North America’s Largest Environmental Film Festival Coming to Madison

February 15, 2010

FLOW NEWS & EVENTS
North America’s Largest Environmental Film Fest
Comes to Madison Films Feature Farming’s Effects on the Mississippi River and Picnicking Bugs

This year’s Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival On Tour will feature a slate of short films featuring stories of watershed restoration, the impact of agriculture on rivers and the challenges of being a picnicking bug! Hosted by the River Alliance of Wisconsin, the Festival will take place at the Majestic Theatre on March 9, 2010 at 7pm.

The Madison event will feature seven films from the 2010 Festival. Highlighting the screening will be Big River. From the makers of King Corn, Big River investigates the impact their acre of corn has had on the residents and community down the Mississippi. In a journey that extends from the American heartland to the Gulf of Mexico, Curt Ellis and Aaron Woolf trade their combine for a canoe and set out to see the big world their little acre of corn has touched.

The film lineup also includes: Get Up, Stand Up, a celebration of the little known art of whitewater surfing; Ascending the Giants follows two tree-climbing enthusiasts as they attempt to find-and to climb–Oregon’s largest Sitka Spruce trees; Secret Life of Paper, which considers the environmental impact of that most basic of everyday products, paper; The New Species, a hilarious stop-motion animated short from Latvia which follows the travails-and escape-of a family of picnicking bugs when they encounter a determined collector; Garbage Angels, winner of Best Canadian Short at the Planet in Focus International Environmental Film and Video Festival; and A Simple Question: the Story of S.T.R.A.W., the inspiring story of a fourth grade class project in the Stemple Creek Watershed of Northern California that over the last 17 years has restored over 20 miles of habitat while galvanizing a community.

The Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival was started by the watershed advocacy group the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) in 2003. The festival’s namesake is in celebration of achieving Wild & Scenic status for 39 miles of the South Yuba River in 1999. As they celebrated their 8th annual in January 2010, the 3-day event will feature over 125 award-winning films and welcome guest speakers, celebrities and activists who bring a human face to environmental issues.

EVENT DETAILS:
Date and Time: March 9, 2010. Doors open at 6pm with films beginning at 7pm. The post-screening party begins around 9:30pm. Screening will include a 15 minute intermission.

Location Address: Majestic Theatre,, 115 King St., Madison Map it!

Ticket Prices: $10 for the screening; $25 for the screening, party (including 1 free drink coupon and food from Willy Street Co-op) ) and a one-year membership to the River Alliance. Tickets can be purchased at both Madison-area Fontana Sports locations, the River Alliance office and online atbrownpapertickets. All online sales will include a small service charge. Tickets will be available at the Majestic Theatre box office the day of the event.

For more information: Contact David Pausch, dpausch@wisconsinrivers.org, 608-257-2424 ext. 114.

Sharon White

Business Manager

River Alliance of Wisconsin

306 E. Wilson St., Suite 2W

Madison, WI 53703

P: 608.257.2424 x116

F: 608.260.9799

swhite@wisconsinrivers.org

We save rivers!