By Lisa Biehle Files
See an environmental superhero fly through the sky, a time-traveling climate change reporter, and animals saved from Western wildfires.
As part of the Earth Day Mini Film Fest 2021, the One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest will feature 14 Honorable Mention short films in two one-hour events on Saturday, April 24, at 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Online discussion with young filmmakers from California to Texas to New York will be facilitated by Young Filmmakers Contest Founding Director Sue Crothers.
The Young Filmmakers Contest awards short environmental films created by students from grade 3 to age 25. Films that inspire change or action stream in from across the country each year, with 149 total submissions reviewed by 22 jurors in 2021. Top prizes range from $100 to $1,000. Competition is fierce; these Honorable Mention films are not to be missed.
Register for these events and more Earth Day screenings here.
Aarya Naringrekar
“Plastic Bags? No Thanks!” (8 min)
Aarya Naringrekar, Grade 4
Longfellow School, Oak Park, IL
Aarya poses as an environmental reporter in her film “Plastic Bags? No Thanks!” raising the questions, “What did people use before plastic bags were invented?” and “Do people in other countries use plastic bags?” She interviews older, local adults and children from India and Australia to gather her answers. Aarya also focuses on local actions taken to push through an ordinance charging a 10-cent fee for plastic or paper bags. In the village of Oak Park, Ill., this resulted in a drop in plastic bag usage from 15 million per year to 2.3 million in 2019. Nevertheless, Aarya reminds us that Americans continue to use 100 billion plastic bags every year, recycling only 1 percent.
Phillip Sugar
“Breaking News That Will Be Happening” (5 min)
Phillip Sugar, Grade 6
Homeschool, Raleigh, NC
In “Breaking News That Will Be Happening,” Phillip is journalist Mark Ment, reporting live for the Daily Teleporter from the year 2050. The Paris Climate Agreement has failed, and Ment teleports from Manhattan to Los Angeles to Miami, giving us the story. Using a green screen as his backdrop, he shows cities flooded and ablaze. Phillip also plays the role of Dr. Einstein III who recommends planting 789 trees per square mile to reverse climate change. In his contest entry, Phillip writes: “I am really passionate about saving the environment. . . . I want people to understand that climate change is real, it is really happening, people and animals are dying, and we have to do something.”
Jake Koren
“What Can We Do About Car Pollution?” (5 min)
Jake Koren, Grade 6
Homeschool, Felton, CA
Jake’s younger brother, Zach, narrates and acts out all characters in this film, demonstrating 10 easy ways to reduce car pollution. Zach brings touches of humor to his role as he pretends to have typical problems, such as being stuck in traffic or needing auto maintenance. Jake flawlessly uses split-screen to show his brother as two different characters talking to each other in various car-related scenarios. His message is a practical one: go electric or hybrid, car-pool, avoid rush hour, and more. “My vision is to live on a planet that has clean air so that we can all thrive,” writes Jake.
Marin Chalmers
“Sondaica” (3.5 min)
Marin Chalmers, Grade 8
Roosevelt Middle School, River Forest, IL
“I learned about the endangered Sumatran tigers, and I wanted to spread awareness, educate and possibly make a difference in saving such beautiful animals and their habitats,” writes Marin in her contest entry.
She uses stop-motion with delicate paper cutout drawings to tell the story of rare Sumatran tigers: only 400 remain in the wild. These stately creatures are at risk from poachers who sell their skin, bones, teeth and organs for thousands of dollars. Deforestation is causing habitat loss as well, another risk to their survival. A mournful melody and appropriate sound effects help tell this evocative story of a mother and baby tiger.
The first screening of Honorable Mention films (all ages) will take place at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 24.
“Water: Not a Drop to Waste” (5.5 min)
Rishub and Krishna Madhav, Grades 9 and 11
Lebanon Trail High School, Frisco, TX
Through skillful script, research, and editing, brothers Krishna and Rishub point out that fresh water is taken for granted: only three percent is not saline. Due to climate change, severe water shortages will be common by 2050. Still, the average American family uses 88 gallons per day. Seventy percent of freshwater is used for agricultural irrigation, and of that, 60 percent never reaches crops due to wastefulness. Solutions such as drip irrigation and no pressure sprayers are helping conserve water.
In their contest submission, Krishna and Rishub write: “These next few decades will be critical for our environment and how humanity responds will be a major determinant for our sustained prosperity. . . . We have the duty to bring attention to such a perilous problem [future fresh water shortages] and to take more concerted action; this film is just the beginning of our efforts.”
Katrina Larner
“One Choice” (1 min)
Katrina Larner, Grade 12
The Athenian School, Danville, CA
(will study animation at Rhode Island School of Design in the fall)
Katrina’s short film presents a simple message through bold animation: every choice we make has an environmental impact. The characters in her film litter, use straws, take a car instead of the train, and purchase eggs from factory farms, all saying to themselves, “Just one can’t hurt.” Then Katrina shows the impact on animals--the caged chicken, the turtle with a straw in its nose, the bird flying through polluted air--concluding with the message, “Choose to be sustainable.”
Katrina writes: “With my film, I wanted to outline the problem with the mentality of ‘What's the harm?’ because even the smallest litter can add up and have an impact. I desperately hope that . . . the people who see my film will be inspired to lead a more sustainable lifestyle.”
Karli Weatherill and MacKenzie Claflin
“Saving Colorado’s Solitary Bees” (8 min)
MacKenzie Claflin and Karli Weatherill , Grade 12
Cañon City High School, Cañon City, CO
(Kenzie will study film at University of Denver and Karli will be in the pre-veterinary track at Colorado Mesa University in the fall)
Accompanied by Karli’s flute and piano music and close-up footage of solitary bees on wildflowers, both Kenzie and Karli explain that bees are the #1 pollinator and that the 100 most important foods depend on pollinators. But of 1400 bee species, 700 are heading toward extinction, and 350 are at risk of extinction. There could be several contributing factors, they say: habitat loss, viruses, mites, and neonicotinoids.
