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Documentary Edge Festival 2010 –

Eco-Warriors – Can Ordinary people change the world?

Documentary Edge Festival shines a spotlight on international documentaries that highlight global environmental issues; the documentary lens traverses the earth’s surface, capturing the icebergs of Antarctica through to the scorching sands of Kenya. Regardless of your personal beliefs, the environment is the singular topic which consumes and inflames people worldwide.

The recent controversial collision between the Shonan Maru II and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society came into focus in the New Zealand media. There have been demonstrations outside the Japanese Consulate in Wellington against the illegal slaughter of whales in the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary and the inaction of Japanese, Australian and New Zealand Governments to intervene.

At the Edge of the World (dir. Dan Stone) tells the story of the Sea Shepherd’s mission as the film trawls across 370,000 square miles of the Ross Sea, following 46 eco-warriors on 2 ships with one shared mission – to save the whales from the Japanese whaling fleet. The documentary follows the 3rd Antarctic Campaign undertaken by the controversial Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and their astonishingly reckless and some would say admirable journey.

“At the Edge of the World’ is one of those rare documentaries that could easily function as a compelling fiction thriller.” Robert Levin, Critic’s Notebook

Another film that deals with concerns about the sea is The End of the Line (dir. Charles Clover UK, narrated by Ted Danson). The documentary looks at the overfishing of our oceans due to our global love affair of eating fresh fish.  Filmed over a two year period, Charles Clover confronts politicians and restaurateurs as he travels from the Straits of Gibraltar to the coasts of Senegal and Alaska and the Tokoyo fish market.

Staying firmly in the ocean Gimme a Hug (dir. Geert Droppers, Netherlands) depicts sharks exhibiting some markedly unexpected behavior towards humans, this film works as an eye-opening revelation of nature’s most misunderstood creatures.  Using a technique called tonic immobility the sharks are put into a hypnotic state and the results are truly astounding!

Travelling to the heat of Africa Milking the Rhino (dir. David E Simpson, USA) shows the Maasai tribe of Kenya and Namibia’s Himba—two of the oldest cattle cultures on earth—emerging from a century of “white man’s conservation,” which turned their lands into game reserves, and elevated wildlife for its exoticism at the expense of local people.  Milking the Rhino will challenge audiences and create a different viewpoint on conservation.

Climate of Change (dir. Brian Hill, USA) is an environmental film that focuses on the efforts of ordinary people who are making extraordinary decisions to actively find solutions for environmental issues in their homes.  The documentary jumps across the globe from India, to Africa to London to Papua New Guinea, to Norway and Washington.   This documentary shows brave people making inspirational choices in their everyday life.

Documentary Edge Festival 2010 will be held at Rialto Newmarket in Auckland from the 27th of February through to the 14th of March 2010. Documentary Edge Festival 2010 in Wellington will be held at Angelika at Reading Cinemas (Courtenay Place) from the 13th to the 28th of March 2010.

For more information visit www.documentaryedge.org.nz  Publicity: Michelle Lafferty or Joanna Lee Kelly Elephant publicity Phone: +64 9 368 4180/Email: [email protected]

Tags: Environment