One Earth Film Festival returns for its sixth year this weekend with a schedule so jam packed that organizers have expanded the event to multiple weekends for the first time ever. This year, more than 30 films will be screened March 3–12 at 39 different venues throughout Chicago and surrounding suburbs.
The annual festival features documentaries and programs that focus on current environmental issues. A Green Carpet Gala featuring live performances, a filmmakers panel and a festival preview will kick of One Earth 2017 on March 3 at Fourth Presbyterian Church’s Gratz Center in Chicago. In all, more than 45 screenings will be held during this year’s event. And with so many options, we chose six of the best films at the festival. Most screenings are free with a $6 suggested donation.
THE AGE OF CONSEQUENCES - THEATRICAL TRAILER from PF Pictures on Vimeo.
The Chicago premiere of writer-director Jared P. Scott's The Age of Consequences will give local audiences an eye-opening look at the effects of climate change on U.S. national security and global stability. Through recent examples such as the the conflict in Syria and the Arab Spring uprisings, this documentary explores how existing social tensions interact with climate-based stressors to spark conflict. (Institute of Cultural Affairs, 4750 N Sheridan Rd, March 4 at 3pm; Old St. Patrick’s Church, 700 W Adams St, March 5 at 6pm)
Academy Award-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio and director Fisher Stevens give viewers a firsthand account of climate change in five continents and the Arctic. As a United Nations Messenger of Peace, DiCaprio travels around the globe to meet with political leaders and scientists in an effort to understand the reality of climate change and search for solutions to the most pressing issue of our time. (St. Benedict the African-East, 340 W 66th St, March 5 at 12:30pm; College of Lake County, 19351 W Washington St, Grayslake, March 11 at 6:30pm)
Amid abandoned buildings and vacant lots, the last things you'd expect to find in South Los Angeles are beautiful gardens. But, that's exactly what you'll see in Delila Vallot's inspirational story of four "gangster gardeners" who are helping the urban gardening movement take root in neighborhoods marred by violence. (Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 N Central Park Ave, March 4 at 3pm; St. Paul & the Redeemer Episcopal Church, 4945 S Dorchester Ave, March 7 at 7pm)
Power to the Pedals: Wenzday Jane and the Culture of Change Trailer from Bob Nesson on Vimeo.
Wenzday Jane is transforming her community with mechanical knowhow and innovative actions. In Power to the Pedals, director Bob Nesson sheds light on the extraordinary efforts by Jane to transform local, municipal and agricultural delivery using bicycles. (Harper Theater, 5238 S Harper Ave, March 8 at 7pm. $4)
Would you believe that there is more plastic in the Pacific Ocean gyre than plankton? That's what researchers discovered while working on A Plastic Ocean. Director Craig Leeson presents an alarming look at the global effects of plastic pollution, while also highlighting some of the technology and policy changes needed to address the problem. (College of Lake County, 19351 W Washington St, Grayslake, March 10 at 6:30pm; Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E Washington St, March 11 at 3pm)
Chicago’s True Nature: The Forest Preserves of Cook County TEASER from eryn walanka on Vimeo.
Take a journey into the almost 70,000 acres of open space managed by the Forest Preserves of Cook County and learn about the flora and fauna that make these wooded areas unique. Chicago's True Nature takes audiences inside the forest preserves' conservation and research initiatives, educational programs and volunteer efforts. (Thatcher Woods Pavilion, 8030 Chicago Ave, River Forest, March 11 at 11am; St. James Church, 2907 S Wabash Ave, March 12 at 1pm)
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