Damon Gameau/2019/92 min/ Environmental & Social Justice, People & Cultures, Climate Change

Monday, March 7, 6:30 p.m. CST
Virtual Watch Party

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. This journey is the central premise for the documentary 2040, a story of hope that looks at the very real possibility that humanity could reverse global warming and improve the lives of every living thing in the process. It is a positive vision of what ‘could be’, instead of the dystopian future we are so often warned about.

Tickets available to viewers in the U.S., Australia, and the U.K. only.

Friday, March 4, 6 p.m. CST
The Plant, Chicago

The Festival Launch Party will feature a riveting filmmakers panel, award-winning short films from our Young Filmmakers Contest, and other special guest appearances. We'll end the evening with pizza and drinks at the adjoining Whiner Beer Company downstairs for our in-person guests, and some continuing online festivities for our virtual attendees. What a fun way to usher in a brand new spring season. Plus, proceeds from this event help us to keep our change-making events free, so that more people can participate in climate action. Join us!

Raj Patel and Zak Piper/2021/74 min/Climate Change, Environmental & Social Justice, Sustainable Food-Agriculture

Wednesday, March 9, 6:30 p.m. CST
Virtual Watch Party

Wednesday, March 9, 6 p.m. CST [West]
In Person, Chicago Public Library, Austin Branch

FILM DESCRIPTION: Anita Chitaya has a gift; she can help bring abundant food from dead soil, she can make men fight for gender equality, and she can end child hunger in her village. Now, to save her home from extreme weather, she faces her greatest challenge: persuading Americans that climate change is real. Traveling from Malawi to America, she meets climate skeptics and despairing farmers. Her journey takes her across all the divisions shaping the US, from the rural-urban divide, to schisms of race, class and gender, to the thinking that allows Americans to believe they live on a different planet from everyone else. It will take all her skill to help Americans free themselves from a logic that is destroying the Earth.

Tickets available to U.S. viewers only.

Lucy Walker/2021/127 min/Climate Change, Conservation, Sustainable Architecture

Saturday, March 5, 6:30 p.m. CST
Virtual Watch Party

FILM DESCRIPTION: Raging, out-of-control wildfires have become part of the new normal around the globe, leaving heartbreaking devastation and death in their wake. In California, this harsh reality was underscored on Nov. 8, 2018, when several parts of the state were ablaze: the Camp Fire was ravaging most of the Northern California town of Paradise, and the Woolsey Fire was roaring through Malibu in the south. In the aftermath, residents face unthinkable loss. As they struggle to rebuild, they debate what could be done to prevent further tragedy.

Tickets available to U.S. viewers only.

Mads Ellesøe/2020/58 min/Environmental Advocacy, Historical Perspectives, Energy

Sunday, March 13, 3 p.m. CDT
Virtual Watch Party

FILM DESCRIPTION: The planet's largest oil companies were among the first to detect global warming. Instead of taking action, they launched a campaign that has derailed the fight against climate change. A shocking investigation uncovers what these institutions have done to impede the battle against climate change. Companies fired scientists who spoke out, and public perception was purposely manipulated. As the scale and urgency of the climate crisis are becoming undeniably clear, the impact these actions may have had on the race to save the planet is more startling than ever.

Tickets available to North American viewers only.

Will screen with Let Us Breathe.

Holly Morris/2022/88 min/People & Cultures, Environmental & Social Justice, Environmental Advocacy

International Women’s Day
Tuesday, March 8, 6:30 p.m. CST
Virtual Watch Party

FILM DESCRIPTION: During one of the most chaotic polar seasons in history, 11 women from the Arab World and the West struggle together to reach climate change ground zero: The North Pole. As the travelers face wild challenges—from Russian helicopter crashes and moving Arctic sea ice to punishing frostbite and navigation of the harsh, barren landscape—Exposure tells an exciting story of resilience and intense camaraderie.

Tickets available to viewers from the Midwest to East Coast only.

Serena Davies/2020/58 min/Wildlife, Climate Change, Health

Sunday, March 13, 6:30 p.m. CDT
Virtual Watch Party

FILM DESCRIPTION: English broadcaster and historian, Sir David Attenborough, has encountered some of the world's most extraordinary animals and plants. But many of these wonders may now be destined to disappear from our planet forever. With 1 million species at risk of extinction, the huge variety of life on earth, known as biodiversity, is being lost at a rate never seen before in human history. This is a crisis not just for the natural world but for every one of us. This mass extinction threatens our food and water security, undermines our ability to control our climate and even puts us at greater risk for more pandemics.

Tickets available to U.S. viewers only.

