2020 films A-Z
Damon Gameau/2019/92 min/
Environmental & Social Justice, People & Culture , Climate Change
Thursday, Feb. 20, 6:30 p.m. [South]
Calumet College, Whiting, IN
Saturday, March 7, 3 p.m. [North]
St. Clement Parish School, Chicago
Wednesday, March 11, 6:30 p.m. [North]
Loyola University, Chicago
Thursday, Nov. 5, 7 p.m. [Lake C.]
Gorton Community Center, Lake Forest
Admission $10, Students $5
Simultaneous free virtual screening
POSTPONED
Friday, March 13, 6:30 p.m. [Central]
Navy Pier, Crystal Garden
CHICAGO-AREA PREMIERE. FILM DESCRIPTION: Motivated by concerns about the planet that his 4-year-old daughter would inherit, award-winning director Damon Gameau embarked on a global journey to meet innovators and change-makers in the areas of economics, technology, civil society, agriculture, education and sustainability.
Victor Velle/2019/76 min/Climate Change, Environmental Advocacy, People & Culture
Saturday, March 7, 12 p.m. [Central]
First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple, Chicago
Saturday, March 7, 2 p.m.. [Lake County]
Catlow Theater, Barrington
CHICAGO-AREA PREMIERE. FILM DESCRIPTION: “8 Billion Angels” tells the truth about the conflict between the size of our global population and the sustainability of our planet. It dispels the misconception that technology can save us, that reducing consumption is the answer, and that the blame lies solely in the developing world. With passion, humility, and honesty, experts explain the indisputable connection between our environmental catastrophes, unsustainable population and increasing consumption.
Krista Schyler/2019/57 min/Wildlife, Conservation , Environmental & Social Justice
Saturday, March 7, 3 p.m. [Lake County]
Waukegan Library, Waukegan
Wednesday, March 11, 6:30 p.m. [West]
Universidad Popular, Chicago
POSTPONED
Saturday, March 14, 3 p.m. [W Suburbs]
Triton College, River Grove
This film will screen with “Biomimicry.”
CHICAGO-AREA PREMIERE. FILM DESCRIPTION: “Ay Mariposa” tells a story of three characters in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas whose lives are upended by plans to build a US-Mexico border wall. Meanwhile the butterfly, la mariposa, fights its own daily battle for survival in a landscape where more than 95 percent of its habitat is long gone and much of what remains lies directly in the path of the wall.
Ian Mauro/2018/49 min/Environmental & Social Justice, Health & the Environment, Historical Perspectives, Climate Change
POSTPONED
Saturday, March 14, 3 p.m. [W Suburbs]
Oak Park Public Library, Oak Park
CHICAGO-AREA PREMIERE. FILM DESCRIPTION: British Columbia - Canada’s most westerly province along the Pacific coast - is a hotspot to visualize and experience how global warming affects local environments and communities. Heat waves, droughts, melting glaciers, pest outbreaks, back-to-back record setting forest fires, and changes to the oceans. “Beyond Climate” takes viewers beyond the headlines and into the heart of the issues. Shot throughout the province over many years, the collective wisdom and perspectives of Indigenous leaders, local communities, scientists, and policymakers are featured.
John Chester/2018/91 min/Sustainable Food & Agriculture, Environmental Advocacy, People & Culture
Sunday, March 8, 5 p.m. [Central]
Cruz Blanca Brewery & Taqueria, Chicago
View & Brew
POSTPONED
Friday, March 13, 6:30 p.m. [W Suburbs]
Good Earth Greenhouse, River Forest
FILM DESCRIPTION: “The Biggest Little Farm” chronicles the 8-year quest of John and Molly Chester as they trade city living for 200 acres of barren farmland and a dream to harvest in harmony with nature. Through dogged perseverance and embracing the opportunity provided by nature's conflicts, the Chesters unlock and uncover a biodiverse design for living that exists far beyond their farm, its seasons, and our wildest imaginations. Featuring breathtaking cinematography, captivating animals, and an urgent message to heed Mother Nature’s call, “The Biggest Little Farm” provides us all a vital blueprint for better living and a healthier planet.
Leila Conners/2015/22 min/Environmental Advocacy, Wildlife, Health & the Environment
POSTPONED
Saturday, March 14, 3 p.m. [W Suburbs]
Triton College, River Grove
FILM DESCRIPTION: Janine Benyus describes how biomimicry has been applied to create design solutions that capture carbon, conserve water, eschew toxic chemicals in favor of structural approaches, and rethink materials, among others. “When you’re asking how to be better adapted on this planet, there are no better models than the species that have preceded us for billions of years,” said Benyus in the film.
