2006 Festival - Conservation's Front Lines

Films:

A Land Out of Time (Premier, 55 minutes)

8:45pm Friday November 3 (Shepherd University Frank Center)

The biggest land grab in American history is occurring in the Rocky Mountain West as the oil and gas industry leases millions of acres of public land, with plans to drill hundreds of thousands of gas wells. The drilling blitz ranges from New Mexico to Montana and threatens some of America's last, best wild lands. Westerners on the land for generations tell the story and foment a backlash against the current administration's energy policy. Produced and directed by Mark Harvey (National Outdoor Book Award winner). Written by Mark Harvey and Laurel Garrett, based on a treatment by Timothy Egan (Pulitzer-price winning journalist for the New York Times).

Ambassadors of the Arctic (Premier, 13 minutes)

6:45pm Friday November 3 (Shepherd University Frank Center)
1:50pm Saturday November 4 (NCTC Instructional East)

In this documentary film, Sharon Pieczenik explores the lives of polar bears in Churchhill, Manitoba. Viewers learn about Polar Bear International's (PBI) dedication to the understanding of issues affecting polar bears throughout the world, and to their mission to communicate these issues to the public through a unique leadership program involving high school and college students from all over the world.

Balancing Point (6 minutes)

5:20pm Saturday November 4 (NCTC Instructional West)

Producer/Director Danny Brown brings us to his contemplative dreamlike world of "reverse" rock sculpture. Watch the magic as gravity is reversed in this interesting short film.

Bye Bye Buyat (31 minutes)

2:55pm Saturday November 4 (NCTC Instructional West)

This powerful film is the environmental cautionary tale of the Buyat Pante people of Indonesia, who are forced to relocate to escape local mine pollution. The film presents a unique international perspective on the issues affecting indigenous peoples. Warning: Due to the graphic nature of some resultant health problems this film is not appropriate for viewers under 16.

Caballo Loco on Easter Island (26 minutes)

With producer Laura J. Boyd

5:00pm Friday November 3 (Shepherd University Frank Center)
12:55pm Saturday November 4 (NCTC Instructional East)

What is killing the horses on Easter Island? Join veterinarian Johnathan Arzt on a mesmerizing journey of discovery to the most remote inhabited island on Earth. Using science, Dr. Arzt investigates this strange epidemic, initially thought to be mad cow disease, affecting the free-ranging horses that this economy depends upon for farming and transportation.

Chasing Coyotes (14 minutes)

With cinematographer & writer Tracy Graziano

6:00 pm Friday November 3 (Shepherd University Frank Center)
2:05pm Saturday November 4 (NCTC Instructional East)

Dr. Robert Crabtree has researched Yellowstone's coyotes since 1989, both before and after the wolf reintroduction. His non-profit organization, The Yellowstone Ecological Research Center, hires recent biology graduates who wish to obtain field experience. This film follows these young biologists as they enter the wild world of America's coyotes in some of the most spectacular scenery on the planet.

Crazy Like a Fox (99 minutes)

With writer & director Richard Squires

2:50pm Saturday November 4 (NCTC Byrd Auditorium)

When big-city speculators cheat him out of his Virginia farm, old time gentleman farmer Nat Banks leaves his family and makes a new home in a cave on the creek. The pride of possession from so many generations on the same soil simply makes it impossible for him to move. Nat won't go down without a fight, and his actions inspire a community- wide rebellion as he eventually fights his way back home.

Darwin's Nightmare (107 minutes)

2:40pm Sunday November 5 (NCTC Byrd Auditorium)

Some time in the 1960's, in the heart of Africa, a new animal was introduced into Lake Victoria as a little scientific experiment. The Nile Perch, a voracious predator, extinguished almost the entire stock of the native fish species. The new fish multiplied quickly and soon its white fillets were exported all around the world. Today, huge hulking ex-Soviet cargo planes come daily to collect the latest catch in exchange for their southbound cargo: Kalashnikovs and ammunitions for the uncounted wars in the dark center of the continent.

Drowning New Orleans (52 minutes)

7:20pm Saturday November 4 (NCTC Byrd Auditorium)
1:45pm Sunday November 5 (NCTC Byrd Auditorium)

On August 28, America woke up to a shocking surprise. Katrina, a moderate "category one" hurricane that recently skirted Florida, had blown up overnight into a massive hurricane. Now it was a "category five" and it was headed straight for New Orleans. After three sleepless days watching live news coverage, Larry Cumbo was given the assignment to "go home" with a camera to film. Widespread violence had delayed rescuers, and there was no food, no water, no gas and no utilities. The National Geographic crew rigged out a 4x4 SUV, self-contained with everything they needed, and headed down to New Orleans.

