WASHINGTON, D.C.’S ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL - MARCH 18-30

 WASHINGTON, D.C.’S ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL PRESENTS OVER 200 FILMS PROVIDING FRESH PERSPECTIVES ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES FACING EARTH, MARCH 18-30
 
"Our Cities: Our Planet," a special Festival focus, will explore the challenges of the world’s urban environments as they strive to meet environmental and economic needs. The 2014 Festival features cinematic work from 38 countries and 115 Washington, D.C., United States and world premieres, with over 100 collaborating partners.
 
Washington, D.C. (March 11, 2014) - The 22nd annual Environmental Film Festival (www.dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org) in the Nation’s Capital, March 18-30, presents over 200 documentary, narrative, animated, archival, experimental and children’s films selected to provide fresh perspectives on environmental issues facing Earth.
 
"Our Cities: Our Planet," a special Festival focus, will explore the challenges of the world’s urban environments as they strive to meet environmental and economic needs. The 2014 Festival features cinematic work from 38 countries and 115 Washington, D.C., United States and world premieres, with over 100 collaborating partners.
 
Sustainable DC, a city-wide initiative to make Washington, D.C. the greenest, healthiest and most livable city in the nation, will be highlighted through films on the city’s Bikeshare program, green roofs and the DC sewer system with discussion by D.C. government officials, including Mayor Vincent Gray and Keith Anderson, Director of the District Department of the Environment.
 
The 2014 Festival inaugurates two new awards: the Documentary Award for Environmental Advocacy, won by DamNation, a film capturing the growing momentum behind river restoration and dam removal across the country, and the Eric Moe Sustainability Film Award, recognizing the short South African film, "Amazing Grace," for its creative response to threatened forests in Zambia. The Festival’s fifth annual Polly Krakora Award for Artistry in Film goes to the French film, "Once Upon a Forest," a spectacular journey through the tropical rainforest.
 
Opening night features two outstanding premieres. "Watermark," filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal and photographer Edward Burtynsky’s latest collaboration, explores humanity’s relationship with its most vital resource: water. "Your Inner Fish" is a scientific adventure story tracing the origins of the human body with evolutionary biologist Dr. Neil Shubin. Another notable Festival premiere is Bill Benenson’s "The Hadza: The Last of the First" about a hunter-gatherer group in Africa’s Rift Valley believed to be our last link to the earliest humans. "Mission Blue," a Washington, D.C. premiere, profiles renowned oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle and her mission to save our oceans. "Happiness," also a Washington, D.C. premiere, and a Sundance Award-winner, looks at the impact of TV on the ancient culture of Bhutan.
 
This year’s Festival presents films in collaboration with the Smithsonian initiative, “Living in the Anthropocene: The Age of Humans,” examining the tangible impact of humans on the planet’s ecosystems. The "Last Call" asks whether earth can continue to support life without permanently depleting its resources. "Extreme Realities," a world premiere, explores the links between human-induced climate change, extreme weather and national security. Issues surrounding coastal development, erosion and rising sea levels are also considered, as well as changing conditions at Earth’s polar extremes.
 
The Festival’s cities theme also encompasses Danish architect Jan Gehl’s vision to design cities with people in mind, explored in "The Human Scale," and the legacy of urban activist and critic Jane Jacobs. The sustainable architecture of Hamburg’s HafenCity and China’s Tianjin is highlighted in "Eco-Cities; The Sky’s the Limit" looks at green skyscrapers. "Growing Cities" spotlights the role of urban farming in America and "Naturopolis: New York, The Green Revolution" shows how nature and wildlife are being integrated into urban life today. The underside of great cities is revealed in "Tokyo’s Belly and Slums: Cities of Tomorrow," while "Haiti Redux" documents efforts to rebuild that country’s cities to withstand future earthquakes.
 
Additional Festival films investigate the effect of GMOs on our health, the importance of lithium to our energy future, the toxic legacy of chemical flame retardants in our homes, the far-reaching impact of Africa’s ivory trade, the rampant poaching of songbirds in Europe, the escalating demand for sand across the globe, the impact of tourism on our planet and the debate over a proposed uranium mill in the Western U.S. Filmgoers can also journey along Ireland’s River Shannon and take a cable car ride through a vast valley in Nepal, to the famous Manakamana Temple. Wildlife, including kangaroos, rhinos, chimpanzees, bonobos, Snowy Owls and Chesapeake oysters, will be spotlighted, along with winners from the 2013 Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival.
 
Celebrating 22 years in Washington, D.C., the Environmental Film Festival has become the leading showcase for environmental films in the United States. Presented in collaboration with over 100 local, national and global organizations, the Festival is one of the largest cooperative cultural events in the nation’s capital. Films are screened at over 65 venues throughout the Washington metropolitan area, including museums, embassies, libraries, universities and local theaters. Most screenings include discussion with filmmakers and environmental experts and many are free.
 
For a complete schedule, visit the Festival website, www.dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org.