George Potter & Andrew Adkins/2014/68 min/People & Culture

Saturday, March 9, 12:30 p.m. [West]
Chicago Public Library, Austin Branch

Saturday, March 9, 5 p.m. [South]
Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago

FILM DESCRIPTION: “An American Ascent” documents the first African-American expedition to tackle North America's highest peak, Denali. In only a few decades the United States will become a majority-minority nation, as people of color will outnumber today's white majority for the first time ever. Yet, a staggering number of people in this soon-to-be majority do not consider the outdoors as a place for them. By taking on the grueling, 20,310 foot peak of the continent's biggest mountain, nine African-American climbers set out to shrink this adventure gap by building a legacy of inclusion in the outdoor/adventure community.

Susan Todd & Andrew Young/2018/45 min/Wildlife

Tuesday, March 5, 6:30 p.m. [South}
The Ancona School, Chicago

Saturday, March 9, 11 a.m. [W Suburbs]
Thatcher Woods Pavilion, River Forest

FILM DESCRIPTION: In “Backyard Wilderness,” we follow Katie, a young girl, and her modern family living next to the woods who are blind to the real-life spectacle around them, absorbed by an array of electronic devices in their busy lives. Katie gradually discovers the intricate secrets that nature has hidden so close to her front door and we experience the joy she finds in her interactions with this new world. The film showcases a stunning array of unique wildlife images and behavior captured by cameras mounted inside dens and nests to reveal inhabitants in rare and breathtaking intimacy.  

Jeffrey Kimball/2013/60 min/Wildlife

Sunday, March 3, 11 a.m. [South]
St Benedict the African Parish, Chicago

FILM DESCRIPTION: “Birders: The Central Park Effect” reveals the extraordinary array of wild birds who grace Manhattan’s celebrated patch of green, and the equally colorful New Yorkers who schedule their lives around the rhythms of migration. The lively cast of characters features author Jonathan Franzen, as well as an idiosyncratic trombone technician, a septuagenarian bird-tour leader, and others. This charming, lyrical documentary transports the viewer to the dazzling, hidden world of America’s most famous park.

Jeffrey McKay/2016/52 min/Conservation

Sunday, March 3, 1:30 p.m. [South]
St. James Church, Chicago

Sunday, March 10, 10:30 a.m. [W Suburbs]
Thatcher Woods Pavilion, River Forest
Forest walk 9:30 a.m.

Sunday, March 10, 2 p.m. [Lake County]
St. Joseph Church, Libertyville

CHICAGO-AREA PREMIERE. FILM DESCRIPTION: The science and enchantment of the global forest provides us with answers to modern dilemmas. “Call of the Forest: The Forgotten Wisdom of Trees” follows scientist and acclaimed author Diana Beresford-Kroeger as she investigates our profound biological and spiritual connection to forests. Beresford-Kroeger explores the most beautiful forests in the Northern Hemisphere from the sacred sugi and cedar forests of Japan to the great boreal forest of Canada. She shares the amazing stories behind the history and legacy of these ancient forests while also explaining the science of trees and the irreplaceable roles they play in protecting and feeding the planet.

Marcelina Cravat & Eric Katsuleres/ 2018/86 min/Conservation

Sunday, March 3, 2 p.m. [South]
Windsor Park Lutheran Church, Chicago

Wednesday, March 6, 6:30 p.m. [Lake]
College of Lake County, Grayslake

Saturday, March 9, 2 p.m. [W Suburbs]
Triton College, River Grove

CHICAGO-AREA PREMIERE. FILM DESCRIPTION: “Dirt Rich” shifts the focus from greenhouse gas emissions to carbon drawdown, a viable solution for reversing the effects of runaway global warming in a timely manner. In “Dirt Rich,”  Marcelina Cravat  (“Angel Azul”) and Eric Katsuleres shine a light on geo-therapy strategies. Through regenerative agricultural practices, reforestation of abandoned land,  protection/restoration of carbon rich wetlands and keystone species, “Dirt Rich” illustrates how implementing these strategies will return our atmosphere to safe levels of carbon while growing soil, our most precious resource.  