Edens Lost and Found Los Angeles: Dreams of a Different City (World Premiere, 57 Minutes)

6:00pm Saturday November 4 (NCTC Byrd Auditorium)

LA made smog and pollution into household words. No longer. Its citizens have said enough, and are putting their backs -- as well as their words -- into the effort to recover the Eden's they have lost. Hosted by Actor Jimmy Smits this film guides the viewer through community based efforts to improve the environmental integrity and human quality of life in the sprawl of southern California.

Europe: Taming the Wild (49 minutes)

12:00pm Saturday November 4 (NCTC Instructional West)

Originally released in Europe this program explores human development of the vast European wilderness. Walking the viewer though the evolution of nomadic tribes to agrarian societies to high culture, Taming the wild provides an old word insight to the origins of western and American land ethic.

Garpenfargle (5 minutes)

6:10pm Thursday November 2 (NCTC Byrd Auditorium)
12:50pm Saturday November 4 (NCTC Instructional East)

A film that any dog owner can relate to! Watch from a dog's eye view what mischief Hobbes gets himself into when his owner is gone for the day. This lighthearted film will make you wonder what's going through in dog's mind when you tell him to behave.

Grocery Store Wars (6 minutes)

8:40pm Thursday November 2 (NCTC Byrd Auditorium)

A Supermarket Far, Far Away (May 10, 2005) - The Organic Trade Association and Free Range Studios today launched a sci-fi supermarket saga, "Store Wars: The Organic Rebellion" on the Internet. The five-minute movie features Cuke Skywalker, Princess Lettuce, Chewbroccoli and other organic rebels - played by real vegetables dressed as Star Wars characters - battling it out with Darth Tader, the evil lord of the Dark Side of the Farm.

Hoot (91 minutes)

With Randy Testa of Walden Media

12:50pm Saturday November 4 (NCTC Byrd Auditorium)

In this funny, fast-paced film, three Florida middle-schoolers fight to save a group of Endangered burrowing owls. Based on the Newberry Honor-winning book by Carl Hiaasen, Hoot is an engaging tale for all ages.

Hush (5 minutes)

6:55pm Friday November 3 (Shepherd University Frank Center)
2:50pm Saturday November 4 (NCTC Instructional East)

Artfully shot edited and conceived Hush is an impressionistic statement on the topic of "natural quiet". Featuring renowned sound recordist Jim Metzner, this brief sketch, shares thoughts on natural sound and the nature of sound recording

Kilowatt Ours (38 minutes)

With filmmaker Jeff Barrie

12:50pm Saturday November 4 (NCTC Instructional West)

In this documentary, you will venture from lightswitch to energy source, learning the devastating consequenses of six tons of coal burned annually to power the average home, including mountaintop removal, global warming, and childhood asthma. Then the story takes an uplifting turn, uncovering hope-filled examples of conservation and renewable energy resources.

Life List (15 minutes)

3:00pm Saturday November 4 (NCTC Instructional East)

A thoughtful and humorous documentary examining two different bird-watchers and their unique perspectives on birds and life. Life List uncovers the intrigue behind the fastest growing outdoor activity in the United States.

Mountain Patrol (90 minutes)

9:00pm Saturday November 4 (NCTC Byrd Auditorium)

Kekexili, the largest animal reserve in China, is home to many rare species, including the Tibetan antelope. Prized for its skin that is used in making luxurious, albeit illegal, shahtoosh scarves, the antelope's numbers have been dwindling drastically in the past 20 years as poachers slaughter the animals, often hundreds at a time. In the 1990s local Tibetans formed a volunteer patrol to try to stop the illegal poaching - sometimes at the cost of their own lives. Mountain Patrol is a fast-paced adventure feature based on this land and wildlife at the precipice.

One More Dead Fish (60 minutes)

1:55pm Saturday November 4 (NCTC Instructional West)

This film tells the heartwrenching story of environmentally-friendly handline fishermen fighting to survive in a rapidly globalizing industry. As they eke out a meager living on tiny quotas, boats called "bottom trawlers" rake in short-term profits, destroy the environment, catch spawning females, and discard huge amounts of fish. In fascinating interviews with local fishermen, government officials, biologists, and industry CEO's, we learn about complex regulatory, legislative, and environmental issues involved as six Nova-Scotia fishermen fight for their lives.

Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea (70 minutes)

With U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service biologist Ken Sturm

7:00pm Saturday November 4 (Shepherd University Frank Center)

Once known as the "California Riviera", the Salton Sea is now called one of America's worst ecological disasters: a fetid, stagnant, salty lake, coughing up dead fish and birds by the thousands. Yet a few hardy eccentrics hang on to hope, including a roadside nudist waving at passing European tourists, a man building a religious mountain out of mud and paint, a beer-loving Hungarian Revolutionary named Hunky Daddy, and the real-estate "Ronald McDonald" known simply as The Landman. Hair-raising and hilarious, this is the American Dream, stinky as a dead carp. Warning: Brief nudity makes this film inappropriate for children under 16.

