CALLING ALL ECO BOYS AND GIRLS - THE 7th ANNUAL ARTIVIST-NYC FILM FESTIVAL, 2010 BEGINS TOMORROW

(HN, 12/08/10) -- The 7^th Annual Artivist Film Festival will take place in New York City beginning Thursday December 9^th with a showing of the highly charged, already sold out film “Madonna of the Mills” and will conclude on Sunday December 12^th with the film, “Deep Green” which focuses on how we can realistically stop global warming. 

All screenings will take place at the Tribeca Cinemas in lower Manhattan and features FREE tickets to all films, informational panels with filmmakers and subject matter experts after many of the films, and in the spirit of Artivist, a special reception Saturday evening December 11th from 6:30p-11:30P which will host a special interactive forum to support the Artivist filmmakers and humanitarian NGO’s who are invited to bring their materials for distribution/signage in honor of International Human Rights Day (12/10).  

The Festival, with events also taking place in Los Angeles, London and Rio de Janeiro, will screen 45 films from around the globe. Founded in 2003, "ARTIVIST" is the first international film festival and awards ceremony dedicated to raising awareness for Human Rights, Children's Advocacy, Environmental Preservation, and Animal Advocacy.  Artivist’s mission is to strengthen the voice of socially conscious artists - "Artivists" - while raising public awareness for social global causes.  The Festival has showcased 400+ films representing more than 60 countries around the world over the past 7 years and has reached millions of people with its film festivals in Hollywood, London, Tokyo, Mexico City, and Lisbon. In past years the Artivist  festival has been recognized for the socially conscious platform it provides by Claes Nobel of the Nobel Prize family; by Senator Barbara Boxer, and by the United Nations Department of Public Information.

WHEN:  Thursday, December 9^th – Sunday, December 12th, 2010

LOCATION:  Tribeca Cinemas, 54 Varick Street New York, NY 10013, (at Laight Street, one block below Canal Street)

FOR TICKETS:  www.artivistfilmfestival-nyc.eventbrite.com

SCHEDULE AT – A – GLANCE:

FILM BLOCK #1-Thursday, Dec. 9, 2010 @ 7:30pm  Theatre 1  SOLD OUT

Title:                “Albatrocity”

Filmmakers:    J. Ollie Lucks, Iain Frengley, Edward Saltau

WATCH: 

Synopsis:   'Albatrocity' was made on a very limited budget of only $2000 NZD. We spent this entire amount on a trip to film Southern Royal Albatross in their natural environment on Campbell Island, a remote New Zealand territory in the southern ocean. This trip not only allowed us to film the birds in their untouched yet fragile habitat, but it also helped us appreciate how at ease and graceful Albatross are in the violent storms of the southern ocean. Consequently, our film portrays these almost fantastical animals in a suitably creative way. We use Samuel Colleridge's atmospheric and metaphoric poem, 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' as a modern day metaphor for the detrimental relationship between seabirds and commercial fishing. In an attempt to help the interview and informative sections of the film gel with the creative parts, we used innovative graphics and visual effects techniques. This is the first film that we've made and above all we wanted to challenge ourselves and the rules you are taught at film school.

Title:                “Madonna of the Mills”

Filmmaker:      Andrew Nibley, Kelly Colbert

WATCH:

Synopsis: America has a nasty secret. All of those cute puppies that are sold in pet stores come from "puppy mills." Their mothers spend their entire lives in tiny, unsanitary cages, never walked, never petted, never doing anything but making puppies. When these dogs can no longer produce litters or money for their owners, they are put to death - stoned, shot, drowned or starved.

"Madonna of the Mills" is a documentary about Laura, an office manager from Staten Island, who stumbled on this secret four years ago and vowed to save as many of these breeding dogs as she possibly could. Laura has now rescued over 2,000 dogs from Amish and Mennonite farmers in Pennsylvania. In the process, she has forever changed her life and the lives of those families fortunate enough to adopt one of these remarkable "puppy mill" survivors.  New York Premiere

Theatre 1

Encore Screening – SOLD OUT 

Title:                Madonna of the Mills

Filmmaker:      Andy Nibley, Kelly Colbert

FILM BLOCK #3-Friday, Dec. 10, 2010 @ 8pm            Theatre 1

Title:                “Hope”

Filmmaker:      Catherine Margerin (San Francisco)

WATCH:

Synopsis:  This animated visual film short you are about to see is a story of prophecy. The story of man going down the wrong path, with one day the possibility of finding the path of peace and love. What we are seeing around the world with wars, genocide, diseases, climate change such as global warming, and potential earth changes that have been foretold by many seers and indigenous peoples. This is that story in animated visuals and soundtrack that will shake you to your roots. We must shift to this path, without hesitation.

