Wildlife Conservation Film Festivals

2nd Annual Miami Wildlife Conservation Film Festival
April 17-22, 2013

Wednesday, April 17
Sustainatopia Honors and WCFF Awards
Miami Beach Botanical Gardens
7:30-10:30
$20.00 per person
To register visit: http://www.sustainatopia.com/apr-16-18-tue-thurs/sustainatopia-honors-2013

Thursday, April 18
Miami Beach Convention Center
Hall A – “Keynote Room”
2000 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach

7:30-8:30 Panel Discussion: The Horizon is Close: Climate Change, Human Impact, and Wildlife in the 21st Century

At sea level, the horizon is only 12 miles away and the oceans – and the life they support – are providing us with early clues into the effects of climate change and human impact. This information is critical while there is still time to alter the course of our environmental future.

Our panel of experts will engage in a discussion of recent discoveries, the lessons we are learning from them, and how we can make a difference for the betterment of our planet.

Moderator: Zoo Miami Communications Director Ron Magill

Panelists:

* Chris Bergh, Director of The Nature Conservancy Florida Keys Program, climate change expert

* Dr. Kenny Broad, Environmental Anthropologist, National Geographic Society Emerging Explorer, professor at University of Miami’s (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Director of the UM’s Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy, Co-Director of Columbia University’s Center for Research on Environmental Decisions

* Leilani Munter, Environmental Activist and Professional Race car Driver

* Ric O’Barry, Marine Mammal Defender, Campaign Director, Dolphin Project,    Earth Island Institute

9:00 Private VIP Reception
Invitation Only

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Friday, April 19
University of Miami
Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS)
4600 Rickenbacker Causeway
Virginia Key
Film Series 6:00-8:00
Reception at the “Wetbar” 8:30
* Admission is free

** Q and A with Dr. Andrew Baker, Associate Professor Marine Biology and Fisheries

Film Series 1: Ocean Conservation
In the Eye of the Whale
Kate Miller, Producer
20 minutes
* Miami Premiere

This is a documentary film exploring the work of photographer, Bryant Austin. In his pursuit to end whaling once and for all, Austin sold everything he owned to follow his dream of creating high-resolution, life-size photographs of endangered whales to exhibit in whaling nations. Austin’s journey is inspiring and is creating change.

Tortuguero: Epicenter of Sea Turtle Conservation
D. J. Head, Producer and Sea Turtle Conservancy
15 minutes
Country: Costa Rica

Tortuguero takes viewers on an incredible journey through 60 years of sea turtle conservation at the world’s oldest sea turtle research facility in Tortuguero Costa Rica. This film explores how a unique partnership among scientists, government and the local community saved the Atlantic Green Sea Turtle from extinction and resulted in a world-class ecotourism destination.

White Shark Cafe
Sean Aronson, Producer & Director
25 minutes
* Miami Premier

White Shark Café tells the curious tale of great white shark research. The film explorers the new technology that allows researchers to track the shark’s migration patterns and these new findings are helping to change the image of sharks from scary creatures to fascinating animals.

What Would Darwin Think: Man vs. Nature in the Galapagos
Ocean 8 Films
Jon Bowermaster, Producer & Director
26 minutes
* Award for Best Endangered Ecosystem/Habitat Category

After Charles Darwin first visited the island archipelago of Galapagos in 1839, it took him another twenty years to decipher the scene he had witnessed, the most perfectly preserved biodiversity on the planet. His theory of evolution-published 150 years ago-pulled back the curtain on a debate that has been simmering for years and still does today.

Today Darwin would be surprised by the tourist mecca Galapagos has become; 200,00 visitors a year, 40,000 permanent residents. The impact on the most unique collection of endemic wildlife in the world has been heavy; too many people bringing too many of their ways (and invasive species) from the outside world threatening the future of this one-of-a-kind place. What would Darwin think of how Galapagos has evolved in the twenty-first century?

Befriending Giants
Shawn Heinrichs, Producer
Blue Sphere Media
6 minutes

This short film brings to attention the controversy surrounding the recently discovered Oslop, Philippines whale shark situation because of the feeding of the sharks that accompanies the tourism. However, as with all things in life, there are many strong opinions and diverse viewpoints. And as such, there is much to be learned by opening our minds to alternative perspective.

Manta Ray of Hope
BlueSphere Media
Shawn Heinricks, Producer
7 minutes

“Manta Ray of Hope” takes the viewer on a breathtaking journey to some of the most remote and exotic places on earth, to personally experience the magnificence of these rays. Through the eyes of naturalists and researchers, the people who know these animals best, we begin to unravel the mysteries of the manta. We experience their joy of new discoveries and also their pain, watching mantas they know fished in front of their very eyes.

