Docs for Env.Change

[docsforenvchange-blog]

Graveyards of New Life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57j4x0uKygE

A Will for the Woods is about a man, Clark Wagner, who is dying of cancer. Clark wants to have a green burial, no embalment, no cement casket, just his body in a wooden box in the earth from which he came. One would think that any american has the right to decide how they spend the "rest" of their lives but Clark shows us the stuggle that people have to fight for a green burial. 

This films call to action is to get people talking about green burials and death in general to remove the negative stigma from the somewhat morbid topic. 

This documentary is an eye opener into the difficulties that ill people go through at the end of their life, it delves into what happens when people are done fighting, and ready to die but maybe not ready to say goodbye. We see the emotional aspect of planning death as well as the logical process (cost, placement, etc). 

Much of this film focuses on the natural Cemeteries of the US and the other part of the film takes place in hospitals and industrial buildings, this shows the contrast of our world and the land that we came from and will one day return to. 

If i had a part in editing this film i would have removed the repeated clip of the green cemetery at the end of "the Path of Clarks Reflection" they show the same spot over 6 times and it just seems too redundant (though beautiful and moving once or twice after too many showings it looses importance). 

This film is worth seeing, but somewhat upsetting and not suitable for children. 

To find out more about why people chose Green Burial watch the clip below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp40TFaghvM

[docsforenvchange-blog]

THIS TIME NEXT YEAR

[docsforenvchange-blog]

Years after Sandy a Film Uncovers the People Behind the Storm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE7sYLiRb6A

This Time Next Year was a film put together about the life of the Long Beach Island Community and their efforts to rebuild after Hurricane Sandy destroyed their town. This film was moving and educational.

This Time Next Year illustrated a community’s ability to come together in times of disaster to rebuild homes and livelihoods of its members. The filmmakers weighed in on the individual ability that each person has to make the community better by providing emotional support, rebuilding, and celebrating accomplishments.

Many of the viewer’s already saw the effect of hurricane sandy but this film gave a overall perspective of the before and after of one community, allowing us to truly witness the changes that occurred.

The filmmakers did their best to give first hand interviews with the victims of the hurricane which allowed the viewers to see the raw emotion of such a devastating event. We saw the destroyed houses and business, we saw the tears, we saw the gratefulness and acceptance of help and we saw the joy when people got their homes back.

If I were the director I would have tried to focus on just on family’s journey instead of the whole community. I found the multitude of characters and their stories hard to follow, if only one family had been focused on and the community was shown interacting with them then I would have found the film much more enjoyable. 

[docsforenvchange-blog]

Mapping Our World

On our first day at CIFF we sat in on the Points North Doc Film Forum at the Camden Opera House. 

One of the most thought provoking speakers presented the Revoluntionary Optimists about children in an Indian ghetto who set out to map their area to track; health records, houses, waste disposal etc. These children were not even in high school yet and already understood the need to be represented.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx5_QQHUNLk

[docsforenvchange-blog]

Life on the Rails

The Iron Ministry Shown at the Bayview street theater showed what the trains of Asia are like. It had no clear story line but instead let the viewers ‘ride the train’ with the passengers. The film makers tried to stay out of the film but there were moments when the passengers had conversations with the filmer. I got a look into the Asian lifestyle through the food they eat, the places they work, the family they keep, and the crowded life of the lower class citizens. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIQTx67YGpU

[docsforenvchange-blog]

Children Rule the House

Waiting for August peered into the life of youth in Romania who must fend for themselves while waiting for the summer months when their mother will return from working abroad in Italy. 

The film showed its audience that family must stick together and take care of the house while still meeting individual goals. It was most definitely a coming of age story, which i think many people could identify with. 

Waiting for August helps viewers realize  that there are many families in need of assistance and being a single parent can be almost impossible at times. These families need our support, or they may not make it. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4zttDjWHT4

[docsforenvchange-blog]

The Man Behind the Camera

Point and Shoot was about an american man who decides to fight in Libya. Most of the footage was shot by the main character and interviews were shot by the filmmakers. This film opened my eyes to what had happened only a few years ago, the daily struggle of the people overseas who had to live through this horror was shocking. 

Matthew (the protagonist) goes on a journey from ordinary man to documentation to solder, and through this documentary you go on the journey with him. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNT8mnOSoHs

[docsforenvchange-blog]

Dazed and Confused

Desert Haze was a film that gave a glimpse of Life in the west of the united states. it seemed to be a compilation of clips from all over. I found myself dazed and confused by Desert Haze, there was not story line, no plot, no true character introduction, i found myself waiting for the film to start instead of truly understanding life out west. 