Title:                “Water on the Table

Filmmaker:      Liz Marshall

WATCH: 

Synopsis:        Water On the Table explores Canada's relationship to its freshwater; arguably it’s most precious natural resource. The film asks the question: is water a commercial good like running shoes or Coca-Cola, or is water a human right like air? Water on the Table features international “water warrior” Maude Barlow who crusades to have water declared a human right.  'Water must be declared a public trust that belongs to the people, the ecosystem and the future and preserved for all time and practice in law.'  The camera captures Barlow’s busy life on the road in Canada and the U.S from 2008 - 2009 when she served as the U.N. Senior Advisor on Water to Father Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, President of the 63rd Session of the United Nations. But more than a portrait of an activist, Water on the Table is a poetic-essay that presents several dramatic and artfully crafted debates. Barlow's opponents; policy and economic experts in Canada and the U.S., argue that water is no different than any other resource and that the best way to protect freshwater is to privatize it including a proposal that Canada bulk-export its water to the United States in the face of an imminent water crisis.

TICKETS:  http://hopewateronthetable.eventbrite.com/

FILM BLOCK #4-Saturday, Dec 11, 2010 @ 5pm                    Theatre 1

Title:                “The Dhamma Brothers”

Filmmaker:      Jenny Phillips

WATCH:      

Synopsis:        An overcrowded, violent maximum-security prison, the end of the line in Alabama's prison system, is dramatically changed by the influence of an ancient meditation program. Behind high security towers and a double row of barbed wire and electrical fence live over 1,500 prisoners, many of whom will never again know life in the outside world. But for some of these men, a spark is ignited when it becomes the first maximum-security prison in North America to hold an extended Vipassana retreat, an emotionally and physically demanding program of silent meditation lasting ten days and requiring 100 hours of meditation.  The Dhamma Brothers tells a dramatic tale of human potential and transformation as it closely follows and documents the stories of the prison inmates at Donaldson Correctional Facility as they enter into this arduous and intensive program. This film has the power to dismantle stereotypes about men behind prison bars.

TICKETS:  http://thedhammabrothers.eventbrite.com/

FILM BLOCK #5-Saturday, Dec. 11, 2010 @ 7:15pm  Theatre 1

Title:                “Sarah”

Filmmaker:      Brandon Hess

Title:                “Kids of the Majestic”

Filmmaker:      Dylan Verrechia

WATCH:       

Synopsis:        Every day, a sea of passengers floods the Majestic Railway Station of Bangalore City. Beneath the commotion of commuters, a group of orphans live beneath the station, collecting the trash that the passengers have left behind. 'Kids of the Majestic' is a documentary by filmmaker Dylan Verrechia and Dr. Suhas Radhakrishna that follows a group of such orphans: Rafik, a smiling young drug addict; Mental Manja, nicknamed 'mental' because he didn't speak until he was 10; Arun-Badur, the artist and the writer; Baba, who at 8 has traveled throughout India alone; and Joti, mother-to-be at 16, who was abused at 9. The filmmakers befriended these children who, uneasily and slowly, opened up to them, sharing  their life stories as no one before has ever heard. This documentary upholds a strong moral content by not only depicting the reality and hardship of these children, but also the positive aspect of this social group that works within its community.

