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Aloha, everyone!

Wild & Scenic Film Festival is coming to O‘ahu this Saturday, May 24, & Sunday, May 25, at the Doris Duke Theater. Check out the list of inspiring, fun, and informative films below.  

Come and enjoy film, live music, beer, wine and food on opening night Saturday May 24 from 4-9 pm. On Sunday, May 25, we will be showcasing four featured films at 1 pm, 4 pm and 7:30 pm.  I hope to see you at this fun event.  Let’s show our support for the keiki and kuma at Halau Ku Mana!

2014 Honoree:




Mahalo to our Community Sponsors
Pupukahi i holomua // Unite to move forward


Live Music Saturday, May 24:

Paul Izak // 4 - 5pm         
Hayden Atkins & Ryan Trujillo of Hydrolites \\ Intermission //




Short Films Saturday, May 24:
               May 24 (films start 5 after 5 pm)                   
Like a film? Be a sponsor!

COMPOST-a-lujah!

Let’s face it: composting isn’t the most glamorous of topics or activities. It can be dirty, rotten, and smelly. But it doesn’t have to be. Meet Linda Olsen – master composter. She gave her heart to composting, and in return, it gave her life. This short short presents simple steps to reduce your waste while producing natural fertilizer for your garden.

I am Red

The Colorado River runs 1450 miles across seven states and two countries supplying water for 36 million people. It flowed to the sea for six million years but has not kissed the ocean since the late 1990s. A video poem to highlight the beauty and challenges of this national icon, American River’s Most Endangered River for 2013.

A Brief History of the 5-cent Bag Tax

When your city is overflowing with plastic bags, how will you react? Jack Green, head of the Department of the Environment, is on a mission to rid the city of its plastic bag scourge in this short film by DC-based DunkYourBagel promoting reusable bags to protect the environment.

Beyond Reclaimed

A short film that enlightens the Flagstaff community to the complex issues associated with the use of reclaimed water. Utilizing captivating footage of the city and interviews with local professionals, the film ultimately communicates the need for sound water policy and conservation in the city of Flagstaff, Arizona community.

A Life Well Lived

Legendary Mountaineer Jim Whittaker talks risk, beauty, and adventure on the 50th anniversary of his historic summit of Everest.

An inconvenient Youth

This film captures the vibrant and under-reported story of the global youth climate movement. For too long, young people ? the very people whose lives will be most affected by the consequences of climate change ? have been, condescended to, or just plain ignored by governments, corporations, mainstream media and UN negotiators.

Field Spotlight: President Anote Tong

The Republic of Kiribati, a Pacific Island nation, is leading the formation of the Pacific Oceanscape — an action plan for marine conservation that impacts almost 40 million square kilometers (more than 15 million square miles), a territory larger than Canada, the United States and Mexico combined.

Honor the Treaties

This short film that examines photographer Aaron Hueys powerful advocacy work for Native American rights on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The film explores the idea that journalists often get the story wrong.

The Joy of Air

Leave the ground beneath your feet, Rise up, your inner legend greet. A body in motion – Twisting, turning, churning, yearning –Apex found, heaven bound. But remember, what goes up must come down.

The Sory of Solutions

We’re told to cheer a growing economy ? more roads, malls, and Stuff! ? even though our health indicators are worsening, income inequality is growing, and polar icecaps are melting. But what if the goal of our economy wasn’t more, but better ? better health, better jobs, and a better chance to survive on the planet?

Ola I Ka Wai

Water is a public resource that must be conserved for present and future generations. But for decades, the State Water Commission has allowed private corporations to divert water from streams and monopolize it.

Momenta

This is a story about the west, known for its forward-thinking innovation, being caught in the crosshairs of an American paradox. Old innovation vs. new. Currently, there are proposals to ship coal from the Powder River Basin in Wyoming to ports on the Pacific coast and eventually to Asia to be burned. This will cause countless negative impacts to local communities along the coal export trail, and wreak havoc on our global environment.

This film tells the stories of five people in four states, all with very different backgrounds and perspectives, but all at odds with the natural gas extraction occurring around them. Despite their differences, unnerving similarities emerge from their shared experiences with the massive unseen entity that is “the industry.” Brief, animated interludes remind us to ask the bigger picture questions as well.

Featured Films Sunday, May 25:                                       Like a film? Be a sponsor!
                                                                                    
Uranium Drive – 1 pm

This film follows a proposed uranium mill in southwestern Colorado – the first to be built in the U.S. in 30 years — and the emotional debate pitting a population desperate for jobs and financial stability against an environmental group based in nearby a resort town. Without judgment, both sides of the issue are brought to life in heart-wrenching detail as the film follows conflicting visions for the future. The film offers no easy answers but aims instead to capture personal stories and paint a portrait of the lives behind this nuanced and complex issue.

Unacceptable Levels – 4 pm

Today, we have over 80,000 chemicals in our system of commerce and shockingly, there are few limitations on these at this time, and our bodies are being forced to deal with them every single day. On average, all of us have over 232 industrial chemicals floating around in our bodies, and the research is showing that this is now a huge reason for concern. There is a growing consciousness in research facilities across the globe.

Damocracy – 7:30 pm

A documentary that exposes the myth of dams as ‘green’ energy through two examples from Amazonia and Mesopotamia: the Belo Monte Dam in Brazil and the Ilisu Dam in Turkey.

The documentary shows the potential disasters these dams would cause on cultural heritage, wildlife and local communities who rely on the rich natural resources provided by the Tigris and Xingu rivers.

The film is a call to action to save this priceless natural and cultural heritage being gambled for the interests of a few.