The director did try to make the film educational and included biological facts (about tumbleweed), Conspiracy theory’s (about bombs), and humanities information (leisure time activities) but overall i found the film hard to follow and difficult to watch. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EVrM0fkHI0

[docsforenvchange-blog]

A Long Way for Takeout

The Search for General Tso follows the history of the popular Chinese restaurant dish General Tso’s Chicken (all the way back to China !) and delves into the Chinese culture in the Americas throughout history and even today. 

I found that this film followed a historical and educational story-line while still being witty and intriguing. There was an excellent addition of animation in this film which helped keep it interesting as well as individual characters that brought this film to life. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw12Pk1eA6A

[docsforenvchange-blog]

This Land is Your Land

Tomorrow We disappear was about a group of artists and performers living in a colony in New Delhi India. The film highlights their struggle to find a way to hold on to their way of life when they loose the only home they have ever known. 

I found the film eerie the adults placed a lot of pressure on the children of the colony and the lead characters to me were unlikable. The style of the film was very interesting it contained a mass amount of almost tourist like footage which was combined with beautiful music and character interviews.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIKFceQisD8  

[docsforenvchange-blog]

Its the End of the World as we Know it

Bugarach documents the happenings in a small french village which is supposedly the only safe place to be when ‘the end’ comes. I found this movie quite disturbing (children who are not watched, creepy old men and women etc.) Most of the characters were unlikable and the story-line seemed haphazardly put together in my opinion. 

Much of the film was lacking any thrill and it was hard for me to stay focused on it, which led to a lot of confusion as to what was going on. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aceK0xoeF8

[docsforenvchange-blog]

Poor Boys with a Wealth of Knowlege

Rich Hill depicts the life of three lower class boys living in Rich Hill (a town in the Midwest United States), and their struggle for a better life. The Film shines a light on the importance of family. I found each of the stories captivating. the audience is able to feel for these boys as they struggle to live. Each character is faced with extremely difficult challenges and they do their best to overcome each hurdle. 

The filmmakers did their best to stay detached from the families during filming but while watching you saw moments where they broke down the walls and lived in the moment with the boys. 

I loved how the focus was on how the boys see the world and then other interviews were used to back up their perspective. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNp0AuPiZ3Y

[docsforenvchange-blog]

Poor Boys with a Wealth of Knowledge

Rich Hill depicts the life of three lower class boys living in Rich Hill (a town in the Midwest United States), and their struggle for a better life. The Film shines a light on the importance of family. I found each of the stories captivating. the audience is able to feel for these boys as they struggle to live. Each character is faced with extremely difficult challenges and they do their best to overcome each hurdle. 

The filmmakers did their best to stay detached from the families during filming but while watching you saw moments where they broke down the walls and lived in the moment with the boys. 

I loved how the focus was on how the boys see the world and then other interviews were used to back up their perspective. 

[docsforenvchange-blog]

Its the End of the World as We Know It

Bugarach documents the happenings in a small french village which is supposedly the only safe place to be when 'the end' comes. I found this movie quite disturbing (children who are not watched, creepy old men and women etc.) Most of the characters were unlikable and the story-line seemed haphazardly put together in my opinion. 

Much of the film was lacking any thrill and it was hard for me to stay focused on it, which led to a lot of confusion as to what was going on. 

[docsforenvchange-blog]

This Land is Your Land

Tomorrow We disappear was about a group of artists and performers living in a colony in New Delhi India. The film highlights their struggle to find a way to hold on to their way of life when they loose the only home they have ever known. 

I found the film eerie the adults placed a lot of pressure on the children of the colony and the lead characters to me were unlikable. The style of the film was very interesting it contained a mass amount of almost tourist like footage which was combined with beautiful music and character interviews.  

[emily-gross-25]

Last day of the Film Festival!

Rich Hill was a great film! I would definatly go see that one again! It had a great story line and the footage was great. I liked at the end that they keep us up to date with what was happening with the families after the end of filming. My favorite family was...

[docsforenvchange-blog]

A Long Way for Take Out

The Search for General Tso follows the history of the popular Chinese restaurant dish General Tso's Chicken (all the way back to China !) and delves into the Chinese culture in the Americas throughout history and even today. 

I found that this film followed a historical and educational story-line while still being witty and intriguing. There was an excellent addition of animation in this film which helped keep it interesting as well as individual characters that brought this film to life.