Getting Ready for the FLEFF

The Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival (FLEFF) is almost here and I am pretty damn excited! I have enjoyed seeing the FLEFF evolve throughout my six something years in CNY. I remember back in freshmen year of college, it was called the Cornell Environmental Film Festival and had showings all over the place. Funny to note that as the name of the festival has gotten broader, that the actual showing locations have gotten smaller. What is now the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival only has showings at Ithaca College and Ithaca's local art house theaters Cinemapolis* and Fall Creek. I really don't mind too much. Every year I grab the nice glossy flier with all the movies and begin to meticulously plan out which ones I can see. I always plan to see about twenty of them, but usually make due with just three or four.

I appreciate the FLEFF because it uses a very broad use of the word environment. I understand this meaning is often lost on some. Last year, while I was still at IC, Amanda and I had an unfortunate encounter with one of Ithaca's renowned local activists. She was irate that the film festival "wasn't" environmental enough with films about globalization and the war on Iraq lining the schedule. She apparently took us as the festival planners and freaked out before storming away. **

I understand the word "environmental" conjures up images of trees and nature. However, the environment is the entire living system and even something as abstract (abstract in that you can't touch it) as globalization is environmental. Everything we do relates back to the land. And while some might feel overwhelmed that something like the fresh flowers on their desk could mean human exploitation and environmental degradation (most 1-800 flowers are grown in Venezuela, Ecuador, etc by poor workers with no protection from the pesticides applied), I find it empowering. No, I am not a freak. Well, not that kind of freak. I don't feel exhilarated at people having their fingers ripped by rose thorns. What I mean is that it is empowering to know the effects everyday decisions have on the world at large and what one can do about it! It is cheesy to say, but knowledge is power. Just being cognizant of these issues is the first step towards small contributions.

I appreciate how the festival organizers bring up discussions about natural ecology and human sustainability without covering the celluloid in streak of green. Don't get me wrong; I think next year they should spool all episodes of Captain Planet together and show them for 24 hours non-stop as a piece on early environmental thought in young Generation Y'ers. Nothing wrong with an outwardly environmental film, but those don't necessarily have to be nature documentaries.

I am particularly excited for films like Black Gold, Blowing Up Paradise, The Disappearing of Tuvalus: Trouble in Paradise, The Fittest Survive, The Language of Wine, Liberia: A Fragile Piece, and Jonestown: The Life and Death of the People's Temple. I'll be lucky to even see maybe two of those, but maybe you can check out some too!? Here is the schedule.

Peace!






* Can anyone pronounce this for me? Cinemapolis? I understand it should be fairly simple, but it throws me for a loop every time.
"Hey, Garik, where did you see that movie you can't stop talking about?"
"Oh, you know, that place downtown. Cine..aa..ma..lis...*head explodes*"

** If you live in Ithaca then you should now who I am talking about. Yeah, don't think too hard because it is the first person that comes to mind. In her defense, I do have one grievance with the FLEFF. I understand you can't show all the films in the Park Auditorium or Ford Hall (you know, the place where people actually see performances), but do you really need to schedule a film in Williams 224 during the 9:25 TR session of "Academic Writing 1?" Seriously, some of the classrooms at IC are glamorized broom closets. I saw one movie last year in a tiny and slanted room deep in the bowels of the absolute labyrinth that is Smiddy Hall! I think HR Giger and MC Escher designed that building. And CNS 115? Man, everyone's been in there!