Shepherdstown, West Virginia (Vocus/PRWEB ) October 9, 2007 -- In recent years, a new category in filmmaking has emerged which can be referred to as “eco-cinema,” movies that focus on nature and our environment. The American Conservation Film Festival (ACFF) in Shepherdstown, West Virginia prides itself on providing high quality eco-cinema that educates and inspires moviegoers. Films and filmmakers featured at ACFF combine masterful storytelling with a passion for the environment.
“Our films aren’t just about animals and trees. The films featured at the American Conservation Film Festival examine humans and nature, and how the two interact,” stated David Lillard, Executive Director of ACFF. “This year, we have an incredible line-up with over 20 films, including nine award-winning films and two world premieres.”
This year’s festival will highlight films that have been described as inspirational, informative, and simply beautiful. The complete schedule is as follows:
Thursday, November 1, 2007 at the Shepherdstown Opera House ($7 admission)
7:00 pm: Greasy Rider (47 mins.) From French fries to fuel, a cross-country trek to avoid high-gas prices with talking heads Tommy Chong, Yoko Ono and others.
7:50 pm: Off the Grid: Life on the Mesa (70 mins.) A hardscrabble community of eco-pioneers living on the fringe in Northern New Mexico. Viewer discretion - contains adult language and subject matter.
9:00 pm: Southbounders (85 mins.) Feature film adventure walking south from Maine to Georgia along America’s longest national park--the Appalachian Trail. Viewer discretion – contains brief nudity.
Friday, November 2, 2007 at National Conservation Training Center (free admission)
6:45 pm: Conversing with Aotearoa (15 mins.) Explores our most intimate relations with wild places—a blend of animation and the so-called real world.
7:00 pm: National Geographic's Arctic Expedition (60 mins.) Explorer Jon Waterman hosts this special preview of an upcoming film on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
8:00 pm: Gates of the Arctic (57 mins.) In this world premiere, take a spectacular journey to the Gates of the Arctic National Park focusing on the people who live there.
9:15 pm: Aeon (15 mins.) A landscape documentary of life and death in Wellington, New Zealand.
9:30 pm: Red Velvet (58 mins.) A haunting and graphic look at the subsistence lifestyle of a remote Russian village harvesting deer antlers. Viewer discretion – adult content and brief depictions of antler harvesting. The animals are released afterward.
Saturday November 3, 2007 at National Conservation Training Center (free admission)
Family Film Festival
1:30 pm: Critter Quest (22 mins.) Find the wilderness and wildlife in your backyard on this hi-definition safari from the Smithsonian Channel.
2:00 pm: Charlotte’s Web (80 mins.) The most poetic of children’s tales gets a spectacular film treatment. Some pig … some movie!
4:00 pm: The Worst Journey in the World (60 mins.) The tale of an epic hunt for penguin eggs during Captain Scott’s polar expedition of 1910-1913.
Student Film Competition
11:45 am: Aeon (see description above)
12:00 pm: Conversing with Aotearoa (see description above)
12:15 pm: Eco Views (28 mins.) Students collaborate to tell short tales on the environmental history of the Chesapeake Bay from four different perspectives.
12:45 pm: Greasy Rider (see description above)
1:30 pm: Against the Current (19 mins.) Examining the balance between ranching economy and the natural river systems that support native trout.
Independent Film Forum
2:00 pm: Restoring Balance (28 mins.) Monty Python alum John Cleese investigates an ongoing battle against invasive rats.
2:30 pm: Bird Song and Coffee (56 mins.) How caffeine and conservation are united in shade grown coffee.
3:30 pm: Blowing Up Paradise (60 mins.) The A-Bomb meets a tropical paradise in this tragic tale of the Cold War in French Polynesia.
4:30 pm: Lusha of Samage (25 mins.) Fascinating Chinese film exploring the rarely seen black and white snub-nosed monkey.
5:00 pm: The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil (53 mins.) What happens when the oil runs out? Find out how one nation faced this energy crisis.
Filmmakers’ Forum
5:00 pm: Strange Days on Planet Earth: Predators (58 mins.) This futuristic National Geographic film examines the most dangerous animals on the planet.
6:00 pm: The Town That Was (58 mins.) The stranger than fiction tale of a town that’s had the life burned from under it by a coal fire that’s been burning for more than 20 years—and of one man obsessed with keeping the town alive.
7:00 pm: Appalachia: A History of Mountains and People (58 mins) Sissy Spacek, E.O. Wilson and Henry Louis Gates explore our amazing mountains, people and culture.
8:00 pm: Student Award - The best student film of the year will be honored and screened.
8:30 pm: Summercamp! (85 mins.) The day-to-day drama of a summer camp in northern Wisconsin.
Sunday, November 4, 2007 at National Conservation Training Center (free admission)
1:00 pm: When Pigs Fly (62 mins.) One woman’s attempt to protect 700 pigs. Viewer discretion – contains adult content.
2:30 pm: Charlotte’s Web (80 mins.) The most poetic of children’s tales gets a spectacular film treatment.
2:00 pm: Gates of the Arctic (56 mins.) Encore presentation of this world premiere.
3:00 pm: Appalachia: A History of Mountains and People (58 mins.) Encore presentation of this world premiere.
Since 2003, ACFF has shared more than 100 films featuring landscapes, cultures, and topics ranging from endangered species to urban environmental justice. The 2007 ACFF will be held in conjunction with the Potomac Arts Festival (www.PotomacArtsFestival.org) and the Goose Route arts collaborative performances of Remember (www.GooseRoute.org) at the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) in Shepherdstown, WV. For more information about the American Conservation Film Festival, visit www.ConservationFilm.org or call (304) 876-7373. Please note that the schedule is subject to change.
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