Pad Yatra – director Wendy J. N. Lee

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PAD YATRA: A Green Odyssey is the adventure of 700 people trekking across the Himalayas with a call to save the planet’s “3rd Pole,” a glacial region now devastated by the climate chaos associated with global warming. Battling the most treacherous terrain on the planet, the trekkers spread their message of ecological compassion through human’s most basic means – by walking on foot, village to village, and showing by example. Surviving harrowing injuries, illness, and starvation, they emerge with nearly half a ton of plastic litter strapped to their backs, triggering an historic green revolution across the rooftop of the world.  Wendy J. N. Lee drops by to talk about the harrowing journey, figuratively and literally, she took in making this remarkable documentary.

BRITISH ACADEMY OF FILM & TELEVISION ARTS, LONDON | 2012
Hosted Screening with Executive Producer Michelle Yeoh

BAJA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | 2012 | SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT

HOUSTON INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL | 2012
WINNER – Best Documentary

STUTTGART INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL | 2012
WINNER – Audience Award

BIG BEAR FILM FESTIVAL | 2012
WINNER – Audience Award/Best Environmental

FEEL GOOD FILM FESTIVAL | 2012
WINNER – Audience Award

BLUE OCEAN FILM FESTIVAL | 2012
Honorable Mention

DOCUTAH FILM FESTIVAL | 2012 | WINNER
WINNER – Best Cinematography

Symphony of the Soil, director Deborah Koons Garcia

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Drawing from ancient knowledge and cutting edge science, Symphony of the Soil is an artistic exploration of the miraculous substance soil. By understanding the elaborate relationships and mutuality between soil, water, the atmosphere, plants and animals, we come to appreciate the complex and dynamic nature of this precious resource. The film also examines our human relationship with soil, the use and misuse of soil in agriculture, deforestation and development, and the latest scientific research on soil’s key role in ameliorating the most challenging environmental issues of our time. Filmed on four continents, featuring esteemed scientists and working farmers and ranchers, Symphony of the Soil is an intriguing presentation that highlights possibilities of healthy soil creating healthy plants creating healthy humans living on a healthy planet. Deborah Koons Garcia joins us for a down and dirty conversation on the amazing complexity and vital importance this overlooked substance has in our collective existence.

“Re-envisioning soil as an essential yet underappreciated resource that sustains many forms of life, including the crops that feed us.” San Francisco Chronicle

“It’s not just about farming and soil stewardship. It’s about producing healthy foods by sustainable methods – for a future they believe will be far different from today’s farming practices. At the very least, the film and the concepts it champions are food for thought.” Inforum

“Unfolding with gentle joy and an unexpected beauty, this ode to the miracle of the Earth’s topmost layer gives us a newfound respect for the ground beneath our feet.”– Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times

Mumia, Long Distance Revolutionary, director Stephen Vittoria

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Before he was convicted of murdering a policeman in 1981 and sentenced to die, Mumia Abu-Jamal was a gifted journalist and brilliant writer. Now after more than 30 years in prison and despite attempts to silence him, Mumia is not only still alive but continuing to report, educate, provoke and inspire. Stephen Vittoria’s new feature documentary is an inspiring portrait of a man whom many consider America’s most famous political prisoner – a man whose existence tests our beliefs about freedom of expression. Through prison interviews, archival footage, and dramatic readings, and aided by a potent chorus of voices including Cornel West, Alice Walker, Dick Gregory, Angela Davis, Amy Goodman and others, this riveting film explores Mumia’s life before, during and after Death Row – revealing, in the words of Angela Davis, “the most eloquent and most powerful opponent of the death penalty in the world…the 21st Century Frederick Douglass.” Director Vittoria stops by for a conversation on this polarizing American radical.

“Tracing the path of a brilliant journalist whose message cannot be silenced…Vittoria triumphantly heralds Abu-Jamal’s return to the political scene as a rallying cry for an alternate political discourse.” – Variety

“MUMIA: Long Distance Revolutionary” is a powerful indictment of the hypocrisy inherent in the American dream and is a must-see for any and all who are concerned with upholding the constitutional rights of all Americans.” – Alex Simon, The Hollywood Interview / Huffington Post

“Puts a human face on its subject, for so long now just an anti-capital-punishment icon… also makes the case, COINTELPRO and beyond, that power is hardly to be trusted in America.” – Michael Atkinson, Time Out NY

“I’ve sat through many documentaries in my life and this is one of the finest. I was riveted by the film. Long Distance Revolutionary is a gripping film,” – Albert Maysles