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.

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.

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

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?  

Matthew Testa/2018/76 min/Climate

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

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

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

Saturday, March 9, 7 p.m. [Central]
Patagonia Chicago, Chicago
OEFF After Hours Event
Admission $20, includes reception

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.

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 citys 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.