Bonnie Hawthorne/2018/77 min/Sustainable Food & Agriculture

Saturday, March 2, 7 p.m. [W Suburbs]
Good Earth Greenhouse, River Forest

Monday, March 4, 6 p.m. [Central]
Great Central Brewing Company, Chicago
OEFF After Hours Event
Admission $20, includes reception

Wednesday, March 6, 6:30 [South]
Beverly Arts Center, Chicago
Admission $6

CHICAGO-AREA PREMIERE. FILM DESCRIPTION: Donald Vetter grew up in Nebraska, farming 800 acres with horses. When he came back from WWII and learned about the new agricultural uses for wartime chemicals, Don enthusiastically embraced the Chemical Age. In 1953, he quit spraying, after realizing the chemicals didn’t deliver on promises and they were damaging his soil and killing farm wildlife. Since then, the Vetter farm’s most important “crop” was its soil. “Dreaming of a Vetter World” comes at a time when interest in regenerating soil has exploded worldwide. Others are realizing what the Vetters have known for decades: Soil is key to our very survival.

Saturday, March 9, 9:15 a.m. [W Suburbs]
Thatcher Woods Pavilion, River Forest

Watch four short films with your children ages three to eight. Topics range from wildlife to seasons to magical cranes. Featured films include "The Wishing Cranes" (2017, 3 min), “Starlight” (2018, 5 min), "Autumn" (2016, 3 min), “Great Big Story” (2017, 1 min), and "The Short Story of a Fox and a Mouse" (2016, 6 min).

Families and children will enjoy lively facilitated post-film discussion with a children’s educator, as well as a book reading of “African Unicorn” (another name for the endangered Okapi), interactive activities, and healthy snacks. Families will leave wanting to continue discussion on the topics of these short but rich films.

Sunday, March 10, 3 to 6 p.m.
The Hatchery Chicago
135 N. Kedzie Ave., Chicago

It’s a wrap! We’ve marveled at the beauty and power of nature, discovered actions that can reverse climate change and perhaps made a new friend or two. Now it’s time to go “All In” in celebrating the closing of our 8th season. Join us at The Hatchery Chicago, the city’s coolest and newest food business incubator, which helps local food entrepreneurs grow and workers build skills.  More than a dozen action partners will offer more opportunities to up your climate action game and dive deeper into the issues, from the Green New Deal to Sunrise Chicago to regenerative agriculture. Plus, enjoy drinks and bites, and mix and mingle.

Michael Bonfiglio/2017/82 min/Energy

Thursday, March 7, 5 p.m. [West]
Reception at 5 p.m., film begins at 6 p.m.
University of Illinois at Chicago

Thursday, March 7, 7 p.m. [North]
Northwestern University, Evanston

FILM DESCRIPTION: “From the Ashes” captures Americans in communities across the country as they wrestle with the legacy of the coal industry and what its future should be under the Trump Administration. From Appalachia to the West's Powder River Basin, the film goes beyond the rhetoric of the "war on coal" to present compelling and often heartbreaking stories about what's at stake for our economy, health, and climate. The film invites audiences to learn more about an industry on the edge and what it means for their lives.

Peter McBride & Jake Norton/2016/60 min/Health & Environment

Saturday, March 2, 1 p.m. [Central]
First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple, Chicago

Tuesday, March 5, 7 p.m. [Central]
Patagonia Chicago, Chicago
OEFF After Hours Event
Admission $20, includes reception

CHICAGO-AREA PREMIERE. FILM DESCRIPTION: This film takes you on an dramatic adventure to Ma Ganga (“Mother Ganges”), a waterway that is divine and defiled, revered and reviled. Once celebrated for its purity, India’s Ganges River now carries contaminates from its glacial headwaters, where freshly fallen snow contains zinc from industrial emissions. Water is diverted from the river for agriculture and other uses, and the 500 million people in the Ganges basin further pollute the river. “Holy (un)Holy River” asks the essential question: Can the Ganges survive?  

