On Wednesday, Sept. 18, Sasha-Ann Simons of WBEZ Radio’s Reset interviewed Sue Crothers, Founding Director of the One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest, along with Michael Rogowski, a student filmmaker from Loyola University Chicago. They talked about the upcoming One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest Awards Celebration on Sept. 22, as well as the Environmental Justice Award that Loyola University would receive for “The Kiribati Project.” LISTEN HERE.
The annual One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest Global Awards Celebration is gearing up to take place at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, both in person at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St., Chicago, Illinois, and online virtually anywhere in the world. Featuring the top 10 winning films from among 400 submissions, this event is the second with global reach since the contest started 12 years ago.
During the past year, One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest received 400 submissions from 55 countries and 36 states. Australia, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Poland, and United Kingdom will be represented among top winners, along with the U.S. states of California, Florida, Illinois, and Virginia. The Global Awards Celebration will take place at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, in person at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St., in Chicago, or online virtually anywhere in the world. A special online screening for those in Asia/ Pacific is also available.
On Saturday, July 27, from 1 to 5 p.m., West Cook Wild Ones will host its annual native garden tour of 9 colorful, life-filled gardens in Oak Park and Berwyn, Illinois. You can find more information about the tour here.
But while you’re waiting, here are three of the native-plant-loving people who have created gardens (or shall we call them habitats?) that are on the tour: : Laura Derks, Monica Cecero, and Beth Fioritto.
For more than a decade, One Earth Film Festival has featured films about a range of topics from climate change to plastic waste to water justice to conservation. Thankfully, with the increase in available media, arts, and storytelling, another topic has taken center stage: environmental and climate justice at home and abroad. Not only are there more shareable stories on which One Earth can shine a light, but we are grateful to be in conversation with and learning from environmental justice leaders across the Chicago region and beyond.
Q: How many countries participated in the 2023 One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest, and were there any surprises?
A: We received entries from 45 countries. This shows how much our contest resonates with young filmmakers around the world. I think the biggest surprise was that two of the winners flew into Chicago from Brazil and Mexico for our Awards weekend. It was very exciting. And the nicest surprise was the esteemed Dr. Jane Goodall’s participation: she opened our awards event on screen!