Events

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Dreaming of a Vetter World

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Dreaming of a Vetter World

Bonnie Hawthorne/2018/77 min/Sustainable Food & Agriculture

Saturday, March 2, 7 p.m. [W Suburbs]
Good Earth Greenhouse, River Forest

Monday, March 4, 6 p.m. [Central]
Great Central Brewing Company, Chicago
OEFF After Hours Event
Admission $20, includes reception

Wednesday, March 6, 6:30 [South]
Beverly Arts Center, Chicago
Admission $6

CHICAGO-AREA PREMIERE. FILM DESCRIPTION: Donald Vetter grew up in Nebraska, farming 800 acres with horses. When he came back from WWII and learned about the new agricultural uses for wartime chemicals, Don enthusiastically embraced the Chemical Age. In 1953, he quit spraying, after realizing the chemicals didn’t deliver on promises and they were damaging his soil and killing farm wildlife. Since then, the Vetter farm’s most important “crop” was its soil. “Dreaming of a Vetter World” comes at a time when interest in regenerating soil has exploded worldwide. Others are realizing what the Vetters have known for decades: Soil is key to our very survival.

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Festival Wrap Party

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Festival Wrap Party

Sunday, March 10, 3 to 6 p.m.
The Hatchery Chicago
135 N. Kedzie Ave., Chicago

It’s a wrap! We’ve marveled at the beauty and power of nature, discovered actions that can reverse climate change and perhaps made a new friend or two. Now it’s time to go “All In” in celebrating the closing of our 8th season. Join us at The Hatchery Chicago, the city’s coolest and newest food business incubator, which helps local food entrepreneurs grow and workers build skills.  More than a dozen action partners will offer more opportunities to up your climate action game and dive deeper into the issues, from the Green New Deal to Sunrise Chicago to regenerative agriculture. Plus, enjoy drinks and bites, and mix and mingle.

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Holy (un)Holy River

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Holy (un)Holy River

Peter McBride & Jake Norton/2016/60 min/Health & Environment

Saturday, March 2, 1 p.m. [Central]
First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple, Chicago

Tuesday, March 5, 7 p.m. [Central]
Patagonia Chicago, Chicago
OEFF After Hours Event
Admission $20, includes reception

CHICAGO-AREA PREMIERE. FILM DESCRIPTION: This film takes you on an dramatic adventure to Ma Ganga (“Mother Ganges”), a waterway that is divine and defiled, revered and reviled. Once celebrated for its purity, India’s Ganges River now carries contaminates from its glacial headwaters, where freshly fallen snow contains zinc from industrial emissions. Water is diverted from the river for agriculture and other uses, and the 500 million people in the Ganges basin further pollute the river. “Holy (un)Holy River” asks the essential question: Can the Ganges survive?  

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Opening Night Parties

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Opening Night Parties

Friday, March 1
DIRTT, 325 N. Wells St.
#1000 (10th Floor), Chicago

Opening Night Launch Party
5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
$20, includes reception

Opening Night After Party
8:30 to 10 p.m.
$20, includes reception

Perfect for a date night or night out with friends! Come out and celebrate the launch of our 8th season at one of the city’s most unique spaces overlooking the Chicago River. Enjoy savory heavy hors d'oeuvres, wine and beer, as you mix and mingle with friends. Then take the opportunity to linger longer in a smaller, more intimate gathering at the After Party. Join us for a dessert and champagne reception. Open to all, non-members and members.

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Tawai: A Voice from the Forest

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Tawai: A Voice from the Forest

Bruce Parry & Mark Ellam/2017/97 min/People & Cultures

Sunday, March 3, 4 p.m. [W. Suburbs]
Unity Temple, Oak Park
OEFF After Hours Event
Admission $20,
includes reception at 6 p.m.

CHICAGO-AREA PREMIERE. FILM DESCRIPTION: Tawai is the word the nomadic hunter-gatherers of Borneo use to describe their inner feeling of connection to nature. In this philosophical and sociological look at life, explorer Bruce Parry travels the world to learn from people living lives very differently from our own. From the jungles of Malaysia to the tributaries of the Amazon, “Tawai” is a quest for reconnection, providing a powerful voice from the heart of the forest itself.

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The Human Element

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The Human Element

Matthew Testa/2018/76 min/Climate

Saturday, March 2, 6:30 p.m. [North]
St. Clement Parish School, Chicago

Sunday, March 3, 3 p.m. [South]
Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago
Admission $10

Sunday, March 3, 5 p.m. [Lake County]
Gorton Community Center, Lake Forest
Admission $10, Students $5

Monday, March 4, 6 p.m. [Kane County]
Action Fair 6 p.m., Film 7 p.m.
Waubonsee Community College, Aurora

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY CELEBRATION with WOMEN IN GREEN
Friday, March 8, 5:30 p.m. [West]
Malcolm X College, Chicago
OEFF After Hours Event
Reception 5:30 to 6:45 p.m., $20
Film screening 7 p.m. free to all

Saturday, March 9, 10 a.m. [W Suburbs]
Classic Cinemas Lake Theatre, Oak Park
Admission $8

CHICAGO-AREA PREMIERE. FILM DESCRIPTION: Renowned photographer James Balog (prominently featured in “Chasing Ice”) uses his camera to reveal how environmental change is affecting the lives of everyday Americans. Following the four classical elements—air, earth, fire and water—to frame his journey, Balog explores wildfires, hurricanes, sea level rise, coal mining, and the changes in the air we breathe. He takes it further by examining the effects of the fifth element—the human element—to tell an urgent story while giving inspiration for a more balanced relationship between humanity and nature.

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Why We Cycle

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Why We Cycle

Gertjan Hulster, Arne Gielen, Marco te Brömmelstroet and Jeroen Dirks/2017/57 min/Transportation

Saturday, March 2, 1 p.m. [W Suburbs]
Oak Park Public Library, Oak Park

Saturday, March 9, 7 p.m. [Central]
Patagonia Chicago, Chicago
OEFF After Hours Event
BIKE RIDE CANCELED
Admission $20, includes reception & after party

FILM DESCRIPTION: There are more bicycles than people in the Netherlands, but the Dutch don’t seem to notice what a special bike culture they have. Going beyond the obvious health and economic benefits of cycling, “Why We Cycle” explores the egalitarian nature of cycling, as well as its less-obvious effects on a city’s planning and development, its residents, and society as a whole.

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Young Filmmakers Contest Winner Screenings + Awards

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Young Filmmakers Contest Winner Screenings + Awards

Saturday, March 2, 11:30 a.m. [Central]
Screenings + awards at 12 p.m.
Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago

This year’s theme is “All In,” which means that we all need to contribute our passion and voices to make meaningful changes in the fight for our climate. That’s why, for the last seven years, we’ve given motivated and inspired young people from ages 8–25 the opportunity to research, produce, and show their original films as part of our Young Filmmakers Contest. We invite you to join us at the contest winners’ screenings, to be inspired by their creativity and dedication, and to learn more about the non-profit organizations who will benefit from matching grants the winners receive.