Yann Arthus-Bertrand/2009/90 min/Conservation

Saturday, March 2, 3 p.m. [South]
Jackson Park Fieldhouse, Chicago

FILM DESCRIPTION: 10 Year Anniversary screening of “Home,” featuring breathtaking photography of our planet by award-winning photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand! In the past 200,000 years, humans have upset four billion years’ worth of evolutionary balance on planet Earth. Humanity has little time to reverse the trend and change its patterns of consumption. Through visually stunning aerial footage from over 50 countries, Yann Arthus–Bertrand shows us a view most of us have never seen. He shares with us his sense of awe about our planet and his concern for its health. With this film, Arthus-Bertrand hopes to provide a stepping-stone to further the call to action to take care of our “Home.”

Neil Gelinas/2018/93 min/Environmental & Social Justice

Sunday, March 3, 2 p.m. [Lake County]
Gorton Community Center, Lake Forest
Admission $10, Students $5

Thursday, March 7, 7 p.m. [Dupage County]
College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn

FILM DESCRIPTION: The Okavango River Basin provides a vital source of water to about one million people, the world’s largest population of African elephants, and significant populations of lions, cheetahs and hundreds of species of birds. However, this once unspoiled oasis is now under siege due to increasing pressure from human activity. From National Geographic Documentary Films, “Into the Okavango” chronicles a team of modern-day explorers on their first epic four-month, 1,500-mile expedition across three countries to save the river system that feeds one of our planet’s last wetland wildernesses.

Laura Nix/2018/87 min/Climate Change

Sunday, March 3, 2 p.m.[North]
Wilmette Theatre, Wilmette
Admission $8

Monday, March 4, 6 p.m. [SW Suburbs]
Advocate Children’s Hospital, Oak Lawn

Thursday, March 7, 6 p.m.[West]
Namaste Charter School, Chicago

Saturday, March 9, 4 p.m. [W Suburbs]
Thatcher Woods Pavilion, River Forest

FILM DESCRIPTION: Meet passionate teenage innovators from around the globe who are creating cutting-edge solutions to confront the world’s environmental threats—found right in their own backyards—while navigating the doubts and insecurities that mark adolescence. Youth ages 9–13+ are encouraged to take a journey with these inspiring teens as they prepare their projects for the largest convening of high school scientists in the world, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).

Susan Kucera/2018/86 min/Climate

Saturday, March 2, 10 a.m. [W Suburbs]
Classic Cinemas Lake Theatre, Oak Park
Admission $8

Saturday, March 2, 1 p.m. [Lake County]
Prairie Crossing School, Grayslake

Monday, March 4, 6 p.m. [South]
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago

CHICAGO-AREA PREMIERE. FILM DESCRIPTION: In this beautifully photographed tour de force of original thinking, Academy Award® winner Jeff Bridges shares the screen with scientists, profound thinkers, and a dazzling array of Earth’s living creatures to reveal eye-opening concepts about ourselves and our past, providing fresh insights into our subconscious motivations and their unintended consequences.

Jordan Osmond & Antoinette Wilson/2018/85 min/Conservation

Thursday, Feb. 21, 7 p.m. [South]
Calumet College, Whiting, IN

Thursday, Feb. 28, 7 p.m. [W Suburbs]
Dominican University, River Forest
Admission $7

Wednesday, March 6, 6 p.m. [West]
Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago

FILM DESCRIPTION: “Living the Change” explores solutions to the global crises we face today—solutions any of us can implement—through the inspiring stories of people pioneering change in their own lives and in their communities in order to live in a sustainable and regenerative way. From forest gardens to composting toilets, community supported agriculture to timebanking, “Living the Change” offers solutions being used now that we can employ to combat climate change today

Friday, March 1
DIRTT, 325 N. Wells St.
#1000 (10th Floor), Chicago

Opening Night Launch Party
5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
$20, includes reception

Opening Night After Party
8:30 to 10 p.m.
$20, includes reception

Perfect for a date night or night out with friends! Come out and celebrate the launch of our 8th season at one of the city’s most unique spaces overlooking the Chicago River. Enjoy savory heavy hors d'oeuvres, wine and beer, as you mix and mingle with friends. Then take the opportunity to linger longer in a smaller, more intimate gathering at the After Party. Join us for a dessert and champagne reception. Open to all, non-members and members.

