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5th San Francisco Green Film Festival - May 28 to June 3

Highlights Include Bikes vs. Cars, Landfill Harmonic, Racing Extinction

5th San Francisco Green Film Festival - May 28 to June 3

Highlights Include Bikes vs. Cars, Landfill Harmonic, Racing Extinction

Published 04-30-15

Submitted by San Francisco Green Film Festival

5th San Francisco Green Film Festival

The San Francisco Green Film Festival returns for its 5th year on Thursday, May 28th and will run until Wednesday, June 3rd at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco. The festival will hold its Opening Night festivities at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco (JCCSF) and will also hold events at 518 Valencia and the Koret Auditorium at the San Francisco Public Library Main Branch, 100 Larkin Street. For more information please visit www.greenfilmfest.org or email info@greenfilmfest.org.

For its fifth edition, the West Coast’s leading destination for films and discussions about people and the planet will present over 60 new films from around the world, with over 70 filmmakers and special guests in attendance to delve into some of the most pressing environmental issues and innovative solutions. Audiences will be inspired to move beyond their theatre seats, with tangible ideas and connections to take positive environmental action in the Bay Area and beyond.

The festival’s theme this year will be Changing Cities, reflecting on the growing pace of change here in San Francisco. The Festival will bring inspiration from films that explore ideas for building healthy, livable, and just urban communities. Films and discussions will focus on creating positive change in our city. Whether it is transit, housing, parks, or quality of life, together we can find innovative ways to get involved and create a better, more livable city for everyone.

Films included within the festival theme include: BIKES VS. CARS (urban transportation), MUSEUM OF THE HIDDEN CITY (urban development), THE CHINESE MAYOR (housing and living conditions), RACING TO ZERO (waste management), SLUMS: CITIES OF TOMORROW (housing and living conditions), A DANGEROUS GAME (urban development) and a shorts program dedicated to the festival theme SHORTS: CHANGING CITIES.   

Opening Night Premiere – BIKES VS CARS
 
In keeping with the festival’s theme, award winning director and journalist Fredrik Gertten (BANANAS!*, Big Boys Gone Bananas!*), investigates the daily global spectacle of traffic and looks for solutions in BIKES vs CARS. Following bicycle activists’ crusades to foster meaningful change, the film documents the struggle for bicyclists in a society dominated by cars. From bike activists in Sao Paulo and Los Angeles, fighting for safe bike lanes, to the city of Copenhagen, where forty percent commute daily by bike, BIKES vs CARS considers the revolutionary changes that could take place if more cities made room for bicyclists. Producer Chris Paine will be in attendance for the California Premiere of the filmThursday, May 28 at the Kanbar Hall at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco at 8PM
 
Centerpiece Presentation
 
The SF Green Film Festival will screen Kris Kaczor’s DIVIDE IN CONCORD, which looks at the efforts of Jean Hill, who walks very much in the fighting footsteps of Concord, Massachusetts’ other famous predecessors (“the shot heard round the world”, Henry David Thoreau and Walden Pond). For years Jean has been petitioning Concord to ban the sale of water in single-serve plastic bottles. Against her is a mountain of money and corporate opposition, stoking fear of loss of personal choice as well as attacking Jean as a “dotty old lady”. As in 1775, when Concord patriots began a Revolution and defined a nation, now a local eighty-four year-old woman wages another seemingly unwinnable battle. Director Kris Kaczor and producer Dave Regos will be in attendance for the San Francisco Premiere of the film. Sunday, May 31 at Roxie Theater in San Francisco at 8:30PM
 
Closing Night "Road To Paris" Presentation
 
The 5th edition of the San Francisco Green Film Festival will conclude on Wednesday, June 3rd as the entire environmental community looks to Paris, France, the home of the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference. The festival will present two fantastic films, tackling environmental issues from different perspectives in their closing night presentation, the "Road to Paris".
 
Winner of the Audience Award at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival, LANDFILL HARMONIC will make its San Francisco premiere as the first part of the SF Green Film Festival’s Closing Night activities. The film follows the children of Cateura, Paraguay, who live on a slum built on top of a landfill. To escape the poverty surrounding them, the children take the trash and turn it into musical instruments. Director Brad Allgood will be in attendance, Wednesday, June 3 at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco at 6PM
 
An official selection of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, RACING EXTINCTION is the latest film from director Louie Psihoyos (Academy Award Winner for THE COVE). The filmmaker now bears witness to another global problem—mankind's role in precipitating mass extinction, potentially resulting in the loss of half of the world's species. The filmmaker joins forces with activists, scientists, nature photographers, and cutting-edge inventors with an affirming call to action to stem the tide before it's too late. Wednesday, June 3 at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco at 8:30PM
 
Following the two films, festival attendees are welcome to unwind and recap their experiences at the San Francisco Green Film Festival at the Closing Night Party. Wednesday, June 3 at Slate Bar in San Francisco at 10:30PM  

ANNOUNCING THE FESTIVAL AWARDS
 
SFGFF announces five diverse awards for films to be screened at the 5th Annual Festival. The awards honor filmmakers who are going to great lengths to uncover new territory and provide a new take on the most pressing environmental issues.
 
