“The Conscientious Projector” makes film interactive.
The three-day festival, now in its third year, combines movies with displays and activities geared to engaging festival-goers.
“Part of the beauty of the film festival is that you get a group of people there and it becomes a great environment for grass-roots for networking and the beginnings of action,” festival co-coordinator Van Calvez said. “It’s a film festival, but much much more.”
Unique features include a workshop where young festival-goers create a collaborative video for airing later at the festival; a media forum featuring a guided tour of independent media sources; and pertinent “Green Expo” displays of alternative products and energy sources following many of the films.
“The Conscientious Projector: Films of Hope for the People and the Planet” is the brainchild of Kitsap-CAN, a grassroots organization of Kitsap County volunteers formed in 2000, in the aftermath of the World Trade Organization protests in Seattle.
Made up of activists with a broad perspective, Kitsap-CAN has a self-imposed mandate both to “create positive actions for environmental, social and economic justice.”
Kitsap-CAN has addressed such issues as genetically engineered foods; advertising in the schools; growth management; improving recycling services; protecting whales; peace and non-violence; global warming; and fair-traded coffee.
Organization co-founders Neva Welton and Van Calvez point out that hooking the expansive global view to the down-home, nuts-and-bolts application is key to the group’s mission.
For the upcoming festival, a subject such as “energy consumption” gets both treatments.
“Turning Down the Heat: The New Energy Revolution” by Jim Hamm (Bullfrog Films) addresses the crisis of global warming and profiles innovative uses of alternative energy sources worldwide.
Following the film, guest speaker U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee elaborates on the broad perspective, examining the influence of the United States’ energy needs on this country’s foreign policy.
But Inslee also brings the subject home with specific proposals to make Kitsap County energy-self-sufficient. Close to home, too, is Institute for Environmental Research founder Rita Schenck’s vision of energy self-sufficiency for Vashon Island.
The films selected this year also nurture hope – and festival organizers have pointedly added the word to this year’s festival title and looked for a balance of problems and solutions in the selected films.
“In difficult times such as these, when we are on the brink of war, it’s easy to become cynical or hopeless,” Welton said. “Many of the films we have chosen highlight inspiring actions of people who are having a positive impact on the world…stories that lift us up and help us feel hopeful; stories that teach us that our actions do make a difference.
“And this is the goal of the festival, not just to raise awareness of critical social and environmental issues – but also to create an environment of hope where community engagement can flourish.”
——-
The Third Annual Kitsap-CAN Film and Video Festival, “The Conscientious Projector: Films of Hope for the People and the Planet,” runs Feb 21-23 at Bainbridge High School LGI room.
Tickets are available at the door for $8 a day or $20 for a weekend pass. A Feb. 22 benefit dinner is $7; “Kids Make Video!” is $5; and the Media Literacy Workshop and Interactive Forum are free with the price of admission.
Festival highlights include:
• Sundance Film Festival Award Winner “Blue Vinyl: A Toxic Odyssey for the Whole Family” (Next Wave Films). Filmmakers Judith Helfand, Dan Gold and Julie Parker embark on a journey from Louisiana to Italy to find out the truth about polyvinyl chloride. With humor, “Blue Vinyl” questions the assumption that environmental health risk is an inevitable component of industrial progress. The film is followed by a display of alternatives to vinyl and other chlorine-based products.
• “Turning Down the Heat: The New Energy Revolution” by Jim Hamm (Bullfrog Films) addresses the crisis of global warming and profiles innovative uses of alternative energy sources worldwide. This film argues that renewable energy and conservation are economically viable solutions to climate change and profiles innovative projects.
Following the film, special guest speaker U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee speaks on the connections between foreign oil, national security, global climate change, and energy conservation. Inslee also touches on efforts to achieve energy independence in Kitsap County.
For the complete festival schedule, see www.kitsapcan.org or call 842-9582.
