What: Energy Film Fest
When: Sunday, June 8, 12:45 p.m.
Where: MY Millennium Place
Tickets: $10 recommended donation
All issues environmental are up for discussion at Whistler’s
annual Enviro-Fest, but energy is going to be the hot topic on the silver
screen.
Marie Fortin is the Enviro-Fest co-ordinator with Hilltrip, a
local events and promotions organization that aims to improve sustainability by
promoting key issues through events and actions. This is the seventh year for
Whistler’s Enviro-Fest, and the second year for the Energy Film Festival.
Fortin said Hilltrip recently partnered with AWARE to make the
film festival an annual event to help raise funds and, more importantly,
awareness surrounding energy issues.
She calls the film a powerful medium to get a message across.
“It’s a great way to educate, because it’s entertaining and a
lot of people really enjoy going to the theatre, so it’s just to broaden the
experience of presenting environmental messages,” she said.
The festival features eight films, ranging in length from seven
to 98 minutes, and touching on a wide range of energy issues, though they share
one common thread: they are meant to inspire and engage the audience.
The films don’t just focus on the science behind energy issues
— most also incorporate aspects of adventure and activism to show how
global warming and the energy crisis can impact our day-to-day lives.
“So its education, but at the same time, there’s a very nice
storyline,” Fortin added.
Oil & Water
follows
world-class kayaker and environmentalist, Seth Warren, as he travels from
Alaska to Tierra Del Fuego on post consumer vegetable oil, while
Power
Play: The Theft of B.C.’s Rivers
, examines
the privatization of B.C. rivers and public power. Another,
Weather
We Change
, is a skiing adventure
documentary that follows athletes as they search for a greener ski bum
lifestyle from the Swiss Alps to the West Coast.
While last year the film festival stretched over two days and
featured more films, this year there will be guest speakers from the Community
Foundation of Whistler (CFOW) and AWARE, and a panel discussion. The annual
Whistler Environmental Business (WEB) awards will also be incorporated into the
festival.
The panel forum discussion, which focuses on the topic of Clean
Energy for a Change, is designed to create a dialogue between members of the
panel and the audience. The forum discussion takes place at 3:30 p.m., and will
be facilitated by William Roberts of the Whistler Forum, and features panelists
Dan Wilson of the RMOW, Rob Baxter of the Sierra Club, and Chris Joseph of
Simon Fraser University.
Organizers also decided to use the film festival to bring a
greater level of attention to the presentation of the annual WEB awards, which
are awarded by AWARE to small, medium and large businesses.
“It’s a better orchestrated event, I would say,” Fortin
explained. “We have more opportunities for dialogue and again, we have a couple
of displays where people will be able to learn about different energy
alternatives.”
Fortin hopes the film festival will continue to grow each year,
while retaining its focus on energy and climate change.
“I can see it becoming much more refined in the future,” she
said.
The Energy Film Festival starts at 12:45 p.m., and runs until
10 p.m., broken up by the panel discussion and the WEB awards. But if you
aren’t quite prepared to devote an entire day to learning about energy issues,
don’t worry — you will be given a stamp that will allow you to come in
and out as you please.
For a detailed schedule of films, check
www.enviro-fest.ca
.