleschooler Robert Coulter explores the contributions to the field of entomology by his great-great Uncle Senekerim, a Harvard-trained Turkish immigrant. 
• Homeland | Marfil, Juande 2009
  Where there ´s a will, there's a way.
• Sharks Under Siege | Wham, Mike 2010
  Sharks are under attack from overfishing, by catch, pollution, and climate change. Shark experts discuss the threats facing sharks and what can be done to save them. 
• Solstice | de Koninck, Caroline 2010
  A young huntress living in a land of unending daylight frightens the sun away to make her hunting easier. Once she realizes the sun was the life force of many living things, she finds a way to fix her mistake, which results in the origin of day and night.  
• No Bones About It | 2010
  Are there more dead people than living people in Shepherdstown? Young filmmakers (ages 9 -14) dig into the question of the environmental impact and sustainability of cemeteries. 
• Enjoy the Silence | Curtis, Jessica 2010
  What will the world sound like and look like after we endure the 6th Great Extinction? 
• Suburban Wilderness | Molenda, Aaron 2010
  An elegiac look at the disappearing wild places in our own backyard of the Eastern Panhandle. 
• The Idd and the Odd | Haid, Tanner, Michael Whitaker 2010
  A humorous look at the nature deficit disorder and one possibly extreme solution to it. 
• Just Water | Schildtknecht, Cara 2010
  Just Water is a collection of photographs depicting the filmmaker's relationship with water throughout her life. The film aims to illuminate the importance of water in human lives. 
• Where Do We Go From Here? | Edmonds, Jennifer 2010
  What does the future hold for the Eastern Panhandle environment? Will we continue to despoil our natural environment, or choose a different path? 
• Wasting the Day Away | Davis, Sara 2010
  How much trash does the average Shepherd University student create on a typical day? 

Dirty Paradise, Daniel Schweizer | International | 70 min.

Gold fever has triggered a massive immigration of illegal gold-seekers into Guyana. This film, made in collaboration with local villagers, ponders the troubling question of why the French government ignores the health risks to its territorial inhabitants and wanton devastation of natural resources. 

Toxic Soup, Delany, Rory Owen 2010 | Appalachia, Fuels for Thought | 88 min.

Subtitled "The Politics of Pollution," this film shares the stories of West Virginians fighting to keep their blood, water, and air safe from pollution. The audacious filmmakers risk arrest or worse as they challenge suspected polluters, pull a political prank on Hillary Clinton, and buttonhole President Clinton about the connection between chemicals and autism. 

Landscapes at the World's Ends, Sidey, Richard 2010 | World Premiere | 30 min. 

A non-verbal visual journey to the polar regions of our planet portrayed through a triptych montage of photography and video captured by 2008 ACFF student award winner, Richard Sidey. Set to an ambient score by Norwegian Arctic based musician, Boreal Taiga, this experimental documentary transports us to the islands of South Georgia, the Antarctic Peninsula, Greenland, and Svalbard. 

Friday, November 5th, 2010

Beyond the Pole, David L. Williams 2009 | Mockumentary | 88 min.

How far would you go to save the planet? This dark comedy follows two hapless friends as they set out on the first carbon neutral, vegetarian, organic North Pole expedition, trying to find their place in the world before the end of the world. Some adult language and content. 

Gasland, Josh Fox | Fuels for Thought | 107 min.

When filmmaker Josh Fox is asked to lease his land for natural gas drilling, he embarks on a cross-country odyssey to learn about the Haliburtondeveloped process and toxic consequences of hydrofracturing, or "fracking." In this award-winning film, Josh travels from his land in upstate New York, which sits on the same "Saudi Arabia" of natural gas reserves as Pennsylvania and West Virginia, to numerous other communities, documenting the devastating impacts of this rapidly spreading procedure on water supplies and health. 

Butterflies & Bulldozers, Dunsky, Ann 2010 | Development, Filmmaker Attending | 62 min.

Can people and endangered species live together? San Bruno Mountain, site of the nation's first Habitat Conservation Plan, provides a context to explore this complex question. Told with humor and insight, Butterflies & Bulldozers is a story about the rights of nature and the rights of people, about compromise, commitment, and tough choices. 