Best Feature Award:
BIKES vs CARS, Fredrik Gertten, Sweden
 
Best Short Award:
BEYOND RECOGNITION, Michelle Grace Steinberg, USA
 
Young Filmmaker Award:
PSEUDO EVOLUTION, Luisa Gobel & Bruna Almeida, Brazil
 
Inspiring Lives Award: 
LANDFILL HARMONIC, Brad Allgood & Graham Townsley, USA
 
Green Tenacity Award:
THE CHINESE MAYOR, Zhou Hao, China

BAY AREA FILMS & FILMMAKERS
 
RACING TO ZERO: IN PURSUIT OF ZERO WASTE 
Christopher Beaver, USA, 2014, 59 mins
San Francisco Premiere. In person: Dir. Christopher Beaver; Prod. Diana Fuller
A quick-moving, upbeat documentary presenting new solutions to the global problem of waste. For two decades, San Francisco’s Department of the Environment has been working toward the goal of zero waste and now recycles, composts, and reuses a whopping 80 percent of its garbage - but the race to eradicate trash continues, and this rousing film exhorts us to join in. Friday, May 29 at Roxie Theater in San Francisco at 8:30PM
 
THE EDGE OF THE WILD 
Gail Mallimson, USA, 2015, 60 mins
World Premiere. In person: Dir. Gail Mallimson 
A life-long resident of Brisbane, CA, is determined to save the last population of rare butterflies from the luxury housing planned for San Bruno Mountain. Bay Area filmmaker Gail Mallimson brings us this epic battle between private property rights and the survival of a species, with implications for national environmental policy. Saturday, May 30 at Roxie Theater in San Francisco at 4:00PM
 
THE CHINESE MAYOR
Zhou Hao, China, 2015, 86 mins
San Francisco Premiere. Producer Qi Zhao in person
Change is afoot in Datong. Mayor Geng Yanbo is pulling down one of the world’s dirtiest cities to recreate its glorious past, but at the cost of relocating 140,000 households. Award-winning filmmaker Zhou Hao, gives you remarkable access to the power and politics that change a city. Sunday, May 31 at Roxie Theater in San Francisco at 3:00PM

WALKING CINEMA: MUSEUM OF THE HIDDEN CITY (Live Event)
Michael Epstein, USA, 2015, 60 mins
In person: Dir. Michael Epstein 
A 'live' documentary about San Francisco’s struggles for equitable housing policies amidst a whirlwind downtown revitalization. Comprised of immersive video and live music + narration, the production explores the lives of unique residents of San Francisco’s rapidly-revitalizing Mid-Market neighborhood. Friday, May 29 at Roxie Theater in San Francisco at 9:15PM –Free event
 
DIRT RICH (Work In Progress Screening) 
Marcy Cravat, USA, 2015
Work in progress. In person: Dir. Marcy Cravat  
A sneak peek of this new work-in-progress film from the director of Angel Azul (SFGFF 2014). DIRT RICH explores strategies around the world to prevent runaway global warming - and soil could be the surprising answer. By drawing carbon out of the atmosphere and back to the soil, we have the means to grow our way to a healthier future. Saturday, May 30 at Roxie Theater in San Francisco at 1:15PM – Free event 
 
THE FIRE NEXT TIME (Work In Progress Screening) 
Stephen Most and Kevin White, USA, 2015
Work in progress. In person: Dirs. Stephen Most and Kevin White
When the Rim Fire burned 256,000 acres of the Stanislaus National Forest and Yosemite National Park in 2013, it exposed the impacts of high intensity wildfires on watersheds, wildlife, and carbon storage. See clips of this upcoming feature film and join a discussion on how our forests are being pushed to a tipping point. Sunday, May 31 at Roxie Theater in San Francisco at 12:30PM

FUTURE OF FOOD
 
For its 5th edition, the San Francisco Green Film Festival will feature several films from around the globe that tackle the modern issues associated with food and the environment. Films included in the festival that cover the many food related questions include: BLACK (contamination of rice farms), GOOD THINGS AWAIT (sustainable farming), AN OMNIVOROUS FAMILY’S DILEMMA (impact of pig farming), JUST EAT IT: A FOOD WASTE MOVIE (food waste), THAT SUGAR FILM (truth about sugar in our diets), MY NAME IS SALT (eroding salt fields) and a shorts program dedicated to food issues, SHORTS: FOOD FOR THOUGHT

