Some people do not believe scientists or the global community, who are united in the warnings about climate change. Maybe they will believe celebrities. That’s the idea behind this series, “The Years of Living Dangerously.” It premieres tonight on Showtime and the first episode is available below. Harrison Ford, Don Cheadle, and others visit ordinary Americans living with heatwaves and drought and interview scientists about the human causes of climate change.
The people behind the marvelous 3D IMAx Born to be Wild have made another awwww-inspiring story of some of the world’s least-known and most adorable and intriguing creatures, the more than a hundred species of lemurs, found only on the island of Madagascar, off the coast of Africa. Around the time of the dinosaurs, lemurs arrived on Madagascar as castaways. For millions of years it was a paradise for them with no predators. Fascinatingly, due to the isolation, evolution and natural selection resulted in unique species found nowhere else on earth.
This fascinating 40-minute film takes us inside the world of these glorious creatures, their brilliant eyes and leaping dances, and the efforts led by American professor Patricia Wright to create spaces that will keep them safe. Lemurs die in captivity. They can only be kept alive in their own environment. We see scientists search to find mates for the last two known of one species of lemur living in a preserve, playing matchmaker by hunting down two more from the wild and introducing them to each other. The Lemurs and Wright are exceptionally engaging protagonists, and by the time we get to the schoolchildren dressing up as indigenous animals at the end, you will understand how they feel.
Parents should know that there are references to the risk of extinction and environmental despoliation.
Family discussion: Which lemur was your favorite? How are lemurs like other primates: chimps, apes, and humans? How are they different? What can you do to help lemurs?
Environmental Film Festival: Family and Children’s Program
Posted on March 17, 2014 at 11:15 pm
Starting tomorrow, the 2014 Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital will present narrative, animated and documentary films for children and families across the Washington area from March 18-30. These films are a section of the larger Festival, which will screen over 170 films.
Films for young people will explore the depths of Earth’s oceans with legendary oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle and the natural wonders of land, from a diversity of captivating creatures, such as parrots, elephants and frogs to a variety of backyard bugs. Other films take to the sky, showcasing our winged creatures, including snowy owls and Bald Eagles, and even expand to outer space, toward the Moon. Animated films about natural history subjects are offered for young children.
Mission Blue, profiles legendary oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle, known as “her deepness,” and her lifelong mission to save our oceans and build a global network of marine protected areas, like underwater national parks, to protect the natural systems that keep humans alive. The free film will screen at the Warner Theatre and at the National Museum of Natural History.
The animated film, Moon Man captures fantasies about the moon and the fascination and importance it holds for young people. The film will be screened at the Avalon Theatre.
The Rooster Trademark Paper tells the story of Amir, a young, aspiring artist in Iran, who wants to enter a visual arts competition, but needs to get the costly art supplies and costly paper needed. Will he be able to pull it off?
This free film will screen at the National Gallery of Art.
Nature Unfolds, a series of animated short films celebrate nature’s unfolding beauty, screened free at the National Gallery of Art.
Tales from the Wild with Allison Argo will feature filmmaker Allison Argo, who shares clips from her award-winning films along with personal stories about such captivating creatures as parrots, elephants and frogs. The free program will take place at the Town Hall Education Arts & Recreation Campus (THEARC) in southeast Washington.
Two award-winning films from the 2013 Jackson Hole Wildlife Films Festival: Africa: Kalahari, showing the animals of Africa’s extreme southwestern deserts: giraffes, meerkats, black rhinos and giant insects and A Year in the Wild: Snowdonia, exploring the breathtaking landscapes and spectacular wildlife of Snowdonia National Park in Britain. Both free films are screened at the National Museum of Natural History.
Backyard Bugs investigates 16 different types of bugs, including dragonflies, beetles, water bugs, tarantulas and cockroaches that can be found in our backyards, captured in stunning macro photography, with host and wildlife educator Sean Roach. The film will screen free at the Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital on Capitol Hill.
Magic of the Snowy Owl follows a breeding pair of snowy owls in the Alaska and Return Flight chronicles efforts to restore the Bald Eagle to California’s Channel Islands. These two films will screen free at the National Wildlife Visitor Center in Laurel, Md.
Desert Seas explores the stunning underwater realms of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Arabia with renowned naturalist David Attenborough, followed by Turtle Life Cycle, an ARKive education lesson focusing on the life cycle of the green turtle.
A series of animated films for young school age children (ages 5-8), include Blackout about what happens when the power goes out; Cloudette, showing the big difference a little cloud can make; and Bear Has a Story to Tell, an endearing tale of friendship. These free films will screen at Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital and the D.C. Public Libraries, including Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, Mt. Pleasant Library, Takoma Park Library, Anacostia Library and Deanwood Library.
The Best of Jack Hanna follows America’s most beloved animal adventurer and his family as he spends time with nature’s creatures across the continents, over the years, and through two different TV shows. This collector’s edition package includes 30 episodes from Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild, which has garnered 6 Daytime Emmy Nominations and 3 wins to date, plus 30 episodes from Jack Hanna’s Animal Adventures. Each episode provides insight into the protection and conservation of some of our planet’s most precious animals and endangered species. The Best of Jack Hanna takes you on an action-packed journey, leaving you with a renewed appreciation for all creatures, great and small.
I have a copy to give away! Send me an email at moviemom@moviemom.com with Hanna in the subject line and tell me what country you’d like to visit to see exotic animals. Don’t forget your address! (US addresses only). I’ll pick a winner at random on December 31, 2013. Good luck!
In addition to previously recommended Earth Day movies, take a look at these gorgeous documentaries about the creatures with whom we share this great planet:
1. March of the Penguins This worldwide sensation takes us to Antarctica, where these elegant birds triumph over brutal cold to protect their fragile eggs and tender chicks.
2. Flow: For Love of Water Our most precious natural resource and the threats from corporations, governments, and our own short-sightedness.
3. Winged Migration Soar with the birds in this breathtaking film.
4. Microcosmos The tiny creatures of the insect world are explored in mesmerizing close-up.
5. Born to Be Wild Rescue efforts for elephants and orangutans are heartwarming and inspiring in this beautifully filmed real-life story.
Our most precious natural resource and the threats from corporations, governments, and our own short-sightedness.
Soar with the birds in this breathtaking film.
The tiny creatures of the insect world are explored in mesmerizing close-up.
Rescue efforts for elephants and orangutans are heartwarming and inspiring in this beautifully filmed real-life story.