2016 AWARD WINNERS
Best Youth Film
A Journey to a Foam Free Future
Best Very Short Film
Broken Sky
Best Short Film
Out of the Bag
Audience Choice Award
Forget Shorter Showers
Ten short films addressing the theme of creating, discovering, inspiring, catalyzing or documenting environmental action have been selected for screening at the 2016 Earth Port Film Festival.
A Journey to a Foam Free Future (Maui Huliau)
USA (8 min)
Four high school students share their experience working on the Foam Free Future project to reduce the use of EPS foam take-out containers on Maui and attending an international youth summit on plastic pollution.
Beneath Wallace’s Line (Nicholas Dean)
USA/Indonesia (19 min)
One of the areas of the world with the widest range of endemic biodiversity remains virtually unknown to many people. Known as Wallacea, it is located in the coral triangle within the Pacific ring of fire, and is home to many unique species both above and below the water.
One hundred and fifty years ago, this area was explored by the British naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace, for which it is named. Based on his experiences throughout the Indonesian archipelago, Wallace independently proposed the theory of natural selection and evolution. During his eight years in these islands, he identified many new species for the first time. Much of the habitat Wallace explored and the oceans surrounding these areas is increasingly under threat of destruction. This film highlights the biodiversity found in the oceans of Wallacea and the efforts of a few individuals to protect these fragile ecosystems.
Broken Sky (Daniel Dancer)
USA (4 min)
Is there a metaphor more powerful for our human dilemma than an Earth slipping through an hourglass? Broken Sky is an aerial-art-music video depicting just that . . . an Earth slipping through an hourglass performed by 1200 middle school kids in Miami, Florida. The song, Broken Sky, is an anthem from kids against climate change, a plea to world leaders to wake up and begin taking strong action NOW! This project was done Dec. 8th, 2015 coinciding with the conclusion of the Paris Climate Summit.
Forget Shorter Showers (Jordan Brown)
USA (12 min)
Would any sane person think dumpster diving would have stopped Hitler, or that composting would have ended slavery or brought about the eight-hour workday; or that chopping wood and carrying water would have gotten people out of Tsarist prisons; or that dancing around a fire would have helped put in place the Voting Rights Act of 1957 or the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
Then why now, with all the world at stake, do so many people retreat into these entirely personal “solutions” for social change? Why are these solutions not sufficient? But most importantly, what can be done instead to actually stop the murder of the planet?
Garden for the Future (The Factory)
USA (5 min)
During California’s severe drought there are different efforts for water conservation in and around the Bay Area. One group, Garden for the Environment is teaching people that water conscious gardening and awareness of urban agriculture can help preserve our water one drop at a time.
More Than Scientists (Eric Michelin)
USA (3 min)
There’s a person behind that lab coat!
You stand behind them in line at the grocery story. They umpire your daughter’s soccer games. They chat with you at the dog park. They walk among us every day, as regular people like you and me. In fact, they are simply regular people, who happen to be experts on a grave threat to our shared future. They’re climate scientists!
More Than Scientists presents a growing community of climate scientists stepping out from behind the data to share their personal views and feelings about climate change. In brief vignettes, a musician, a fisherman and others – all climate scientists – introduce themselves and their families. They share their personal concerns about climate change and urge us to take action for the sake of our kids and future generations.
Out of the Bag (Aidan Bradbury-Aranda)
USA ( 14 min)
To the average shopper, the single-use plastic bag used to be nothing but a transient convenience; a means of transporting goods from a grocery store back home. Once their services were no longer needed, they would be stuffed under a sink, or into a drawer, or thrown away and forgotten about.
With plastic bag bans finally sweeping California, it seems like environmentalists are finally getting their voices heard. There will be, nevertheless, millions upon millions of plastic bags left over. Many will consider this excess to be a nuisance, a pollution, even a danger. But what if these bags were re-appropriated in a manner in which they became a medium for creation?
Shadows — Saving the Rain Forest (Isaac Kerlow)
Singapore (12 min)
SHADOWS is a contemporary tale of magical realism about preserving the world’s forests. The animated short is inspired by shadow puppets and the fantasy of ancient legends. The short also highlights the positive role that traditional legends and active communities can have in preserving the world’s natural resources. The story features a rain forest, villagers, a gang of invaders, and a few fantastical creatures.
The Fable of the Wolf (<Chris Jordan-Bloch)
USA (2 min)
Wolves once roamed the U.S. before decades of slaughter pushed them to the brink of extinction. It wasn’t until they were missing that people recognized the crucial role wolves play in balancing the natural world.
The animated short unearths the ancient relationship between wolf and man, celebrating the wild nature of this deeply misunderstood species.
Why the Little Fish Matter: The Arctic Coastal Ecosystem Survey (Liz McKenzie)
USA (10 min)
The arctic is a rich and dynamic environment where humans have lived for many thousands of years. The arctic is also extremely vulnerable in this time of rapid change. Join the Arctic Coastal Ecosystem Survey researchers as they study the smallest marine creatures, which are essential to the lives of important and widely known animals like beluga whales and seals, as well as human beings
