Susan Kucera/2018/86 min/Climate Change
Saturday, March 2, 1 p.m. [Lake County]
Prairie Crossing School, Grayslake
FILM DESCRIPTION: In this beautifully photographed tour de force of original thinking, Academy Award® winner Jeff Bridges shares the screen with scientists, profound thinkers, and a dazzling array of Earth’s living creatures to reveal eye-opening concepts about ourselves and our past, providing fresh insights into our subconscious motivations and their unintended consequences.
Neil Gelinas/2018/93 min/Environmental & Social Justice
Sunday, March 3, 2 p.m. [Lake County]
Gorton Community Center, Lake Forest
Admission $10, Students $5
FILM DESCRIPTION: The Okavango River Basin provides a vital source of water to about one million people, the world’s largest population of African elephants, and significant populations of lions, cheetahs and hundreds of species of birds. However, this once unspoiled oasis is now under siege due to increasing pressure from human activity. From National Geographic Documentary Films, “Into the Okavango” chronicles a team of modern-day explorers on their first epic four-month, 1,500-mile expedition across three countries to save the river system that feeds one of our planet’s last wetland wildernesses.
Matthew Testa/2018/76 min/Climate Change
Sunday, March 3, 5 p.m. [Lake County]
Gorton Community Center, Lake Forest
Admission $10, Students $5
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.
Marcelina Cravat & Eric Katsuleres/ 2018/86 min/Conservation
Wednesday, March 6, 6:30 p.m. [Lake]
College of Lake County, Grayslake
FILM DESCRIPTION: “Dirt Rich” shifts the focus from greenhouse gas emissions to carbon drawdown, a viable solution for reversing the effects of runaway global warming in a timely manner. In “Dirt Rich,” Marcelina Cravat (“Angel Azul”) and Eric Katsuleres shine a light on geo-therapy strategies. Through regenerative agricultural practices, reforestation of abandoned land, protection/restoration of carbon rich wetlands and keystone species, “Dirt Rich” illustrates how implementing these strategies will return our atmosphere to safe levels of carbon while growing soil, our most precious resource.
Sidney Beaumont & Michael Bonfiglio/2018/77 min/Climate
Friday, March 8, 6:30 p.m. [Lake County]
College of Lake County, Grayslake
FILM DESCRIPTION: The Paris Agreement was monumental in uniting all nations in the fight against climate change. With the United States’ withdrawal from the agreement, citizens around the country are taking matters into their own hands. “Paris to Pittsburgh” explores the very real social and economic impacts of climate change-fueled disasters and features voices from local leaders and everyday Americans from Pittsburgh to Puerto Rico.
Saturday, March 9, 10 a.m.
[Lake County]
Warren Township High School, Gurnee
FILM DESCRIPTION: Four short films will tell personal stories of youth and their life-shaping experiences in the Boundary Waters of Northern Minnesota. The youth have gone on to advocate for permanent protection of this treasured wilderness area. Sulfide-ore copper mining has been proposed by Twin Metals (a Minnesota company owned by Chilean mining conglomerate Antofagasta) less than a mile from the Boundary Waters. The U.S. Forest Service denied mining leases held by Twin Metals due to the extreme environmental risks they posed to the Boundary Waters. Following the lease denial, the Forest Service began a two-year environmental review to determine if sulfide-ore copper mining should be banned in the Boundary Waters watershed.
David McIlvride & Roger Williams/2017/52 min/Water
Saturday, March 9, 1 p.m.. [Lake County]
Catlow Theater, Barrington
FILM DESCRIPTION: Following international river conservationist, Mark Angelo, “RiverBlue” spans the globe to infiltrate one of the world’s most pollutive industries, fashion. Narrated by actor and clean water advocate Jason Priestley, this groundbreaking documentary examines the destruction of our rivers, the effects on humanity, and the solutions inspiring hope for a sustainable future. Through harsh chemical manufacturing processes and the irresponsible disposal of toxic chemical waste, one of our favorite iconic clothing items has destroyed rivers and impacted the lives of people who count on these waterways for their survival.
Ben Crosbie & Tessa Moran/2018/70 min/Wildlife
Saturday, March 9, 2 p.m. [Lake County]
Waukegan Library, Waukegan
FILM DESCRIPTION: A visually dazzling meditation on the delicate balance between human and nature, “The Guardians” elegantly interweaves the lives of the iconic monarch butterfly with an indigenous community in Mexico. Shot over three years, this intimate documentary takes viewers on a cinematic journey through the butterfly dense mountaintops of Michoacan as the community works to build a sustainable path forward. Rarely has the communion of human and nature been told in such an evocative and surprising way, leaving viewers with a new perspective on the ecological challenges facing us all.