Sidney Beaumont & Michael Bonfiglio/2018/77 min/Climate

Sunday, March 3, 12:30 p.m. [W Suburbs]
Action Fair 12:30 p.m.
Film begins at 1:30 p.m.
St. Giles Catholic Church, Oak Park

Sunday, March 3, 1 p.m. [Dupage County]
Elmhurst College, Elmhurst

Tuesday, March 5, 6:30 p.m. [North]
Truman College, Chicago

Friday, March 8, 6 p.m. [South]
Catholic Theological Union, Chicago

Friday, March 8, 6:30 p.m. [Lake County]
College of Lake County, Grayslake

FILM DESCRIPTION: The Paris Agreement was monumental in uniting all nations in the fight against climate change. With the United States’ withdrawal from the agreement, citizens around the country are taking matters into their own hands. “Paris to Pittsburgh” explores the very real social and economic impacts of climate change-fueled disasters and features voices from local leaders and everyday Americans from Pittsburgh to Puerto Rico.

Saturday, March 9, 10:30 a.m.
[Lake County]
Warren Township High School, Gurnee

FILM DESCRIPTION: Four short films will tell personal stories of youth and their life-shaping experiences in the Boundary Waters of Northern Minnesota. The youth have gone on to advocate for permanent protection of this treasured wilderness area. Sulfide-ore copper mining has been proposed by Twin Metals (a Minnesota company owned by Chilean mining conglomerate Antofagasta) less than a mile from the Boundary Waters. The U.S. Forest Service denied mining leases held by Twin Metals due to the extreme environmental risks they posed to the Boundary Waters. Following the lease denial, the Forest Service began a two-year environmental review to determine if sulfide-ore copper mining should be banned in the Boundary Waters watershed.

David McIlvride & Roger Williams/2017/52 min/Water

Wednesday, Feb. 20, 7 p.m. [North]
Loyola University, Chicago

Saturday, March 2, 3 p.m. [Central]
Columbia College, Music Center, Chicago

Thursday, March 7, 7 p.m. [South]
U. of C. Green Line Performing Arts Center, Chicago

Saturday, March 9, 1 p.m.. [Lake County]
Catlow Theater, Barrington

CHICAGO-AREA PREMIERE. FILM DESCRIPTION: Following international river conservationist, Mark Angelo, “RiverBlue” spans the globe to infiltrate one of the world’s most pollutive industries, fashion. Narrated by actor and clean water advocate Jason Priestley, this groundbreaking documentary examines the destruction of our rivers, the effects on humanity, and the solutions inspiring hope for a sustainable future. Through harsh chemical manufacturing processes and the irresponsible disposal of toxic chemical waste, one of our favorite iconic clothing items has destroyed rivers and impacted the lives of people who count on these waterways for their survival.

Marie-Monique Robin/2018/93 min/Health & the Environment

Tuesday, March 5, 6:30 p.m. [W Suburbs]
Oak Park Public Library, Oak Park

U.S. PREMIERE. FILM DESCRIPTION: After her best-selling film and book, The World According to Monsanto, award-winning journalist Marie-Monique Robin presents her new documentary, “Roundup Facing Its Judges,” on the global use of glyphosate-based herbicides. She deconstructs the mechanisms of one of the greatest environmental and health scandals in modern history, and showcases an exceptional investigation on a subject that concerns all of us, because glyphosate is everywhere: in the soils, the water, the food and the air. The guiding thread of the documentary is the Monsanto International Tribunal, held in the Hague in October 2016, and its recommendation for a new international law against “ecocide.”

Robert Nixon/2017/48 min/Water

Wednesday, March 6, 5:30 p.m. [Central]
Reception at 5:30 p.m., Film at 6:30 p.m.
Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago

FILM DESCRIPTION: “Sea of Hope” is a stunningly filmed action adventure documentary that follows ocean legend Sylvia Earle, renowned underwater National Geographic photographer Brian Skerry, and writer Max Kennedy. Joined by their crew of teenage aquanauts, the team embarks on a year-long quest to deploy science and photography to inspire President Obama to establish new Blue Parks to protect essential habitats across an unseen American wilderness.