TICKETS:  http://kidsofthemajesticnyc.eventbrite.com/

FILM BLOCK #6-Saturday, Dec. 11, 2010 @ 8:45pm  Theatre 1

Title:                “War Don Don” (War is Over)

Filmmaker:      Rebecca Richman Cohen

WATCH: 

Synopsis:        War Don Don (War is Over) is a Rashomon-esque legal documentary of global importance, a thought provoking film that engages the heart, mind and conscience. In Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, United Nations soldiers guard a heavily fortified building known as the 'special court.' Inside, Issa Sesay awaits his trial. Prosecutors say Sesay is a war criminal, guilty of crimes against humanity. His defenders say he is a reluctant fighter who protected civilians and played a crucial role in bringing peace. Directed by Rebecca Richman Cohen, War Don Don tells the story of a sensational trial with unprecedented access to prosecutors, defense attorneys, victims, and from behind bars, Sesay himself. In Krio, war don don means 'the war is over,' as today, thankfully, Sierra Leone is at peace. Can the trial of one man uncover the truth of a traumatic past?

TICKETS: http://wardondonnyc.eventbrite.com/

FILM BLOCK #7-Saturday, Dec 11, 2010 @ 5:10pm   Theatre 2

Title:                “Eco Boys and Girls”

Filmmaker:      Maria Snyder

WATCH:  

Title:                “Think Blue”

Filmmaker:      Jennifer Nichols Kerns

Title:                “Lunch”

Filmmaker:      Avis Richards

WATCH: 

Synopsis:    As nation-wide funding for school cafeterias rapidly decreases and high-calorie, low-nutrient meals have become order of the day, our nation's children are being afflicted by a slew of diet-based diseases from high-blood pressure and cholesterol to diabetes and obesity. In LUNCH, a revealing documentary short, director Avis Richards investigates the causes and the consequences of "growing up in a junk-food culture."

TICKETS:       http://lunchthinkingblueecoboysandgirls.eventbrite.com/

FILM BLOCK #8-Saturday, Dec. 11, 2010 @ 7:30pm  Theatre 2

Title:                “Mine”

Filmmaker:      Survival International

WATCH: 

Title:                “Complexo – Universo Paralelo”

Filmmaker:      Miro Patrocõnio

WATCH:   

Synopsis:        At the peak of tensions in Rio, two Portuguese brothers ventured into the most feared slum and lived there during the largest police operation ever launched in that state. They experienced a life where most people awaken to the sound of gunfire and sleep accompanied by shots. The heads of the largest criminal faction in Rio speak intimately and plainly of the life in the world of trafficking. They are the power that exists after a decades-long absence of government power. But the film also offers a slice of life with inspirational characters - a mother shows how her faith in Jesus makes her believe all is possible; the president of the dwellers' association shows that despite the frightening expansion of the complex, the arrival of crime, drugs and guns, he is able to make life better for his favela neighbors; a rapper - MC Playboy - a funk artist who realized that his path was not trafficking, while he saw many of his friends murdered, he conquered his space within the community and fights to destroy prejudice and bring all of society together. The people in the favela live under constant tension in the midst of a power game where both everything and nothing is possible.  Through action and word, each character adds a piece to a gigantic puzzle that reveals to us the daily life of the favela as a whole. Director Mirio Patroconio’s film asks and answers “How is it to survive in this reality?”

TICKETS:  http://complexomine.eventbrite.com/

FILM BLOCK #9-Saturday, Dec. 11, 2010 @ 9:30pm Theatre 2

Title:                “Skin Trade”

Filmmaker:      Shannon Keith

WATCH:   

Synopsis:  What would you do if you found out the “faux” fur trim on your neck was really made of dog fur?  How far will the fur industry go to get you to buy real fur?  “Skin Trade” takes you on a journey from the birth of the fur industry as fashion through the current trends, misconceptions, and lies perpetrated upon unknowing consumers.  Voices from the underground, celebrities, historians, activists, designers, fashion icons and more weigh in on the current use of fur as fashion, which inevitably begs the question, “Why are animals still being killed for fashion?”  Featuring James Cromwell, Todd Oldham, Ingrid Newkirk, Alexandra Paul and many others…

TICKETS:  http://skintrade.eventbrite.com/

FILM BLOCK #10-Sunday, Dec. 12, 2010 @ 2pm         Theatre 1

Title:                “Gorillas: 98% Human”

Filmmaker:      Charles Annenberg Weingarten

WATCH:     

Synopsis:  On a trip to Rwanda, NatGEO explorer had the opportunity to visit four families of wild mountain gorillas, a species with only 720 remaining members. Their guide is Craig Sholley, who has been intimately involved in the preservation of African wildlife for more than 30 years. The team's thrilling interaction with these peaceful creatures who share 98.6% of their genetic makeup with humans is a startling reminder of their own humanity.

