Gottlieb Native Garden Green Earth Film Festival

BLOCK ONE

Ever Slow Green - Re-afforestation in Auroville, South India
Director: Christoph Pohl

50 years ago, a unique afforestation project took root on an eroded desert plateau in Tamil Nadu, South India, when people from diverse countries came together to establish the international experimental township of Auroville.

Initially driven by the necessity to make the harsh conditions more liveable, the idealism of some early residents lead them to develop expertise in cultivating the Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest, a rare forest type native to the coastal belt of Tamil Nadu.

Today, the lush Auroville forest is an outstanding example of eco-restoration that recreates and preserves a type of tropical forest that is on the verge of extinction.
Ever Slow Green tells the story of Auroville’s 50-years- young forest through some of the diverse characters who have dedicated their lives to bringing it to fruition.

Toxic Tanker

Director: Sander Rietveld

Despite the warnings of deadly contaminants on board, multinational SBM Offshore allowed a heavily polluted gas tanker to be demolished on an Indian beach in 2018. The tanker contained high concentrations of mercury. A specialized bureau warned SBM that workers could inhale mercury fumes during demolition, leading to lasting neurological damage or even death. From discussions with those directly involved, e-mails, and confidential documents obtained by ZEMBLA, it appears SBM attempted to conceal the presence of mercury in order to avoid millions of euros in cleanup costs.

BLOCK TWO

JUNK

Director: Chris Jones

In the spring of 2008, Marcus Eriksen and Joel Paschal embarked from Los Angeles Harbor for Hawaii aboard JUNK: a raft constructed of 22 sailboat masts, a Cessna airplane fuselage, and 15,000 plastic bottles. Without a motor or a support vessel, the duo set out on their Quixotic journey determined to raise awareness about the proliferation of plastic waste in our seas.

Space Cleaners

Director: Marco Hülser

Scientists in Germany and around the world are trying to get a grip on the problem of space debris, which is threatening everyday life as we know it today.

Everest Green

Director: Jean-Michel Jorda

Beyond the Everest adventure hides a tragic environmental and human reality, which starts at 8848 meters above sea level and ends in the open dumps of Kathmandu, the most polluted city on the planet.

BLOCK THREE

Coral Woman

Director: Priya Thuvassery

This will be a filmmaker's journey with Uma, a certified scuba diver, exploring the underwater world & the threat to coral reefs of Gulf of Mannar, India. Born in a traditional family in Tamil Nadu 53 years old Uma, a homemaker, has been trying to bring attention to this alarming environmental issue through her paintings. It is, in fact, these corals that inspired Uma to learn how to swim, dive & paint in her 50s.

FAIR TRADERS

Director: Nino Jacusso

FAIR TRADERS explores what a post-neoliberal economic model could look like and shows that ethics and sustainability can be central factors for economic success.

Forest People

Director: Rafa Calil

The project is inspired by the principles defended by Brazilian forest activist Chico Mendes. Chico, known as the “Master Forester”, was assassinated in 1988 for defending the Amazonian Rainforest and organising the “Forest Alliance” between rubber harvesters, indigenous peoples and river communities in Brazil. A political portrait of the region where Chico Mendes was murdered three decades ago. Forest People is a documentary about a community of rubber tappers that has managed to both make a living and be effective guardians of a natural

reserve in Brazil’s Amazon Rainforest for over 30 years.

The Flower Man

Director: The Montgomery Brothers

A comedic narrative about a shy romantic who cannot find the courage to ask a girl he loves to prom, so he builds confidence by helping other guys find dates with the help of a community flower garden.

BLOCK FOUR

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(Re)Connecting Wild

Director: Jake Willers

(Re)Connecting Wild tells the remarkable story of the decade-long effort by the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) and its partners to improve human safety by re-connecting a historic mule deer migration that crosses over both US-93 and I-80 in rural Elko County, Nevada. Witness the wildlife crossing structures along I-80 from construction to the restoration of safe passage for migratory mule deer to more than 1.5 million acres of summer and winter habitat.

Director: Kirsty Wells

Driving Elephants a 26 minute
feature film documents the harsh reality free ranging elephants in Bannerghatta forests are
faced with and the fatal consequences of coming out into human spaces. We are seeing a trend
of male elephants moving further away from the protection of the national park in search of
foraging grounds, namely into farms and plantations. For local communities to co-exist with this
large, intelligent and sometimes dangerous wild animal brings both economic loss and
sometimes danger to their lives. This puts the elephant in direct conflict with people, as a result
of which they are either injured, killed or captured.

The Birds

Director: Joe Chang

This is a story about birds and humans. There are no protagonists and no supporting actors in the film, but the birds in the film and we are all protagonists, and we will always face the world, this earth. Let us humans live on earth with these lovely animals, and don't give up our homes to robots. It’s a piece of work I created by myself and my computer.