“Biomimicry” is brought to you by Leonardo DiCaprio and his team. This film will screen with “Ay Mariposa.”
Presented in partnership with Wild Ones West Cook.
Chiwetel Ejiofor/2019/113 min/Energy, Environmental & Social Justice, People & Culture
Sunday, March 8, 11 a.m. [South]
St Benedict the African Parish, Chicago
FILM DESCRIPTION: Against all the odds, a 13-year-old boy in Malawi invents an unconventional way to save his family and village from famine. “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind” is based on the best selling book and true story of William Kamkwamba. Directed by and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and introducing Maxwell Simba.
Marcos Negrão/2019/90 min/People & Culture, Environmental Advocacy , Environmental & Social Justice
POSTPONED
Saturday, March 14, 10:15 a.m. [W Suburbs]
Thatcher Woods Pavilion, River Forest
POSTPONED
Saturday, March 14, 1 p.m. [South]
Jackson Park Fieldhouse, Chicago
CHICAGO-AREA PREMIERE. FILM DESCRIPTION: Captured over the course of three years, “Child of Nature” follows five stories of children from Kenya, Philippines, Syria, Canada, and Germany who, against all odds, are transforming their lives and their communities. These are stories of courage, hope, and generosity that will both amaze the mind and touch the heart.
Judith Helfand/2018/75 min/Historical Perspectives, Social Justice, Climate Change
Saturday, March 7, 11 a.m. [West]
Chicago Public Library, Austin Branch
Sunday, March 8, 2 p.m. [South]
Windsor Park Evangelical Lutheran Church, Chicago
Sunday, March 8, 2 p.m. [Lake County]
St. Joseph Church, Libertyville
Sunday, March 8, 2:30 p.m. [Central]
Old St. Patrick's Church, Chicago
FILM DESCRIPTION: Chicago suffered the worst heat disaster in U.S history in 1995, when 739 residents – mostly elderly and black – died over the course of one week. As “Cooked” links the heat wave’s devastation back to the underlying manmade disaster of structural racism, it delves deeply into one of our nation’s biggest growth industries: Disaster Preparedness.
Sergio Mata’u Rapu and Elena Rapu/2018/70 min/Waste & Recycling, Climate Change, People & Culture
POSTPONED
Saturday, March 14, 3 p.m. [South]
Plant Chicago @ The Firehouse, Chicago
CHICAGO-AREA PREMIERE. FILM DESCRIPTION: The iconic statues and sensationalized "mysteries" of Easter Island (Rapa Nui) have drawn the interest of the world for centuries, attracting curious visitors to its shores. Today, this tiny, barren island is experiencing an economic boon as tourism skyrockets. Yet the indigenous culture and the island’s fragile environment are suffering. In their own voices, these Rapanui reveal the reality of modern life and the actions they are taking to preserve their culture and environment amidst rapid development. “Eating Up Easter” reveals and suggests ways forward in tackling the universal complexities of balancing growth and sustainability faced by local communities worldwide.
Director/2019/53 min/Wildlife, Conservation, Family
Sunday, March 8, 12 p.m. [North]
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Chicago
FILM DESCRIPTION: For decades, Yellowstone National Park's ecosystem was out of balance. Its wolves had vanished, and its grizzly bears were pushed to the edge of extinction. Now, through conservation efforts and one of the most ambitious restoration projects in history, the carnivores have returned in record numbers. Host Bill Pullman gives you an up-close look into nature's dramas over the course of a year.
POSTPONED
Sunday, March 15, 4 p.m.
The Hatchery Chicago
135 N. Kedzie Ave., Chicago
It’s a wrap! We’ve marveled at the beauty and power of nature, discovered actions that can reverse climate change, and perhaps made a new friend or two. Now it’s time to use “The Power of We” to reflect on and celebrate the closing of One Earth's Day of Earth Action, as well as the conclusion of our 9th season.
Visit with action partners offering more opportunities to up your climate action game and dive deeper into the issues. Enjoy a brief program including a short, award-winning selection from our Young Filmmakers Contest. Plus -- mix, mingle and dance to the sounds of DJ Taz -- while enjoying soup, bread, beer and wine, as well as non-alcoholic beverages.
