Athens,
Ga. – An artist who uses only natural materials, a boy and his robot best
friend and the trap-jaw ant’s amazing predatory jaw will be among the topics of
several environmental films to be shown Thursday, April 26 during the first
annual partnership of the University of Georgia Institute of Ecology and Ciné,
a modern movie center located at 234 W.
Hancock Ave.
This
showing of Oakland Museum of California’s EarthDance environmental film
festival will begin with a 6 p.m. reception, followed by a program of
award-winning short films at 7:15 p.m. EarthDance director Zakary Zide, will
introduce the films and lead a discussion after the screening. An encore
screening will take place Sunday, at 1 p.m. Admission is $8 and tickets are
available at Ciné.
“As a comprehensive environmental forum, the fourth annual
EarthDance Environmental Film Festival bridges the gap between art, science,
and nature and creates a container for people to share ideas and inspiration,”
said Melinda Kramer of the Women’s Global Environmental Alliance.
EarthDance
is a preview of a new environmental film festival coming to Athens in 2008. Next year’s festival will
include a juried competition for new environmental films, along with screenings
of environmental classics.
“All the
scientific advances in the world won’t matter if we don’t put them into
practice,” said Institute
of Ecology Director John Gittleman.
“With ecological problems, we need to find better ways to communicate science –
it’s necessary for changing our lives.
Film captivates what we do, and this synthesis of film and science is a
perfect opportunity for change.”
Among
the short films to be shown are:
Journeys – This short
film about Zakary Zide who designs and builds sculptures in exotic places using
only natural materials.
Tree Robo – This
lavishly animated, award-winning film is a hopeful post-apocalyptic
environmental allegory about the resilience of nature. The film tells the story of a boy's separation from his best
friend, a solar-powered robot, at the dawn of the oil age.
Ballistic Jaw
Propulsion of Trap-Jaw Ants – No longer is the peacock shrimp the fastest
predatory strike. For the first time on
film, the jaws of the trap-jaw ant are captured at an incredible 145
cricket-decapitating miles per hour.
“Ciné’s approach to the festival is to show how films of various
genres address questions on how people influence their environment and vice
versa,” said Brigitta Hangartner, Ciné’s founder and executive director. “It will be especially exciting to screen
films made by a new generation of documentary filmmakers, who work with
stunning images and little to no explanations to make viewers understand these
queries in a different way."
Ciné is a movie center where contemporary design meets historic
preservation in a creative space for film, gathering and conversation. The cinema will screen a select variety of
the latest independent and foreign films, documentaries, festival discoveries,
retrospectives and classics. For more information, see http://www.athenscine.com or call
706/353-7377.
With roots that date back
to the 1950's, the Institute of Ecology at the University of Georgia
offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, as well as certification programs.
Founder Eugene P. Odum is recognized internationally as a pioneer of ecosystem
ecology. The institute is ranked eighth by U.S. News and World Report for its
graduate program. For more information,
visit http://www.ecology.uga.edu.
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Note
to editors: Publicity photos from the featured films are available by
calling 706/542-6013.