Title:                “Africa’s Lost Eden”

Filmmaker:      James Byrne

WATCH:     

Synopsis:        It was once known as 'the place where Noah left his Ark' - 4,000 square kilometers of lush floodplains in central Mozambique, packed with wild animals.  But 15 years of civil war has taken a heavy toll- and many species have been almost completely wiped out. Journey with National Geographic to Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park and discover what is being done to bring this Africa oasis back to its former glory- including perhaps the most ambitious restoration effort ever attempted, with elephants, hippos and scores of zebra, wildebeest, impala and buffalo being relocated into the park.

TICKETS: http://gorillas98humanafricaslosteden.eventbrite.com/

FILM BLOCK #10-Sunday, December 12, 2010 @ 4:15pm    Theatre 1

Title:                “Trees”

Filmmaker:      Randy Wakerlin

WATCH:   

Synopsis:  Voiced by the incomparable Tom Kenny (Sponge Bob) with Jill Talley, “Trees” serves as a comic warning about the devastating effects of deforestation of our rainforests. As the story unfolds, we move through a lush deep green pastoral jungle inhabited with exotic creatures. “Welcome to the oxygen factory! We breathe in the old CO2 and breathe out the O2. I tell you, though, a lot more CO2 these days,” barks a tall, skinny character who calls himself the “green collar guy.” “Yeah, lotta CO2,” confirms his leafy companion, Donny. Suddenly, a chain saw starts up, followed by the sound of another tree crashing to the ground. “The rain! Tell them about the rain!” our fallen friend gasps. Green collar guy happily demonstrates what he calls “transpiration – how the trees water each other downwind with their “breath.” As the situation spirals downward it seems clear: our long-limbed neighbors are not the only ones fated for the endangered list.

Title:                “The Krill is Gone”

Filmmaker:      Jeffrey Bost

Synopsis:  Voiced by the incomparable Tom Kenny (Sponge Bob) with Jill Talley, “The Krill is Gone” brings comic awareness to the looming danger of man-made global warming on the fragile ecosystems deep within our oceans. As this ominous tale begins, our host – the Robin Leach-like Plankton Emiliania Huxleyi — introduces us to his undersea world just seconds before he is devoured by a ditzy Krill, who quickly sheds her shell in a successful maneuver to outwit a predator only to have trouble sprouting another. As the tour continues, we spot a celebrity tuna who looks and talks suspiciously like Al Gore, dodge a swarm of deadly jellyfish, and watch in horror when the dastardly source of the problem is finally revealed.

Title:                “Deep Green”

Filmmaker:      Matt Briggs

WATCH:    

Synopsis:       Almost every time we use energy, we burn carbon. Every time we burn carbon, we heat up the atmosphere.  It's a dirty fact that Global Warming cannot be stopped as long as fossil fuels run our planet. We can fix this. Over three years in the making, 'Deep Green' is the first documentary devoted exclusively to showing us how. Accompanied by an international team of award-winning cinematographers, filmmaker Matt Briggs takes us on a compelling journey to nine countries, including China, to uncover the best people with the best ideas, strategies and cutting-edge technologies that can get the job done... if we start now. This inspiring feature presentation includes two electrifying animated shorts on the devastating effects of clear-cutting our rainforests and burning carbon for energy on the fragile ecosystems within our oceans.

TICKETS:   http://treeskrillisgonedeepgreennyc.eventbrite.com/

PLEASE JOIN US!  Saturday, December 11, 2010 - 630P – 11:30P EST:

Special Interactive Forum to Support the Artivist Filmmakers and NGO’s and their message.

NGO’s are invited to bring their materials for distribution/signage.

Cocktails in the Tribeca Cinemas lounge, with Special musical guests provided by Share the Mic. www.sharethemic.com; along with DJ Peter Paul Scott

Tribeca Cinemas, 54 Varick Street New York, NY 10013.

For press information please contact:

Donnetta Campbell-203/434-3548, donnettacc@yahoo.com

Joy DiBenedetto-404/558-0858, joydibenedetto@humnews.com

For tickets visit: artivistfilmfestival-nyc.eventbrite.com

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