Louie Psihoyos/2018/85 mins/People & Culture, Health & the Environment, Sustainable Food & Agriculture
Saturday, March 7, 10 a.m. [W Suburbs]
Classic Cinemas Lake Theatre, Oak Park
FILM DESCRIPTION: Directed by Oscar®-winning documentary filmmaker Louie Psihoyos and executive produced by James Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jackie Chan, Lewis Hamilton, Novak Djokovic, and Chris Paul, “The Game Changers” tells the story of James Wilks—elite Special Forces trainer and The Ultimate Fighter winner—as he travels the world on a quest to uncover the optimal diet for human performance. Showcasing elite athletes, special ops soldiers, visionary scientists, cultural icons, and everyday heroes, what James discovers permanently changes his understanding of food and his definition of true strength.
Werner Boote/2019/93 min/Environmental & Social Justice, Historical Perspectives
Tuesday, March 3, 7 p.m. [W Suburbs]
Dominican University, River Forest
Admission $7
FILM DESCRIPTION: “The Green Lie” questions the sustainable marketing images big global players made up over the past years to get back trust from the rising crowd of skeptical customers. What about fair palm oil? Is BP really Beyond Petrol? The camera follows the two protagonists around the globe, doing research and interviews with company speakers, philosophers, and with those fighting for a better and living friendly world.
Connor DeVane, Kristen Mico, and Cassie Goodluck-Johnson/2018/90 min/ Environmental Advocacy, Climate Change
Saturday, March 7, 1 p.m. [Lake County]
Prairie Crossing School, Grayslake
VIRTUAL
Thursday, March 12, 6:30 p.m. [North]
Truman College, Chicago
CHICAGO-AREA PREMIERE. FILM DESCRIPTION: “Hike the Divide” follows jaded millennial Connor DeVane 2,700 miles from Canada to Mexico on the Continental Divide Trail as he seeks hope in the face of climate breakdown. The film, structured around a physical journey through environments both harsh and breathtakingly beautiful, shares the stories of the community activists and problem solvers Connor meets, marking a trail from apathy and resignation to hope and engagement.
Josh Fox/2016/125 min/Climate Change
Tuesday, February 18, 3:30 p.m. [Central]
UIC Latino Cultural Center, Chicago
FILM DESCRIPTION: In How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can't Change, Oscar Nominated director Josh Fox (GASLAND) continues in his deeply personal style, investigating climate change – the greatest threat our world has ever known. Traveling to 12 countries on 6 continents, the film acknowledges that it may be too late to stop some of the worst consequences and asks, what is it that climate change can’t destroy? What is so deep within us that no calamity can take it away?
Danielle Ryan and James Sherwood /2018/95 min/Water, Climate Change, Conservation
Wednesday, March 11, 5:30 p.m. [Central]
Reception at 5:30 p.m., Film at 6:30 p.m.
Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago
FILM DESCRIPTION: From Executive Producer Martin Sheen, “The Map to Paradise” is an adventure-filled and spectacularly gorgeous tale about the birth of the global movement to protect the sea. From underwater worlds of ice to glistening coral sanctuaries, discover what it takes to build a movement and to create positive change. Filmed across six continents, we meet a prince, a president, a pirate, and also an island chief — among others — who are all playing a role in the quest to save the planet.
Bob Dolgan, Mitchell Wenkus, Pat Nabong/2019/22 min/Wildlife , Conservation
LIVE VIRTUAL EVENT
Saturday, March 14, 12:30 p.m.
FILM DESCRIPTION: "Monty and Rose" tells the story of a pair of endangered piping plovers that successfully nested at Chicago's Montrose Beach in the summer of 2019, the first of the species to nest in Chicago in 64 years. The film chronicles these special birds and an unpredictable series of events including a proposed music festival that propelled the birds to national headlines. "Monty and Rose" features interviews with an array of key players in the story, including biologists, birders, volunteers and the advocates who spoke out when the music festival was proposed.
Liz Canning/2019/86 min/Built Environment: Transportation, People & Culture
Saturday, March 7, 6:30 p.m. [South]
Experimental Station, Chicago
FILM DESCRIPTION: “Motherload” is a crowdsourced documentary about a new mom's quest to understand and promote the cargo bike movement in a gas-powered, digital and divided world. As Liz explores the burgeoning global movement to replace cars with purpose-built bikes, she learns about the bicycle's history and potential future as the ultimate "social revolutionizer." Her experiences as a cyclist, as a mother, and in discovering the cargo bike world, teach Liz that sustainability is not necessarily about compromise and sacrifice but that there are few things more empowering, in an age of consumption, than the ability to create everything from what seems to be nothing.
