The DC Environmental Film Festival has begun. Screenings are happening all over town, with many locations accessible from the 42 bus, or within a short walk. There are even four kid friendly short films being screened at the Mount Pleasant Branch Library.I've seen a few of the films being shown and am really interested in most of the others. There are almost 150 films offered over 11 days. Here are some of those I've seen, and a few I want to see:
Life of a Plastic Bag: Short film that follows the life of a plastic bag from production to end of use. One of three films tonight at the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia. 7:00pm, 3/13, 2343 Mass Ave, NW. Free, but email [rsvp@croatiaemb.org] to reserve a space.
Lessons of Darkness: A science fiction of sorts by Werner Herzog. Uses real footage of burning oil fields and other imagery to frame the power and terror of these earthly, but distorted elements. A trip to go out and see this, but probably worth it. 2:00pm, 3/14, AFI Silver, 8633 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring. $10
Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision: If you've lived in DC for any amount of time, you should know the name of Maya Lin. She conceptualized, designed and created one of the most effective and controversial memorials on the mall, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. All at age 21. This documentary is about Lin's personal story, the process of creating the monument, and several of her other works. Curious to see how this ties into the environmental theme. 6:30pm, 3/16, Corcoran Gallery of Art, 500 17th Street NW. $10
Grizzly Man: Uses actual footage gathered by Timothy Treadwell, a bear expert, enthusiast and observer. He studied and documented bears in Alaska, at times from close range. Sadly he was killed by one of these bears in 2003. Another Herzog directed film at the AFI Silver Theatre. 7:00pm, 3/16. $10
Recycled Life: Documentary about the Guajeros, Guatemala City residents who actually live in the city's enormous trash dump and pick out and sell its recyclable materials. 1:00pm, 3/21, National Building Museum, 401 F Street NW. $10
WALL-E: Popular Disney-Pixar animated movie about the Earth in the near future. It's uninhabited as a result of the massive amounts of trash produced by people. Humans were overwhelmed, escape from the planet, and leave robots to clean up the mess. 2:00pm, 3/21, National Geographic Society, 1600 M Street NW. $5
Maybe see you at a show...
