The National Parks: America’s Best Idea

This Sunday, September 27th, KERA will begin broadcasting Ken Burns’ anticipated documentary series, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.  This ten-year project “is a visual feast, featuring some of the most extensive, breathtaking images of the national parks system ever captured on film.”  It’s a six-part, 12-hour series and is scheduled to air through Friday, Oct 1.  Be sure to set your DVR!!

* 9/24 – Ken Burns Interview on Colbert Report

If you’re interested in watching the first part with a group of like-minded individuals, the Dallas Sierra Club is offering a FREE screening at the Studio Movie Grill (private theater) in Dallas (Royal Ln./75).  Showtime begins at 5pm/doors open at 4pm.

** As of 9/25 ** Due to demand, the club was provided a larger theater.  To attend this showing, please register to the wait list or call 214-369-5543 with your name, number of reservations wanted/canceled and a return phone number to reserve your seat.

Movie and Dinner – Food, Inc. – Dallas (6/28/09)

Let’s get together for an educational movie about our nation’s food industry.  After the flick, those that are interested can head to Taco Diner for food and conversation.

In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation’s food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer.  Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield’s Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms’ Joel Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising—and often shocking truths—about what we eat, how it’s produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.

Meet inside downstairs lobby of Magnolia Theater at 3:45 pm (MOVIE STARTS at 4:10pm)

Please RSVP to youngsierrans@dallassierraclub.org or the Pingg invitation by noon on 6/28.

Location: West Village / 3699 McKinney Avenue, Suite 100 / Dallas, TX 75204 / (214) 764-9106

St. Mark’s School – Eco-Film Festival (3/27-28)

St. Mark’s School of Texas is hosting its 3rd Annual Eco-Film Festival on Friday & Saturday, March 27 & 28, 2009. Their goal is to raise awareness about compelling topics such as sustainability, renewable energies, global warming, and toxic waste.  So, if you are interested in learning more about our environment, mark your calendar and take advantage of two days of entertaining, informative, and FREE films.

Films include:
+ Burning the Future: Coal in America
+ The Story of Stuff
+ Flat, Hot and Crowded
+ Human Footprint
+ Flow: For the Love of Water

AFI Dallas Film Festival – EcoFlicks (3/26-4/2)

The AFI International Film Festival rolls through Dallas over the next week.  Here’s a run down of films I’ve come across which may be of interest to some of you.  Visit the AFI website for more info.

All general admission individual tickets are $8.50. Or, purchase vouchers and trade them in for tickets at the theaters.  Single voucher $6 / Book of 10 $50. Vouchers are available at The Dallas Morning News Box Offices at Victory Park and AMC NorthPark 15. They can be redeemed at all AFI DALLAS theaters for a hard ticket. Vouchers can also be redeemed in the Rush Line for sold-out regular screenings.

Houston, We Have a Problem (Magnolia: 3/27 – 10:30p; 3/28 – 4p)

Food, Inc. (Magnolia: 3/30 – 7:30p; 3/31 – 10p)

The Garden (Northpark: 3/29 – 6:15p; 3/30 – 1p)

Addicted to Plastic & Eco Trip: Cotton Shirt (Magnolia: 3/30 – 1p; 3/31 – 4:45p)

Crude (Northpark: 3/31 – 7:15p; 4/1 – 1p)

At the Edge of the World (Magnolia: 3/27 – 7:15p; 3/28 – 12:15p)

Upstream Battle (Magnolia: 3/30 – 7:15p; 3/31 – 4:15p)

AFI Dallas – Environmental Visions Competition

In addition to the film mentioned below by Molly, there are few other (Up the Yangtze, Fields of Fuel and Flow: For Love of Water) films (schedule) entering the Environmental Visions Competition at this years AFI Dallas event.

From Molly Rooke:

Burning the Future: Coal in America is an excellent film being promoted by Public Citizen, and others across the U.S., involved in the fight against mountaintop removal coal mining and coal-fired power plants. There will be information and announcements at the 2 screenings by local and state eco-activists about the status of these battles and what people can do.
(1) Friday, April 4th 7:00pm, Magnolia Theatre, 3699 McKinney Ave., Dallas
(2) Saturday, April 5th 12:15pm, Magnolia Theatre, 3699 McKinney Ave., Dallas

Free Vouchers Info:

Vouchers, which can be exchanged for a free single screening ticket, are available at select North Texas Bank of America, Blockbuster and Central Market locations (some vouchers without purchase available in a Bank of America lobby and at a Blockbuster, but the Greenville Central Market said that you’d have to show a receipt for a $50 Central Market purchase to get a voucher). See list of potential voucher locations.

St. Marks School EcoFilm Festival (Feb 29-Mar 1)

St. Marks School is hosting an EcoFilm Festival on February 29 and March 1. Schedule.