Green, Patrick Rouxel | Fuels for Thought, International, Winner! Green Fire Award | 48 min.

An emotional journey told through flashbacks of the eponymous orangutan, this haunting film juxtaposes images of the treasures of rainforest biodiversity with those of the devastating impacts of logging and land-clearing for palm oil plantations. 

Eco Ninja, Browning, Jonathan | Comedy | 7 min.

In this amusing short, a corporation hires an outside consultant to help transition the company towards environmental responsibility. The Eco-Ninja shows no mercy as he enforces the corporation's new 'going green' policy. 

Confessions of an Eco-Terrorist, Peter Jay Brown | Filmmaker Attending, Free Admission, Saving Seas | 90 min.

Seen through the eyes of activist Peter Jay Brown (Whale Wars), Confessions offers an intimate look at shipboard life amongst members of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. These self-proclaimed animal saviors and sea rebels immerse themselves in action-packed conflict including ramming illegal fishing vessels, sinking pirate whalers, and arguing amongst themselves over a vegetarian vs. vegan diet. Some adult language. 

• Working Session with Peter Jay Brown

Conservation in Context: What the Frack?, Conservation in Context, Fuels for Thought | 60 min.

First there was acid mine drainage from underground coal mines, then the loss of landscape from mountaintop removal. Now West Virginians face a new threat from energy companies: "fracking" for natural gas in the Marcellus shale formation that underlies most of the state. The award-winning film Gasland tells how this new and largely unregulated practice has destroyed drinking water, health, and property values throughout the country when unsuspecting homeowners lease their mineral rights. Hear from Don Garvin of the West Virginia Environmental Council and Mary Krueger of The Wilderness Society about what we're learning from our neighbors to the north in Pennsylvania and New York, and what needs to happen here to protect West Virginia. 

Genetic Chile, Christopher Dudley | Food and agriculture | 60 min.

Despite its astonishingly low budget (less than $500), this film offers a thorough look at the world of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) through the lens of New Mexico's iconic chili pepper, including crop migration, persistent safety questions, predatory multinational agribusiness corporations, and potential economic damage. 

Can the Gulf Survive?, 2010 | Fuels for Thought, Saving Seas | 50 min.

With streaks of orange, red, and black oil creating havoc in Gulf waters, National Geographic Channel cameras are on the front lines with the individuals tasked with fighting the growing disaster. Gaining extended access to the Coast Guard and command center teams leading the cleanup, National Geographic Explorer follows the first two months after the spill, tracking cleanup efforts from sea, land, and air. 

Saturday, November 6th, 2010

Africa's Lost Eden: Gorongosa National Park, Byrne, James 2010 | Filmmaker Attending, Free Admission, International | 50 min.

The lush floodplains of central Mozambique, once teeming with wildlife, were ravaged during a fifteen-year civil war. Stunning cinematography captures the successes of conservationists battling to restore this 4,000 square kilometer park to its former glory. 

Family-Friendly Films, Family-Friendly, Free Admission | 60 min.

• Ebb & Flow | Fidrick, Dawn
  Ethereal and poetic, this animated student-produced short offers a message of innocence and hope for a paradigm shift between predator and prey. 
• Heroes of the UAE | Ben Falk, Josiah Newbolt, Jordan Wood 2010
  Literally ripped from the headlines, stop-motion characters crafted from newspaper tell a tale of reducing Abu Dubai's environmental footprint in this two-minute short.
• No Bones About It | 2010
  Are there more dead people than living people in Shepherdstown? Young filmmakers (ages 9-14) dig into the question of the environmental impact and sustainability of cemeteries.
• Teclopolis | Mrad, Javier
  This mesmerizing stop-motion short highlights the overwhelming effects of excessive consumption and waste on an increasingly plastic civilization.
• Darkened Horizons | Aqua, Karen, Ken Field 2010
  This animated film reflects on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Family-Friendly Films & Activities Saturday November 6 :: 12:00-5:00pm :: NCTC Small Theater Gulf of Mexico and its environmental impact. The film was created by 6th-8th grade students in Roswell, New Mexico. The students used hand-drawn animation techniques (cut-outs and flipbooks), and created all the artwork, sound effects, music, and narration.
• One With Life | 2010
  In this exclusive, 10-minute sneak peek, co-producers Audra Haddock Martenot and Rob Owens (When Eagles Dream) highlight the growing movement of connecting people to nature, with a special focus on the importance of engaging children with nature and the outdoors. Pre-order the full-length DVD (available soon) at the Festival through the Friends of NCTC.

