Our next Eco Film on Friday, April 13th will be Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai.

Genre: Documentary, Director: Alan Dater & Lisa Merton, 2008, 81 Minutes, English

Winner of 15 international awards

Taking Root tells the story of Wangari Maathi, the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. An inspiring woman with several achievements to her name; Wangari began The Green Belt Movement to encourage women and families to plant trees in their communities. To date, they have planted over 35 million trees. With proper management these trees are used for food, fuel and timber and have improved the lives of countless people. Come and enjoy this film with us and be reminded that one person can really make a difference.

Next Friday’s Eco FIlm, screening April 6th at 7 p.m., will be One Life.

Genre: Documentary, produced by BBC Earth, 80 Minutes, English

BBC Earth Films bring the most astounding stories from the natural world to the big screen. Audiences are invited to join us on a journey of new discovery, meeting extraordinary characters and following their incredible adventures. BBC Earth Films combine great storytelling with awe-inspiring HD film footage and moving scores from the world’s greatest composers to connect audiences with their planet.

Our next Eco Film on Friday, March 30th will be The Man Who Planted Trees.

Genre: Animated Drama – 30 Minutes, English, 1988

This film tells the story of a shepherd who repairs the ruined ecosystem of a secluded valley by singlehandedly cultivating a forest over a thirty year period.

After the movie:

We celebrate Sadhana Forest Haiti‘s 2nd birthday with a presentation of the project there and an online video question and answer session with the current volunteers in Haiti!

On Friday, March 23rd, our Eco Film will be Ganges: Daughter of the Mountains.

BBC. Documentary. English. 49 minutes.

A documentary which journeys deep into the Himalayas to the source of the Ganges, providing a glimpse into the natural and spiritual worlds that swirl around India’s most sacred river. Tracing the river through diverse landscapes uncovers some spectacular wildlife, including snow leopards, black bears, man-eating cats and rare elephants. Every summer, thousands of Hindu pilgrims make the arduous journey high into the mountains to worship at the river’s source and honour the river goddess.

Our next Eco Film, screening Friday March 16th at 7 p.m., will be March of the Penguins.

Genere: Documentary. 2005. English. 80 minutes. National Geographic

Awarded Best Documentary 2005 at Broadcast Film Critics Association, National Board of Review, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and Las Vegas Film Critics Association

Each winter, alone in the pitiless ice deserts of Antarctica, deep in the most inhospitable terrain on Earth, a truly remarkable journey takes place. Emperor penguins in their thousands abandon the deep blue security of their ocean home and clamber onto the frozen ice to begin their long journey. In single file, the penguins march blinded by blizzards, buffeted by gale force winds. Guided by instinct, by the otherworldly radiance of the Southern Cross, they head unerringly for their traditional breeding ground where they will mate. The females remain long enough only to lay a single egg. Once this is accomplished, exhausted by weeks without nourishment, they begin their return journey across the ice-field to the fish-filled seas. The male emperors are left behind to guard and hatch the precious eggs, which they cradle at all times on top of their feet. As the weather grows warmer and the ice floes finally begin to crack and melt, the adults will repeat their arduous journey countless times, marching many hundreds of miles over some of the most treacherous territory on Earth, until the chicks are ready to take their first faltering dive into the deep blue waters of the Antarctic