Fest Pt. 1 (Earth)

I try to catch as many docs as I can at film festivals throughout the year but most slip through the cracks. Luckily, there are still premier broadcast outlets who devote key programming hours to the documentary form. In commemoration of Earth Day this past week, I am highlighting a few earth-friendly docs of note.

I enjoyed a leisurely trip down to Newport Beach yesterday for their annual festival, where I checked out Miranda Bailey's humorous Greenlit, a new documentary about the noble attempts of one film crew to go green. Attempt is the key word, as the film industry - despite its reputation as being liberal and environmentally friendly - is actually one of the chief polluters around and green doesn't seem to fit into any production budget line item yet. Despite the presence of an environmental consultant on set to oversee the greening, struggles ensue between idealism and the reality of Hollywood (oxymoron alert).

I also missed a few other docs in the past several months despite multiple attempts to catch them around town. Fortunately, my fav series PBS Independent Lens is featuring them this month. Dirt! The Movie explores the Earth's living, breathing skin and how we need to build a more sustainable relationship with this critical natural resource. It's a cool look at an unlikely subject. My favorite segment is a discussion with Harvard researchers about microbial fuel cells in dirt which can be used to power ground lighting in developing countries.

I am also excited to finally see Garbage Dreams, which is premiering tomorrow evening. It chronicles the remarkable story of a village in Cairo, Egypt which manages to recycle 80% of its waste, and the children who are born into the trade of collecting trash. The introduction of corporate trash collection service threatens their way of life and the efficiencies of the recycling system as a whole.

It's not so easy being green, but give it a try this month in honor of Mother Earth.

Earth

Our magnificent planet earth is top of mind today. It should always be top of mind, but two earth-focused documentaries have given me a swift kick reminder that sometimes I am slacking off in this department.

Last night, I attended a screening of the new documentary Earth Days. This enlightening film details the origins of the modern environmental movement in America - starting in the post-WWII era - from the perspectives of several key figures that helped drive it forward. Oddly, the film doesn't carry the story completely through to the 21st century, but it does provide real insight into how many of our present problems, policies, and protection efforts came to be.

Tonight, I stumbled upon the re-airing of Discovery Channel's landmark 2007 documentary series, Planet Earth (which originally aired on the BBC in 2006). I missed it the first few times around, so I'm thrilled to catch this most definitive look at our planet again on the network's schedule - especially now that I can watch it on my HD tv. The series starts tonight and runs through early September. It's don't-miss tv and quite simply, breathtaking.

I guess I know what I will be doing for the next few weeks - keeping the earth top of mind. Which I should have been doing anyway.