Photo Safari, Family-Friendly, Free Admission, Special Event | 120 min.

A Simple Question: The Story of STRAW, White, Kevin | Family-Friendly, Free Admission | 34 min.

This inspiring film about the STRAW Project (Students and Teachers Restoring a Watershed) follows the progress from STRAW's origins in 1992 as a fourth-grade class project into a remarkable program that has restored over twenty miles of habitat, galvanized the local community, and led to significant educational innovations by connecting children and teachers with nature. 

Shooting in the Wild: An Insider's Account of Making Movies in the Animal Kingdom, Book Signing, Free Admission, Presentation | 120 min.

Filmmaker and author Chris Palmer pulls back the curtain on the dark side of wildlife filmmaking, revealing an industry driven by money, sensationalism, extreme risk-taking, misrepresentation, staging, fabrication, and even abuse and harassment of animals. Palmer, an entertaining and dynamic speaker, takes you behind the scenes of popular nature and wildlife films, sharing the adventures of the daring and creative people who make these films and TV shows, along with his personal wildlife filmmaking experiences. 

Plastic Bag, Ramin Bahrani 2009 | Short | 18 min.

This short film traces the epic, existential journey of a common plastic bag (voiced by Werner Herzog) searching for purpose in the world after its grocery-purchasing "maker" discards it. Headed for the Pacific Ocean trash vortex, the plastic bag hopes to lose itself among its own kind. 

The Bering Sea: An Ecosystem in Crisis, Brent Balalas | Filmmaker Attending, Free Admission, Saving Seas | 12 min.

The Bering Sea is one of the wildest and most productive ecosystems on the planet. The tribal Aleut people living on these islands have lived in harmony with this ecosystem for generations. But today, the Bering Sea, its ecosystem, and the people who depend upon it for survival are in danger. Overfishing and modern trawling methods threaten the Sea and all who live there. 

What’s On Your Plate?, Gund, Catherine | Family-Friendly, Food and Agriculture, Free Admission | 76 min.

Witty and provocative, this film follows two middle schoolers as they explore their place in the food chain. Through visits to local food sources in and around NYC, the two girls explore the food stream from origin to leftovers, and offer hope and solutions for linking sustainable food producers with consumers. 

Undersea Edens: Coral Kingdoms, Family-Friendly, Free Admission, Saving Seas | 47 min.

Off the coast of Australia's Heron Island lies the Great Barrier Reef, a 1,200-mile natural wonder visible from outer space. This underwater empire hosts myriad species of coral and holds some of the world's most iconic animals like clownfish, green sea turtles, and barracuda. Manmade conditions have damaged one reef but spawned another, courtesy of a sunken luxury liner that now serves as a vibrant, living memorial. 

Conservation in Context: You Gonna Eat That?, Conservation in Context, Family-Friendly, Free Admission | 30 min.

School food reform is a hot topic, pitting slow food advocates against major food producers, garnished with state and federal government subsidies. But is anyone paying attention to the end consumers of school food-the kids who eat it once or twice a day? In this kid-produced and kid-presented session, we'll hear about the school food yuck factor, what kids really want to see in the cafeteria, and how to get good food into schools, even if that means you bring it yourself. This will be a highly interactive, fun audience participation session- come prepared to move, laugh, and share ideas! 

Dirty Paradise, Daniel Schweizer | International | 70 min.

Gold fever has triggered a massive immigration of illegal gold-seekers into Guyana. This film, made in collaboration with local villagers, ponders the troubling question of why the French government ignores the health risks to its territorial inhabitants and wanton devastation of natural resources. 

Albatrocity, Lucks, J. Ollie 2009 | Student, Winner! Student Filmmaker Competition Award | 26 min.