Rob Herring and Ryan Wirick/2019/96 min/Sustainable Food & Agriculture, Climate Change
Monday, March 9, 6 p.m. [Kane County]
Action Fair 6 p.m., Film 7 p.m.
Waubonsee Community College, Aurora
CHICAGO-AREA PREMIERE. FILM DESCRIPTION: In a race against the end of farmable soil, three individuals fight for change in the industry of agricultural food production, calling for a revolution. "The Need to Grow" delivers alarming evidence on the importance of healthy soil — revealing not only the potential of localized food production working with nature, but our opportunity as individuals to help regenerate our planet’s dying soils and participate in the restoration of the Earth.
Friday, March 6, 5 to 9 p.m.
Tesla Gold Coast
901 N. Rush St., Chicago
$20 Champagne Toast, 5 p.m.
$20 Opening Launch Party, 6 p.m.
Attend our Pre-Party Filmmaker Toast, starting at 5 p.m. Take the opportunity to mix and mingle in a smaller, more intimate gathering. Join us for the official champagne toast to open the 2020 season and celebrate another year of engaging audiences and encouraging them to take action.
Then at 6 p.m., the bigger party begins. Enjoy food, wine, beer and soft drinks while you mix and mingle with friends. Meet filmmakers, hear what's hot at this year's Fest, and preview top trailers and Young Filmmakers Contest shorts. Plus, get your first peek at ways you can get involved and take action through One Earth.
Soozie Eastman/2019/68 min/Health & the Environment, People & Culture
Wed., March 11, 6:30 p.m. [W Suburbs]
Oak Park Public Library, Oak Park
POSTPONED
Saturday, March 14, 3 p.m. [North]
Wilmette Theatre, Wilmette
Admission $10
CHICAGO-AREA PREMIERE. FILM DESCRIPTION: Soozie Eastman learns that hundreds of synthetic toxins are now found in every baby born in America and the government and chemical corporations are doing little to protect citizens and consumers. With guidance from world-renowned physicians and environmental leaders, interviews with scientists and politicians, and stories of everyday Americans, Soozie uncovers how we got to be so overloaded with chemicals and if there is anything we can do to take control of our exposure.
Louie Psihoyos/2015/90 min/Climate Change, Wildlife, Conservation, Water
POSTPONED
Thursday, March 12, 6 p.m. [Central]
Harold Washington Library Center
Chicago Public Library
FILM DESCRIPTION: We are in the midst of the 6th mass extinction. In “Racing Extinction,” a team of artists and activists exposes the hidden world of extinction with never-before-seen images that will change the way we see the planet. Two worlds drive extinction across the globe, potentially resulting in the loss of half of all species. The international wildlife trade creates bogus markets at the expense of creatures that have survived on this planet for millions of years. And the other surrounds us, hiding in plain sight — a world that the oil and gas companies don’t want the rest of us to see.
Annie Speicher & Matt Wechsler/2019/75 min/Sustainable Food & Agriculture, Health & the Environment , Environmental & Social Justice, Water
Sunday, March 8, 2:30 p.m. [South]
Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago
Monday, March 9, 6:30 p.m. [Central]
Northwestern University, Chicago
FILM DESCRIPTION: Through the riveting stories of five American communities, “Right to Harm” exposes the devastating public health impact that factory farming has on many of our country's most disadvantaged citizens. Known formally as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations—or CAFOs—these facilities produce millions of gallons of untreated waste that destroy the quality of life for nearby neighbors. Fed up with the lack of regulation, these citizens-turned-activists band together from across the country to demand justice.
Ines Sommer/2019/83 min/Food & Agriculture, Climate Change
Sunday, March 8, 1 p.m. [Dupage County]
Elmhurst College, Elmhurst
CANCELED BY PATAGONIA
Thursday, March 12, 5:30 p.m. [Central]
Reception 5:30 p.m., Film 6:30 p.m.
Patagonia Chicago, Magnificent Mile
Admission $20
View & Brew
FILM DESCRIPTION: For a quarter-century, Henry Brockman has worked alongside nature to grow delicious organic vegetables on his idyllic Midwestern farm. But farming takes a toll on his aging body and Henry dreams of scaling back. While his former apprentices run the farm, Henry spends a “fallow year” with his wife Hiroko in Japan. But things don’t turn out as planned, and Henry must grapple with the future of farming in a changing climate on personal, generational, and global levels.