About 90 percent of bees don’t live in hives but are solitary bees, laying their eggs in small crevices. Karli and Kenzie get to work, in fast motion, demonstrating how to build a bee hotel to help support local, solitary bees, some of which are able to do the pollination work of 120 honeybees.
Mark De Bruin
“Troposphere” (4.5 min)
Mark De Bruin, Sophomore
Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
“‘Troposphere’ is a showcase of the incredible chaos and beauty of the lowest layer of the atmosphere in Ultra-HD time-lapse,” writes Mark in his contest submission.
As a resident of the flat terrain of Iowa, Mark recognizes the glory of the expansive celestial vista, filming time-lapse of the sky for two years over seven Midwestern states and 4000 miles. He shows tornado formation, dark storm clouds, lightning, and magenta skies, synchronizing video with swelling orchestral music. Though there is no explicit environmental message, the viewer is left with a feeling of awe about the heavens and a passion to protect this fragile planet.
Caitlin Clonan
“Enviroman” (3 min)
Caitlin Clonan , Junior
Cazenovia College, Cazenovia, NY
Caitlin’s little brother, Luke, is the star of this show. He starts out reading a superhero comic book and then suddenly enters an animated world as a superhero himself. Luke extinguishes a blazing forest fire, lifts a leaking oil tanker, and rescues a baby seal stranded on an island. When he falls back to earth as himself, he realizes he can be a superhero every day by picking up litter, recycling cans, and more. Heroic music and bright, animated graphics emphasize Caitlin’s theme: “My motivation for making this film is to show that you don't have to be a superhero to save the world--anyone can do their part to save the environment.”
The second screening of Honorable Mention films (college level+) will take place at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 24.
Eliza Ward
“The Bambi Effect” (3 min)
Eliza Ward, Senior
American University, Washington, DC
Eliza’s film examines the impact of the book “Bambi” (1923) and Disney’s seven subsequent film releases (from 1942 to 1988) on cultural attitudes towards deer hunting. In the film, “Bambi,” an adorable baby deer, loses his mother to a hunter’s bullet, leaving the audience siding with Bambi and against deer hunters.
Eliza adds a jazz piano musical score as she presents history through charts and graphs. In the 1930s, there were 300,000 deer in America. Today, there are 30 million, many spreading ticks and overburdening the ecosystem. Thousands die of starvation every year, 90 percent of which are fawns. Eliza thinks we need to re-examine the overpopulation of deer and be aware of the power of films on our cultural attitudes.
Maddie Matsumoto
“Bee the Solution” (1.5 min)
Maddie Matsumoto, Senior
University of California at Davis, Davis, CA
Through simple black and bright yellow animation, with a black hexagonal grid for transitions, Maddie tells the story of depleted bee populations. In the past 120 years, half the world’s wild bee species have become extinct. Meanwhile, Colony Collapse Disorder has reduced the honeybee population by 30 to 90 percent. With more than one third of the world’s meals dependent on bee pollination, we can take action by planting wildflowers, contacting political leaders, and donating to research. Writes Maddie: “I have not seen any mentions of the Colony Collapse Disorder crisis since 2015, and I want to shine a light on the current situation at hand. There is still work to be done.”
Anna Lee Ackermann
“As We Are Planted” (7 min)
Anna Lee Ackermann, recent graduate
Columbia College Chicago, Illinois
(now works as a freelance filmmaker)
Anna Lee shows how people are gaining access to healthy food and better lives via St. James Food Pantry on Chicago’s South Side. This is demonstrated through Cathy Moore, who tells her personal story as a struggling client, then an employee, and finally food pantry coordinator. Sean Ruane and Lawrence Riley, two members of the Just Roots team featured in the film, work to provide fresh, local produce to the pantry and a new community garden to improve health outcomes in a food desert. “We are feeding hearts and minds as well,” Sean concludes.
Writes Anna Lee in her contest entry: “Coming from an upbringing where at one point my family utilized food pantries after my mom lost her job, I recognize the importance of food pantries and the role they play in not only providing a basic need, but also restoring dignity. . . . I hope ‘As We Are Planted’ not only provides a better understanding of food deserts in general, but ultimately a glimmer of hope in what may seem like a bleak circumstance.”
Matthew Taylor
“A Few Feet Away” (4min)
Matthew Taylor, post graduate
Texas A&M University—Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, TX
(now works as a freelance filmmaker)
Matthew explains, “Through all the chaos surrounding Covid-19, I took much of my newfound free time and decided to make an entire wildlife documentary without leaving more than a few feet from my apartment.”
Matthew opens his film playfully, showing his frustration with pandemic isolation. Then he decides to reveal the ecosystem just outside his front door via close-up video of butterflies, ants, caterpillars, bees, beetles, lizards, and more as they go about their daily activities. The echoing vocal music perfectly matches the images and narration, leaving the viewer with a feeling of wonder at the beauty and complexity at our footsteps.
Lexie Chu
“Embers” (5 min)
Lexie Chu, post graduate
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
(now works as a production assistant at Netflix)
Lexie interviews workers from the Humane Society of Ventura, Calif., about rescuing animals during area wildfires. When animals smell and hear the blaze, their fear and anxiety is heightened. Lexie moves deftly from animals to people to fire to rescue. Horses, dogs, birds, and more have been rescued, raising the question, “Is an animal’s life worth a human’s life?” “Absolutely,” says one rescue worker. “No question.”
“Most stories on wildfires are about humans and their displacement, but what about the smaller creatures that could die without our help?” asks Lexie.