A dramatic tale about the Albatross, king of the sea. Coleridge’s ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ forms the backbone of this story. Stunning footage of this beautiful bird, shot in New Zealand’s Sub-Antarctic Islands, is woven with the harsh realities of the impact of commercial fishing. This is a film that features some of the most innovative visual effects used in modern day documentary.

Fuel, Joshua Tickell 2008 | Fuels for Thought | 48 min.

Alternative energy evangelist Josh Tickell explores the history and politics of oil and our reliance on it, and provides hope and inspiration for change by highlighting some fascinating— and unlikely—alternative energy sources. His message: we do have a choice. 

The Cove, Louie Psihoyos 2009 | Saving Seas | 90 min.

Winner of the 2010 Academy Award for Documentary Film, The Cove highlights the former dolphin trainer cum activist Ric O'Barry as he leads a covert team of filmmakers on a harrowing quest to document and stop the round up and slaughter of dolphins by Japanese fishermen. 

Ghosts in the Hollow, 2009 | Appalachia, Short | 3 min.

In this stunning visual narrative short, award-winning photojournalist Jim LoScalzo tells a tale of abandoned coal mining towns in Appalachia to the tune of a melancholy folk song. 

Toxic Soup, Delany, Rory Owen 2010 | Appalachia, Fuels for Thought | 88 min.

Subtitled “The Politics of Pollution,” this film shares the stories of West Virginians fighting to keep their blood, water, and air safe from pollution. The audacious filmmakers risk arrest or worse as they challenge suspected polluters, pull a political prank on Hillary Clinton, and buttonhole President Clinton about the connection between chemicals and autism. 

Ebb & Flow, Fidrick, Dawn | Family-Friendly, Short, Student, World premiere | 5 min.

Ethereal and poetic, this animated student-produced short offers a message of innocence and hope for a paradigm shift between predator and prey. 

Beyond the Pole, David L. Williams 2009 | Mockumentary | 88 min.

How far would you go to save the planet? This dark comedy follows two hapless friends as they set out on the first carbon neutral, vegetarian, organic North Pole expedition, trying to find their place in the world before the end of the world. Some adult language and content. 

Conservation in Context: Red Seas, Conservation in Context, Saving Seas | 90 min.

The award-winning documentary film The Cove pulls back the curtain on how marine park shows and whaling for food drive a brutal trade in Japan. Join American University professor and author Chris Palmer and Greenpeace senior oceans campaigner Phil Kline to discuss America's influence on this trade and what can be done to stop the slaughter. Professor Palmer heads the Center for Environmental Filmmaking at American University and has exposed the exploitation of captive wildlife for entertainment in his new book Shooting in the Wild: An Insider's Account of Making Movies in the Animal Kingdom. Phil Kline is a former commercial fisherman who currently represents Greenpeace at International Whaling Commission meetings. Join these two experts to explore our responsibilities as consumers and citizens in a dynamic discussion following this emotional film. 

Teclopolis, Mrad, Javier | Family-Friendly, Short, Stop Motion Animation | 12 min.

This mesmerizing stop-motion short reflects the struggles of an anachronistic Super 8 camera to maintain relevancy in the face of dizzying and overwhelming effects of excessive consumption and waste on an increasingly plastic civilization. 

The Antarctica Challenge: A Global Warning, Mark Terry 2009 | Climate Change, Filmmaker Attending, Winner! Audience Choice Award | 52 min.

The heroic researchers of Vernadsky Station in Antarctica endure harsh and life-threatening conditions to study the new phenomenon of suicide among penguins; identify effects on global sea levels due to ice melting; and document new vegetation growing in the world's largest desert. 

Sunday, November 7th, 2010

The Antarctica Challenge: A Global Warning, Mark Terry 2009 | Climate Change, Filmmaker Attending, Winner! Audience Choice Award | 52 min.

The heroic researchers of Vernadsky Station in Antarctica endure harsh and life-threatening conditions to study the new phenomenon of suicide among penguins; identify effects on global sea levels due to ice melting; and document new vegetation growing in the world’s largest desert. 

Marooned on Water, Huda, Moynul 2009 | International | 26 min.