Rare Bird (Premier, 80 minutes)

With director & producer Lucinda Spurling

3:30pm Saturday November 4 (NCTC Instructional West)

Imagine finding a pterodactyl alive and nesting on an obscure island. Rare Bird is the true story of a 15-year-old boy who helped find a bird believed extinct and solved the mystery of its existence. This true story is both a miracle and a mystery, and will keep you riveted as the destiny of an "extinct" species plays out in a race against time.

Storyteller: A Year with Jean Craighead George (39 minutes)

12:00pm Saturday November 4 (NCTC Byrd Auditorium)

Pay a visit to Newberry Award winning author Jean Craighead George, as this short documentary film follows the author through a day in her home with her parrot Tocca. Then head to the field with Jean as she visits wolves in Yellowstone and sandhill cranes on the Platte River. Filmmaker and nephew Charlie Craighead produced and directed this delightful look at one of our most beloved children's authors.

Taking a Stand in History: Rachel Carson's Silent Spring
(Premier, 11 minutes)

With writer & director Kristen Cronon

3:20pm Saturday November 4 (NCTC Instructional East)

Up and coming high-school filmmaker Kristen Cronon depicts the epic environmental fight of Rachel Carson. As we approach Carson's centennial in 2007 her message about the dangers of contaminants and the importance of natural balance resonate more strongly than ever.

The Chances of the World Changing (99 minutes)

With director & producer Eric Daniel Metzgar

6:30pm Thursday November 2 (NCTC Byrd Auditorium)
12:00 pm Sunday November 5 (NCTC Byrd Auditorium)

Hoping for the world to change? Producer Director Eric Metzgar follows Richard Ogust while trying to rescue thousands of turtles from certain extinction, Richard's endeavor overtakes not only his NYC apartment but his life. This passionate portrait of one man's epic journey in conservation and activism creates a new breed of dramatic nature film: about time, death, art, love...and turtles.

The Forest for the Trees (57 minutes)

With director Bernadine Mellis

8:45pm Thursday November 2 (NCTC Byrd Auditorium)

When an EarthFirst! leader is bombed, she finds herself the target of environmental terrorist accusations. Follow the eclectic, eccentric and powerful civil defense team as they take on the government to dig for the truth in this case. The Forest for the Trees is the epic tale of Judi Bari's fight to protect the trees of the pacific northwest.

The Great Hopkins Rescue (8 minutes)

6:15pm Thursday November 2 (NCTC Byrd Auditorium)

In October 1941, George Hopkins parachuted to the rocky summit of Wyoming's Devil's Tower to win a $50.00 bet. The was only one problem - he couldn't get down! Today, climber Gregory Crouch guides us up Devil's Tower and recounts this strange but true story that became a media sensation. With fascinating archival footage of the actual rescue, this short documentary film will have you climbing in the handholds and footholds of history.

The New Wolf Hunters (Premier, 10 Minutes)

6:00 pm Thursday, November 2 (NCTC Byrd Auditorium)
12:00pm Saturday November 4 (NCTC Instructional East)

Ten years after a successful reintroduction program brought wolves back to Yellowstone, the once hated wolves are now beloved. But can the wolves' newfound popularity be too much of a good thing? Join biologist Doug Smith as he fights to keep wolves - and wolf watchers - safe from one another.

The Only Water We Will Ever Have (5 minutes)

3:55pm Saturday November 4 (NCTC Instructional East)

This short film chronicles the passage of water through the landscape of the Washington DC suburbs into Potomac watershed and back.

The Teddy Project (60 minutes)

With producer Jonathan Schafler

4:15pm Saturday November 4 (NCTC Instructional East)

The mission of the Teddy Project is to teach America's youth the value of wildlife and wild places by using the technology they know and enjoy. In several two-minute films, over 20 young students from urban art schools use animation and 3-D graphics to highlight wildlife in America.

Tracking the Pacific Fisher (11 minutes)

12:10pm Saturday November 4 (NCTC Instructional East)

The threatened Pacific Fisher makes its home in the beautiful hardwood forests of Northern California. The primary caretakers of this forest, the Hoopa Indian tribe, have teamed up with the Wilderness Conservation Society to compile a biological inventory of this elusive mammal. The Hoopa Indians have a saying that explains this important work: "Healthy forests make healthy people."

Wings Over the Wild: LightHawk in Mesoamerica (15 minutes)

12:25pm Saturday November 3 (NCTC Instructional East)

This film takes a visual journey into the missions of volunteer pilots that fly for a conservation aviation organization. Flying Cessnas over the vibrant and threatened landscapes of Central America, Wings celebrates the belief that we all can make a difference.