Irja von Bernstorff/2021/88 min/Environmental Advocacy, Environmental & Social Justice, Health, Sustainable Food-Agriculture, Waste, Water

Sunday, March 13, 11 a.m. CDT
Virtual Watch Party

Sunday, March 13, 10:30 a.m. CDT
In Person, Institute of Cultural Affairs, Chicago [North]

FILM DESCRIPTION: Girls for Future follows four girls from Senegal, Indonesia, Australia and India who fight for a better future. Between the ages of 11 and 14, they are all directly affected by the consequences of environmental destruction. In the film, we see the global water crisis as it is playing out in Senegal. A visit to the girl from Indonesia highlights plastic waste pollution. A segment on the girl from India reveals the effects of the agricultural crisis. Finally, the Australian girl reveals the fatal destruction found within oceans and on land due to climate change.

Recommended for middle school+ general audiences.

Tickets available globally except to viewers in Germany, Switzerland, France and Austria.

Chris Cresci/2020/10 min/Environmental & Social Justice, Conservation, People & Cultures

Saturday, March 12, 11 a.m. CST
Virtual Watch Party

FILM DESCRIPTION: Join Teresa Baker and a group of diverse outdoor leaders as they become the first members of the public to explore Harold Richardson Redwoods Reserve, a massive, newly discovered, old growth redwood grove recently protected by Save The Redwoods League. #EveryoneOutside is focused on creating a more inclusive and culturally diverse outdoor community by elevating the profiles, work, and stories of marginalized athletes, leaders, organizations, and affinity groups, as well as empowering minority members of our community by increasing access to essential outdoor skills and activities.

Will screen with Understory: A Journey Through the Tongass.

Costa Boutsikaris and Anna Palmer/2020/76 min/Health, Sustainable Food-Agriculture, Historical Perspectives

Saturday, March 12, 6:30 p.m. CST
Virtual Watch Party

Saturday, March 12, 6 p.m. CST
In Person, First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple, Chicago [Central]

FILM DESCRIPTION: Inhabitants follows five Native American Tribes as they restore their relationships to the land using ancient practices that nurture life. For millennia Native Americans stewarded and shaped their landscapes, but centuries of colonization have disrupted their ability to maintain traditional land management practices. From deserts, coastlines, forests, mountains and prairies, Native communities are restoring their ancient relationships with the land. As the climate crisis escalates, these time-tested practices of North America's original inhabitants are becoming increasingly essential in a rapidly changing world.

Lizabeth Frohwein, Alisa Gao, Katie Jahns, Alexandria Wilt/15 min/2021/Environmental & Social Justice, Climate Change, Health

Sunday, March 13, 3 p.m. CDT
Virtual Watch Party

FILM DESCRIPTION: Follow the story of two teenagers as they go up against a serial polluter (General Iron scrap metal) moving into their already overly industrialized neighborhood in the southeast side of Chicago. Destiny and Greg show us what it's like to grow up in an area with dangerous air pollution and why they deserve better.

Created by four student filmmakers from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.

Will screen with The Campaign Against the Climate.

Namak Khoshnaw/2021/59 min/Climate Change, Environmental Advocacy, Environmental & Social Justice

Saturday, March 5, 3 p.m. CST
Virtual Watch Party

FILM DESCRIPTION: With 2021 marked as the fifth hottest year on record, Life at 50 Degrees reveals how extreme temperatures around the world are wreaking havoc on nature, forcing climate migration, causing water shortages and triggering dangerous health conditions. By following people in seven countries, the film reveals the resourcefulness and resilience of many communities as they struggle to adapt and survive.

Anna Fitch/2019/53 min/Wildlife, Conservation, Water

Sunday, March 6, 3 p.m. CST
Virtual Watch Party

Sunday, March 6, 2 p.m. CST
In Person, Urban Village Church-West, River Forest [W Suburbs]

FILM DESCRIPTION: The octopus may be the closest we get to meeting an alien. They evolved from a common cousin more than 500 million years ago and have proven themselves as intelligent creatures with problem-solving abilities. So what happens when you invite an eight-legged alien into your living room? This documentary follows marine biologist David Scheel as he tracks his evolving relationship with an octopus.

Recommended for ages 8+ general audiences.

Tara Eng, Kristen Harrison, Alex Klein, and Alisha Tamarchenko/2021/25 min/Environmental & Social Justice, Health, Climate Change, Energy

Sunday, March 6, 6:30 p.m. CST
Virtual Watch Party

Sunday, March 6, 5:30 p.m. CST
In Person, Euclid Ave. United Methodist Church, Oak Park [W Suburbs]

FILM DESCRIPTION: On the Fenceline: A Fight for Clean Air is an urgent call for justice for Philadelphia's low-income communities. After years of living on the fenceline of the east coast’s largest oil refinery and suffering from several critical health issues – including cancer, asthma, and COPD – residents have come together to stand up to CEOs and fight for their right to breathe.

Will screen with The Sacrifice Zone: Life in an Industrial Wasteland.