2010 ACFF Award Winners, Award Winners | 180 min.

• Green | Patrick Rouxel
• Albatrocity | Lucks, J. Ollie 2009
• A dramatic tale about the Albatross, king of the sea. Coleridge’s ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ forms the backbone of this story. Stunning footage of this beautiful bird, shot in New Zealand’s Sub-Antarctic Islands, is woven with the harsh realities of the impact of commercial fishing. This is a film that features some of the most innovative visual effects used in modern day documentary.
• The Antarctica Challenge: A Global Warning | Mark Terry 2009
  The heroic researchers of Vernadsky Station in Antarctica endure harsh and life-threatening conditions to study the new phenomenon of suicide among penguins; identify effects on global sea levels due to ice melting; and document new vegetation growing in the world’s largest desert. 

Green, Patrick Rouxel | Fuels for Thought, International, Winner! Green Fire Award | 48 min.

The story of a filmmaker environmentalist fed up with the waste generated in the film world so he sets out to prove that he can make a Hollywood blockbuster making a film while strictly reusing, recycling, and being green. 

Home for Hawksbill, Plotsky, Jordan 2010 | International | 29 min.

A far corner of the Solomon Islands is home to one of the most important rookeries for endangered Hawksbill turtles in the Pacific Ocean. Three rival tribes are hunting the Hawksbill to the brink of extinction. With the turtles' very survival at risk, will the tribes be able to overcome their conflicts and save these ancient creatures? 

Landscapes at the World's Ends, Sidey, Richard 2010 | World Premiere | 30 min.

A non-verbal visual journey to the polar regions of our planet portrayed through a triptych montage of photography and video captured by 2008 ACFF student award winner, Richard Sidey. Set to an ambient score by Norwegian Arctic based musician, Boreal Taiga, this experimental documentary transports us to the islands of South Georgia, the Antarctic Peninsula, Greenland, and Svalbard. 

Meltdown in Tibet, Buckley, Michael | International | 40 min.

Using undercover footage and stills, Meltdown in Tibet exposes huge and potentially catastrophic dam-building projects in Tibet. To make way for these hydropower projects and for mining ventures, Tibetan nomads are being forced off their traditional grassland habitat-and resettled in bleak villages, where they can't make a decent living. 

Albatrocity, Lucks, J. Ollie 2009 | Student, Winner! Student Filmmaker Competition Award | 26 min.

A dramatic tale about the Albatross, king of the sea. Coleridge's 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner' forms the backbone of this story. Stunning footage of this beautiful bird, shot in New Zealand's Sub-Antarctic Islands, is woven with the harsh realities of the impact of commercial fishing. This is a film that features some of the most innovative visual effects used in modern day documentary. 

Amazing Plants, 2009 | 47 min.

Do you talk to your plants? Think of the stories they could tell if only they could talk back. The seemingly peaceful world of plants is actually a battlefield and a site of constant struggle for survival. In this Smithsonian Channel film, see how some predatory plants use trapdoors and enticing, beautiful flowers to trap their prey, while others shrivel up or emit odors to fend off their enemy. 

River of Renewal, Bolado, Carlos 2010 | Filmmaker Attending | 58 min.

Competing demands for water, food, and energy in the ten million acre Klamath River Basin have pitted farmers, Native Americans, utility companies, and fishermen against each other for decades. This conflict ultimately led to a consensus for conservation and to an agreement to remove four dams and restore habitats. 

The Antarctica Challenge: A Global Warning, Mark Terry 2009 | Climate Change, Filmmaker Attending, Winner! Audience Choice Award | 52 min.

The heroic researchers of Vernadsky Station in Antarctica endure harsh and life-threatening conditions to study the new phenomenon of suicide among penguins; identify effects on global sea levels due to ice melting; and document new vegetation growing in the world’s largest desert. 

Can the Gulf Survive?, 2010 | Fuels for Thought, Saving Seas | 50 min.

With streaks of orange, red, and black oil creating havoc in Gulf waters, National Geographic Channel cameras are on the front lines with the individuals tasked with fighting the growing disaster. Gaining extended access to the Coast Guard and command center teams leading the cleanup, National Geographic Explorer follows the first two months after the spill, tracking cleanup efforts from sea, land, and air.