The Newport Beach Film Festival starts tomorrow, and in the days leading up to this grand, cinematic event, we’ve been going over some series you could watch if you’re into fun things like action sports or architecture.
Today, we present you with the Environmental Film Series, a “curated program of documentary films designed to raise awareness of important issues affecting the planet,” according to a festival release. The program will explore a wide swathe of eco and green topics, including: water quality, sustainability, natural resource preservation, animal protection, ecosystems, pollution, public health issues, citizen activism, and the adverse effects of industrialized agricultural practices. With a festival squarely situated amid pristine beaches and coastal wildlife, the topics feel just right.
The 20th Annual Newport Beach Film Festival takes place from April 25th – May 2nd, 2019. Films in the Environmental Film Series will screen at Edwards Big Newport (300 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach), The LOT in Fashion Island (999 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach), Regency Lido Theater (3459 Via Lido Drive, Newport Beach) and The Triangle (1870 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa).
Here’s a rundown of the films in this series:
Anthropocene
Third in a trilogy that includes Manufactured Landscapes (2006) and Watermark (2013), the film follows the research of an international body of scientists, the Anthropocene Working Group who, after nearly 10 years of research, are arguing that the evidence shows the Holocene Epoch gave way to the Anthropocene Epoch in the mid-twentieth century, as a result of profound and lasting human changes to the Earth.
Chasing the Thunder
Follow the unbelievable story of the activist organization Sea Shepherd’s 110-day pursuit of the world’s most notorious poaching vessel, The Thunder.
The Pollinators
Our very food system is under threat and rests on the wings of honey bees and the commercial beekeepers that move them from farm to orchard pollinating crops that native pollinators can no longer adequately accomplish.
Return to Mount Kennedy
Following in the footsteps of Senator Robert Kennedy and mountaineer Jim Whittaker, an ambitious team of young, amateur mountain climbers embark on an expedition to tackle the remote Mountain Kennedy, one of the highest peaks in the world.
Right to Harm
An exposé on the public health impact of factory farming across the United States, told through the eyes of residents in five rural communities.
The River and the Wall
Follow five friends on an immersive adventure through the unknown wilds of the Texas borderlands as they set out to document the borderlands and explore the potential impacts of a wall on the natural environment
Sea of Shadows
In Mexico’s Sea of Cortez, a group of brilliant scientists, high-tech activists, investigative journalists and courageous undercover agents attempt to rescue the most endangered and elusive whale on Earth while battling the vicious Mexican drug cartels and Chinese traffickers whose destructive poaching methods are threatening the region’s marine life.
The Environmental Film Series is supported by Community Partners, including: Sierra Club Angeles Chapter, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Environmental Nature Center, Oceana, Ocean Institute, The Whale Sanctuary Project, SPON, Surfrider, Newport Bay Conservancy, Orange County Coastkeeper.
Tickets are still available at the Festival box office or at www.NewportBeachFilmFest.com.
