Saturday, June 11, 2011, 7:00 pm, $6
An observational immersion in life along the waterways where the sweet water of the Amazon basin mixes with the salty Atlantic Ocean is interrupted by questions about the ethics of including images of deforestation, which could land the protagonist in trouble with the environmental police. The editing waxes experimental, prompting the viewer to revisit editorial decisions, while bringing the father of the family into the editorial fold. The film ruminates on the global ethics of deforestation as we learn of deforestations’ symbiotic relationship with harvesting açai, Brazil’s latest boom crop that has made it into popular energy drinks and onto Oprah’s diet. Açai is harvested by ascending into the tops of a skinny palm trees, offering stunning visuals. The visual captivation is complemented by intellectual stimulation as the viewer is wrangled into the editing room, engaging the audience on multiple levels at once. The penultimate scene unexpectedly and evocatively ties the themes together in an act of animal acrobatics, once more defying the audience’s expectations. The ecological connections between waterways, flora, fauna, and humanity subtly intertwine to make viewers contemplate all that we are losing in the continual deforestation of the Amazon and the multiple levels of complicity in that loss. Directed by Alex Fattal (in person), 2009, 30 mins.
SCREENINGS
Cannes International Film Festival, Short Film Corner, 5/17/2009
Sapienza University (University of Rome) – Dipartimento de Antropologia, 5/12/2009
University of Stockholm – Latinamerika-institutet, 4/7/2009
Harvard University – Carpenter Center for Visual Arts, 2/5/2009
—————————————————————————————-
a short documentary film that examines an under-reported violent conflict that arose in Bagua, Peru in June 2009. One of the directors will be in attendance to answer questions following the screening
This footage was mostly filmed at the Bagua Massacre Memorial, which took place in June 2010 in northern Peru. The filmmakers recorded testimonials related to the causes and aftermath of the tragic Bagua conflict, and focused on bringing forward the voices of local people, who are concerned about environmental devastation and the impact of oil and mining on water quality and local health.
Bronwen Moen is visual artist from British Columbia who combines painting, sculpture, video and movement, and she is currently residing in Montreal, Canada. Her work focuses on relationships between the natural and manufactured world, and the permeability of bodies.