Bruce Parry & Mark Ellam/2017/97 min/People & Cultures

Sunday, March 3, 4 p.m. [W. Suburbs]
Unity Temple, Oak Park
OEFF After Hours Event
Admission $20,
includes reception at 6 p.m.

CHICAGO-AREA PREMIERE. FILM DESCRIPTION: Tawai is the word the nomadic hunter-gatherers of Borneo use to describe their inner feeling of connection to nature. In this philosophical and sociological look at life, explorer Bruce Parry travels the world to learn from people living lives very differently from our own. From the jungles of Malaysia to the tributaries of the Amazon, “Tawai” is a quest for reconnection, providing a powerful voice from the heart of the forest itself.

Benoît Bringer/2018/71 min/Sustainable Food & Agriculture

Saturday, March 2, 12 p.m. [West]
Loretto Hospital, Chicago

Sunday, March 3, 6 p.m. [South]
St. Paul & the Redeemer, Chicago

Sunday, March 10, 12:30 p.m. [Central]
Old St. Patrick's Church, Chicago

U.S. PREMIERE. FILM DESCRIPTION: Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Benoît Bringer questions what we give our children to eat. To feed a growing population, the world has embarked on a race to frenetic productivity that generates cruelty against animals, but also major health and environmental issues. Bringer reveals the terrible excesses of industrial breeding and meets women and men who invent another way of farming, respectful of nature and animals. “The Carnivore’s Dilemma” puts together positive and concrete initiatives that are already working and that could be our way of consumption tomorrow.

Stephanie Soechtig/2018/88 min/Environmental & Social Justice

Saturday, March 2, 2 p.m. [North]
Wilmette Theatre, Wilmette
Admission $8

FILM DESCRIPTION: “The Devil We Know” is the story of how one synthetic chemical, used to make Teflon products, contaminated a West Virginia community. But new research hints at a much broader problem: Nearly all Americans are affected by exposure to non-stick chemicals in food, drinking water, and consumer products, yet there is very little oversight of the chemical industry in the United States. “The Devil We Know” invites you to learn more about the issue and how you can protect yourself and your family.

Ben Crosbie & Tessa Moran/2018/70 min/Wildlife

Sunday, March 3, 12 p.m. [North]
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Chicago

Wednesday, March 6, 6 p.m. [West]
Chicago Public Library, Toman Branch

Saturday, March 9, 2 p.m. [Lake County]
Waukegan Library, Waukegan

Saturday, March 9, 7 p.m. [West]
St. Malachy + Precious Blood, Chicago

FILM DESCRIPTION: A visually dazzling meditation on the delicate balance between human and nature, “The Guardians” elegantly interweaves the lives of the iconic monarch butterfly with an indigenous community in Mexico. Shot over three years, this intimate documentary takes viewers on a cinematic journey through the butterfly dense mountaintops of Michoacan as the community works to build a sustainable path forward. Rarely has the communion of human and nature been told in such an evocative and surprising way, leaving viewers with a new perspective on the ecological challenges facing us all. In Spanish with English subtitles: Everyone is welcome!

Matthew Testa/2018/76 min/Climate

Saturday, March 2, 6:30 p.m. [North]
St. Clement Parish School, Chicago

Sunday, March 3, 3 p.m. [South]
Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago
Admission $10

Sunday, March 3, 5 p.m. [Lake County]
Gorton Community Center, Lake Forest
Admission $10, Students $5

Monday, March 4, 6 p.m. [Kane County]
Action Fair 6 p.m., Film 7 p.m.
Waubonsee Community College, Aurora

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY CELEBRATION with WOMEN IN GREEN
Friday, March 8, 5:30 p.m. [West]
Malcolm X College, Chicago
OEFF After Hours Event
Reception 5:30 to 6:45 p.m., $20
Film screening 7 p.m. free to all