Deia Schlosberg/2019/90 min/Waste & Recycling
Tuesday, March 10, 5:30 p.m. [Central]
Reception 5:30 p.m., Film 6:30 p.m.
Malcolm X College, Chicago
CHICAGO-AREA PREMIERE. FILM DESCRIPTION: “The Story of Plastic” is a seething expose uncovering the ugly truth behind the current global plastic pollution crisis. Striking footage shot over three continents illustrates the ongoing catastrophe: fields full of garbage, veritable mountains of trash; rivers and seas clogged with waste; and skies choked with the poisonous runoff from plastic production and recycling processes with no end in sight. Original animations, interviews with experts and activists, and never-before-filmed scenes reveal the disastrous consequences of the flood of plastic smothering ecosystems and poisoning communities around the world – and the global movement rising up in response.
Mat Hames/2018/63 min/Energy, Water
Tuesday, March 10, 6:30 p.m. [North]
Northwestern University, Evanston
POSTPONED
Friday, March 13, 6:30 p.m. [Lake]
College of Lake County, Grayslake
CHICAGO-AREA PREMIERE. FILM DESCRIPTION: “Thirst for Power” is adapted from Dr. Michael E. Webber’s book “Thirst for Power: Energy, Water, and Human Survival.” Combining anecdotes and personal stories with insights into the latest science of energy and water, both the book and the documentary identify a hopeful path toward wise, long-range, water-energy decisions and a more reliable and abundant future for humanity.
Céline Cousteau/2019/78 min/People & Culture, Conservation
VIRTUAL
Thursday, March 12, 6:30 p.m. [North]
Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago
CHICAGO-AREA PREMIERE. FILM DESCRIPTION: The Vale do Javari is the second largest Indigenous territory in Brazil and is home to 5,000 Indigenous peoples from 6 tribes as well as the largest population of people living without any contact with the outside world in the entire Amazon, and some say the world. Though the Javari has been designated for the tribes living there, there is looming pressure to increase harmful resource extraction which in other parts of the Amazon has led to environmental degradation. With Hepatitis rates as high as 50-80%, this preventable infectious disease brought in by outsiders is decimating the population and threatening their very survival.
Rakel Garðarsdóttir & Ágústa M. Ólafsdóttir/2018/55 min/Environmental & Social Justice, People & Culture, Waste & Recycling , Sustainable Food & Agriculture, Conservation
Saturday, March 7, 10 a.m. [North]
Pickwick Theatre, Park Ridge
Admission $8
POSTPONED
Saturday, March 14, 11 a.m. [West]
Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago
CHICAGO-AREA PREMIERE. FILM DESCRIPTION: In the documentary "UseLess," the filmmakers try to find out why food and fashion waste has become a pressing social and environmental problem, and what we can do to change it. The documentary is seen through the eyes of a young Icelandic mother who is trying to understand the issues and change her ways. Interviews with experts, designers, activists, and producers shed light on the problem as well as offer many solutions to the audience.
Richard Power Hoffman/2013/38 min/Family, Sustainable Food & Agriculture
POSTPONED
Saturday, March 14, 8:45 a.m. [W Suburbs]
Thatcher Woods Pavilion, River Forest
FILM DESCRIPTION: “Watermelon Magic” chronicles a season on the family farm, as Sylvie grows a patch of watermelons to sell at market. With time, patience, and tender loving care, Sylvie nurtures the seeds from tender sprouts to sprawling vines and flowers that become the fruit that she harvests. But when it's time to say goodbye to her watermelon babies, can she part with them? Journey with Sylvie as she learns how to care for plants in various stages, discovers the magic of growing healthy food in her garden, and realizes the greatest joy of all: sharing.
Saturday, March 7, 10:30 a.m. [Central]
Screenings + awards at 11 a.m.
Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago
“The eyes of all future generations are upon you.” Greta Thunberg
For the last eight years, our eyes have been upon the incredible films of motivated and inspired young people from ages 8–25. We have offered them the opportunity to research, produce, and show their original films as part of our Young Filmmakers Contest. We invite you to join us at the premier screenings of the winning films, to be inspired by their creativity, and to learn more about the non-profit organizations that will benefit from matching grants the winners receive. Founding Director of the One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest Sue Crothers will announce the winners.