SCI-FI FILMS AT THE 2015 SFGFF
Can sci-fi movies save the planet? The 2015 SFGFF presents a series of films & discussion with those at the forefront of imagining the multitude of future worlds we might live in. The series includes screenings of two classic sci-fi films:
 
SILENT RUNNING
Douglas Trumbull, USA, 1972, 89 mins
After the end of all botanical life on Earth, ecologist Freeman Lowell (Bruce Dern) maintains a greenhouse on a space station in order to preserve various plants for future generations. Saturday, May 30 at Roxie Theater in San Francisco at 9:30PM
 
WALL-E
Andrew Stanton, USA, 2008, 98 mins
Art Director/Production Designer Ralph Eggleston in person 
In the distant future, a small waste-collecting robot inadvertently embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind, in this classic from Pixar Animation Studios. Saturday, May 30 at Roxie Theater in San Francisco at 1:00PM

ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS AT THE FESTIVAL
 
DEEP TIME
Noah Hutton, USA, 2015, 89 mins
West Coast Premiere. In person: Dir. Noah Hutton
Fossil fuels are bringing surging wealth to North Dakota. Director Noah Hutton creates an ethereal portrait of the indigenous peoples, state officials and oil workers at the center of the most prolific oil boom on the planet. Deep Time casts the ongoing boom in the context of paleo-cycles, climate change and the dark ecology of the future. Sunday, May 31 at Roxie Theater in San Francisco at 3:30PM
 
HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD 
Jerry Rothwell, UK/Canada, 2015, 112 mins
San Francisco Premiere. In person: Executive Director of Greenpeace USA Annie Leonard  
In 1971, a group of friends sail into a nuclear test zone, and their protest captures the world’s imagination. Using never before seen archive footage that brings their extraordinary world to life, How To Change The World is the story of the pioneers who founded Greenpeace and defined the modern green movement. Saturday, May 30 at Roxie Theater in San Francisco at 6:30PM
 
SLUMS: CITIES OF TOMORROW
Jean-Nicolas Orhon, Canada, 2013, 83 mins
San Francisco Premiere. 
One in six people live in a slum, a squat, or any other precarious dwelling. Director Jean-Nicolas Orhon gives us an intimate look at the inhabitants who, through resilience and ingenuity, have built these homes. From India to New Jersey via France, Quebec and Morocco, get a new perspective on these communities. Tuesday, June 2 at Roxie Theater in San Francisco at 6:00PM
 
JUST EAT IT: A FOOD WASTE MOVIE (Special Berkeley Screening) 
Grant Baldwin, Canada, 2014, 74 mins
San Francisco Premiere.
We love food. As a society, we devour cooking shows, culinary magazines and foodie blogs. So how could we possibly be throwing nearly 50% of it in the trash? Filmmakers and food lovers Jen and Grant (THE CLEAN BIN PROJECT) dive into the issue of waste from farm, through retail, all the way to the back of their own fridge. Tuesday, June 2 at Brower Center in Berkeley at 7:00PM
 
SPONSORS

SFGFF is proud to and honored to have exceptional support in from 2015 Grand Sponsors Kaiser Permanente and Wells Fargo, and Lead Sponsor Earthjustice. The Festival welcomes the Orchard Hotel and Orchard Garden Hotel as the Official Festival Hotels. Additional support includes Roxie Theater, Type A Machines and Blue Heron Catering.

2015 FESTIVAL AT-A-GLANCE
 
Event:   5th San Francisco Green Film Festival

Date     
Thursday, May 28 through Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Venues:

  • Roxie Theater, 3117 16th St., San Francisco, CA 94103
  • 518 Valencia, San Francisco, CA 94103
  • David Brower Center, 2150 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94704
  • Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California St., San Francisco, CA 94118
  • Koret Auditorium, SF Public Library, 100 Larkin St., San Francisco, CA 94102
  • Slate Bar, 2925 16th St., San Francisco, CA 94103

Website:  www.greenfilmfest.org

Email:   info@greenfilmfest.org

What   
5th San Francisco Green Film Festival.

For this year’s full festival program please visit: www.greenfilmfest.org

San Francisco Green Film Festival

San Francisco Green Film Festival

The San Francisco Green Film Festival is the West Coast’s leading destination for groundbreaking and compelling films on the urgent environmental issues of our time. As global temperatures skyrocket and media coverage of climate change vanishes, our mission is to educate and connect communities through forward-thinking programs of environmental films and discussions. Launched in 2011, SFGFF presents an annual film festival each Spring as well as year-round community screenings and events in the San Francisco Bay Area. Find out how you can get involved and take action!

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