The Green Screen Film Project

As the climate debate becomes more contentious in the political arena and more relevant to our daily lives, filmmakers have brilliantly captured the increasingly troublesome and far-reaching affects of the complex issue. Campus Progress’ new climate film project, Green Screen, aims to educate young people about the climate crisis and shift the debate from false alternatives such as ‘clean coal’ and nuclear energy to real, renewable solutions. Campus Progress provides young people with these innovative and thought-provoking films free of charge, helps pair films with ways to get involved, and can grant additional funding to ensure a successful event.

For more information, please contact speakers@campusprogress.org.

The Films

Oil on Ice

Directed by Bo Boudart Boudart
Running Time: 56 minutes

Oil on Ice is a vivid, compelling, and comprehensive documentary connecting the fate of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to the decisions the United States makes about energy policy and transportation choices. This film shows the beauty and grandeur of ANWR against the political backdrop of oil exploration and development, and its impact upon the culture and livelihood of Gwich’in Athabascan Indians, Inupiat Eskimos, and the migratory wildlife in this fragile ecosystem. Oil on Ice exposes the risks of oil extraction in this extreme environment. The issue of oil extraction from ANWR brings into sharp focus the broader debate over energy conservation vs. unbridled consumption and global warming.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcdzUdVVifc

A Snowmobile for George

Directed by Todd Darling
Running Time: 94 minutes

When President George W. Bush reversed regulations that would have banned the two-stroke snowmobile, filmmaker Todd Darling asked the question: why would he bring back a machine that pollutes dozens of times more than any automobile? Baffled by this regulatory change, Darling straps his own family’s sled onto a trailer, and drives across the United States looking for the answer. Along the way he digs into de-regulation and looks at how changes in environmental laws have affected a wide range of Americans, from West Coast salmon fishermen to Wyoming cowboys to New York City firemen. His trip culminates in Washington DC, where the damage to the environment unmasks the political agenda of de-regulation and the pervasive role of corporate lobbyists.

Trailer: http://www.asnowmobileforgeorge.com/view_trailer.html

Earth Days

Directed by Robert Stone
Running Time: 90 minutes

It’s now all the rage in the age of Al Gore and Obama, but can you remember when everyone in America was not “Going Green?” Earth Days looks back to the dawn and development of the modern environmental movement—from its post-war rustlings in the 1950s and the 1962 publication of Rachel Carson’s incendiary bestseller Silent Spring, to the first wildly successful Earth Day celebration in 1970 and the subsequent firestorm of political action. Earth Days’ secret weapon is a one-two punch of personal testimony and rare archival media. The extraordinary stories of environmental pioneers are beautifully illustrated with an incredible array of footage. This film is both a meditation on man’s complex relationship with nature and an engaging history of the revolutionary achievements—and missed opportunities—of groundbreaking eco-activism.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsdKxew6FM8

Burning the Future: Coal in America

Directed by David Novack
Running Time: 89 minutes

Burning the Future: Coal in America examines the explosive conflict between the coal industry and residents of West Virginia. Confronted by emerging “clean coal” energy policies, local activists watch a world blind to the devastation caused by coal’s extraction. Thousands of people living in Appalachia are under environmental assault. Their land is destroyed, their loved ones are ill, and the mountains they love are being blown away – in the name of “cheap energy” for the United States. Faced with toxic ground water and the obliteration of 1.4 million acres of mountains, the residents launch a fight to arouse the nation’s help in protecting their mountains, saving their families, and preserving their way of life. But with every new coal-fired power plant proposed, their fight becomes harder.

Trailer: http://www.burningthefuture.org/page.asp?s=burningthefuture&content_id=14092