Saturday, March 9, 10 a.m. [W Suburbs]
Classic Cinemas Lake Theatre, Oak Park
Admission $8

CHICAGO-AREA PREMIERE. FILM DESCRIPTION: Renowned photographer James Balog (prominently featured in “Chasing Ice”) uses his camera to reveal how environmental change is affecting the lives of everyday Americans. Following the four classical elements—air, earth, fire and water—to frame his journey, Balog explores wildfires, hurricanes, sea level rise, coal mining, and the changes in the air we breathe. He takes it further by examining the effects of the fifth element—the human element—to tell an urgent story while giving inspiration for a more balanced relationship between humanity and nature.

Ann Shin/2018/66 min/Environmental & Social Justice

Tuesday, March 5, 7 p.m. [Dupage County]
College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn

Wednesday, March 6, 6 p.m. [South]
U. of C. Laboratory Schools, Chicago

CHICAGO-AREA PREMIERE. FILM DESCRIPTION: Every year, the western world is introduced to a new “superfood” that boasts extraordinary nutritional features, and year after year we buy them. “The Superfood Chain” explores the facts and myths behind superfoods, and reveals the ripple effect of the superfood industry on farming and fishing families around the world. This film follows filmmaker Ann Shin as she meets families in Bolivia, Ethiopia, Philippines, and Haida Gwaii affected by the superfood industry.

Jeremy Workman/2018/95 min/Architecture & Sustainable Building

Saturday, March 9, 6:30 p.m. [South]
Experimental Station, Chicago

FILM DESCRIPTION: There are 8,000 miles of roads and paths in New York City and for the past six years Matt Green has been walking every street, park, cemetery, beach, and bridge. Executive produced by Oscar® nominee Jesse Eisenberg, “The World Before Your Feet” is a “walkumentary” that Hyperallergic calls “A celebration of using what short time we all have to better connect with the world.”

Gertjan Hulster, Arne Gielen, Marco te Brömmelstroet and Jeroen Dirks/2017/57 min/Transportation

Saturday, March 2, 1 p.m. [W Suburbs]
Oak Park Public Library, Oak Park

Saturday, March 9, 7 p.m. [Central]
Patagonia Chicago, Chicago
OEFF After Hours Event
BIKE RIDE CANCELED
Admission $20, includes reception & after party

FILM DESCRIPTION: There are more bicycles than people in the Netherlands, but the Dutch don’t seem to notice what a special bike culture they have. Going beyond the obvious health and economic benefits of cycling, “Why We Cycle” explores the egalitarian nature of cycling, as well as its less-obvious effects on a city’s planning and development, its residents, and society as a whole.

Saturday, March 2, 11:30 a.m. [Central]
Screenings + awards at 12 p.m.
Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago

This year’s theme is “All In,” which means that we all need to contribute our passion and voices to make meaningful changes in the fight for our climate. That’s why, for the last seven years, we’ve given motivated and inspired young people from ages 8–25 the opportunity to research, produce, and show their original films as part of our Young Filmmakers Contest. We invite you to join us at the contest winners’ screenings, to be inspired by their creativity and dedication, and to learn more about the non-profit organizations who will benefit from matching grants the winners receive.

Slater Jewell-Kemker/2018/86 min/Climate

Saturday, March 2, 10 a.m. [North]
Pickwick Theatre, Park Ridge
Admission $8

Wed., March 6, 6 p.m. [W Suburbs]
Oak Park Public Library, Oak Park

CHICAGO-AREA PREMIERE. FILM DESCRIPTION: “Youth Unstoppable: My Decade in the Youth Climate Movement” (formerly “An Inconvenient Youth”) captures the vibrant untold story of the global youth climate movement. Decisions made today are shaping the world they will live in, and they are no longer willing to sit idly as the planet is degraded for the short term gain of the older generations. Director Slater Jewell-Kemker has been interviewing celebrities and politicians about the environment since the age of ten, now she is telling the stories of these remarkable young people on the front lines of climate change. This is the story of the youth of today fighting for their planet, their future.