Robin Frohardt/2021/57 min/Waste, Water, People & Cultures

Friday, March 11, 6:30 p.m. CST
Virtual Watch Party

Friday, March 11, 6 p.m. CST
In Person, McKinley Park Fieldhouse, Chicago [South]

Friday, March 11, 6 p.m. CST
In Person, Maine South High School Library, Park Ridge [North]

Friday, March 11, 6 p.m. CST
In Person, Philadelphia Church, Chicago [North}

FILM DESCRIPTION: A dynamic series of stories that traverse ancient history, the present day and a future dystopia, employing inventive puppetry, humor and craft to explore how the hordes of plastic waste we leave behind today might be misinterpreted by future generations.

Recommended for ages 12+ general audiences.

Peter Nelson/2019/92 min/Sustainable Food-Agriculture, Conservation, Wildlife

Sunday, March 6, 11 a.m. CST
Virtual Watch Party

Sunday, March 6, 10 a.m. CST [Central]
In Person, Navy Pier, Peoples Energy Welcome Pavilion

FILM DESCRIPTION: Honey bee colonies are dying at extraordinary rates. Close to half of the bee colonies in the United States are collapsing every year. The Pollinators takes us on a cinematic journey across the United States following migratory beekeepers and their truckloads of honey bees as they pollinate the flowers that become the fruits, nuts and vegetables we eat. Hear farmers, scientists, chefs, economists and academics explain the threats to honey bees and what it means to our food security.

Tickets available to U.S. viewers only.

Julie Winokur/2020/32 min/Environmental & Social Justice, Health, Climate Change

Sunday, March 6, 6:30 p.m. CST
Virtual Watch Party

Sunday, March 6, 5:30 p.m. CST
In Person, Euclid Ave. United Methodist Church, Oak Park [W Suburbs]

FILM DESCRIPTION: The Ironbound district of Newark, New Jersey, is one of the most toxic neighborhoods in the country. Maria Lopez-Nuñez, a Honduran-American resident there, is waging war for environmental justice. She is part of the Ironbound Community Corporation, one of the country's most effective environmental justice organizations. The Sacrifice Zone follows Maria as she leads a group of activists determined to break the cycle of communities impacted by environmental racism, serving as dumping grounds for our consumer society.

Will screen with On the Fenceline: A Fight for Clean Air.

Margarida Cardoso/2021/40 min/Conservation, Wildlife, Health

Saturday, March 12, 11 a.m. CST
Virtual Watch Party

FILM DESCRIPTION: Understory follows three women who set sail on a 350 mile expedition through Alaska’s massive Tongass National Forest. With individual connections to the rainforest, their goal is to explore how clearcut logging in this coastal rainforest could affect local communities and our planet’s climate while taking audiences on a journey through the beautiful, wild Tongass.

Will screen with Here We Stand.

Saturday, March 5, 11 a.m. CST
Virtual Watch Party

The Short Story of a Fox and a Mouse

Camille Chaix, Hugo Jean, Juliette Jourdan, Marie Pillier, and Kevin Roger/2017/6.5 min/Wildlife, Environmental Advocacy

FILM DESCRIPTION: Watch this beautiful and touching award-winning 3D animated short as a lonesome fox hunts a mouse—and their relationship evolves as two owls begin to interfere with the hunt.

Blackout

J. Williams-Wood/2013/7 min/People & Cultures, Health, Environmental Advocacy

FILM DESCRIPTION: Narrated by Oscar-nominee Stanley Tucci, the almost-luminously animated Blackout focuses on a young boy and his family in a city apartment on a hot summer night.

Hopper’s Day

Jingqi Zhang/2021/5 min/Water, Wildlife

FILM DESCRIPTION: Water is a precious resource in an abandoned quarry, where a small grasshopper competes for access with an army of ants while trying to avoid a hungry crow and lizard. The water Hopper wants is not just a selfish desire, but for a glorious garden oasis hidden in an old boot.

Recommended for ages 3 to 8+.

"Once upon a time I conquered," said the Climate Catastrophe. "Once upon a time I changed the story," Climate Activists replied. —Vanessa Nakate

Saturday, March 12, 3 p.m. CST
Virtual Watch Party

We invite you to join us for the 10th season of the Young Filmmakers Contest Awards & Screenings. You'll see the incredible films of motivated and inspired young people from ages 8 to 25. Their efforts show us there is a new generation of talented and wise environmental leaders and communicators. Join us at the premiere 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 introduce guest host, Adam Joel, of Aggressively Compassionate, for another entertaining awards event.

Recommended for ages 8+ general audiences.

Slater Jewell-Kemker/2021/89 min/Climate Change, Environmental Advocacy, People & Cultures, Environmental & Social Justice

Thursday, March 10, 6:30 p.m. CST
Virtual Watch Party

FILM DESCRIPTION: Youth Unstoppable takes us inside the rise of the Global Youth Climate Movement. 15-year-old Slater Jewell-Kemker began documenting the untold stories of youth on the front lines of climate change, refusing to let their futures slip away. Over the course of 12 years and set against stunning visuals of a planet in crisis, Slater follows the evolution of a diverse network of youth rising up to shape the world they will live in.

General audiences/teens + young adults especially encouraged to attend!