We then go deep undercover, from the remote fishing villages to the bustling cities, to better understand and expose the trade that is threatening their very future. And, we challenge the medicinal health ‘claims’ that are driving this destructive trade. Finally, as a ray of hope, we meet those who are making a difference, from scientists, to politicians, to local businessmen, and learn how we all can make a difference for these magical creatures too.

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Saturday, April 20
Miami Beach Cinematheque at Historic City Hall
1130 Washington Avenue, South Side Ground Floor
$12.00 for adults, $10.00 for seniors and students with ID per series
* Seating is limited and Advanced ticket purchase advised, click on the links below to purchase tickets now.

Series 2     1:00-3:00 PM
Purchase tickets: http://miamibeachfilmsociety.memberlodge.org/calendar?eventId=657691&EventViewMode=EventRegistration

Fish Meat: Choose Your Farm Wisely
Fish Navy Films
Dr. Ted Caplow and John Cunningham
30 minutes

The seas are running out of fish, and aquaculture has stepped in to meet rising demand for seafood. But what exactly is farmed fish? Where does it come from? How is it made?

Two friends, a fish ecologist and an ecological engineer, take a scientific voyage along the sparkling coast of Turkey to pull back the cover on modern fish farming. They experience the tragedy of tuna ranching, ponds and cages full of trout and sea bass, and high in the mountains, the joy of common carp.

* Q & A with Ted Caplow and Sarah Curry

Cotton-Tops
Frederico Pardo, Producer
20 minutes
Spanish (English subtitled)
Country: Colombia

The Cotton Top Tamarin is endemic to Columbia’s Caribbean Coast and it is critially endangered of extinction. The socio-economical problems of the region are threatening the Cotton-Top and its habitat. For the past few years, however, the conservation group “Proyecto Titi’s” has been working with the community to help preserve the Cotton-Top and give the people an opportunity to succeed. The will for development in the region may be the Tamarins biggest enemy in the near future.

Last Elephants in Thailand
Dr. Donald Tayloe Producer
40 minutes * New York City Premiere *

At the turn of the 20th Century, there were 100,000 elephants in Thailand. Today there are less than 4,000. Where are they going? Who is working to save them and what can you do to help? This film visits the world’s first elephant hospital and meets leading experts to discover why the country’s most revered species is fast disappearing.

* Q & A with Dr. Scarlett Magda,
US representative, Veterinarians without Borders / Vétérinaires sans Frontières and Executive Director, Wildlife Conservation Film Festivals.

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Series 3     3:30-5:30 PM
Purchase tickets: http://miamibeachfilmsociety.memberlodge.org/calendar?eventId=657703&EventViewMode=EventRegistration

Secrets of the English Monkey
Gryphon Productions
50 minutes
* Florida Film Premiere
Country: Peru
* Award for Best Feature Film Category

In the rain forests of Peru hides one of the world’s most exotic and rare primates, the Red Uakari. Filmed for the first time in history, Secrets of the English Monkey explores the vanishing habitat or this rare animal that is not well known to science and outsiders of the amazon.

Home for Hawksbill
The Nature Conservancy
Jordan Plotsky, Producer
25 minutes
* Award for Best Humans & Nature Category

The Hawksbill turtle has been swimming in the southern oceans since the time of the dinosaurs, but now over fishing has brought the Hawksbill to the brink of extinction. One of the turtle’s last stands are the Arnavon Islands, three small islets nestled in a far corner of the Solomon Islands. Even here their survival is at risk, as three rival tribes hunt the hawksbill to the breaking point.

“Home for Hawksbill” tells the remarkable story of how these rival tribes
overcame cultural conflicts and disputes over land ownership to protect the
islands and save the turtles. Success in the Arnavon’s has inspired other
communities, and is now a model for conservation across the globe.

Wild Orchid Man in the Mountains of the Amazonas
Darryl Saffer, Producer
45 minutes
Country: Peru
* World Premiere
English and Spanish

The mountains of the Amazonas are the birth place of the Amazon river and the legendary rainforests that fills its basin. In the Peruvian Andes, botanist Stig Dalstrom, the “Wild Orchid Man, searches for rare and unknown orchids. In his quest he discovers the mysteries of this region; ancient ruins left by unknown people, one of the world’s tallest waterfalls-first discovered by the outside world in 2005 and, of course exquisite new orchids, along with rare species of birds, insects and mammals.

* Q & A with filmmakers  Darryl Saffer

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Series 4     6:00-8:00 PM
Purchase tickets:
http://miamibeachfilmsociety.memberlodge.org/calendar?eventId=657707&EventViewMode=EventRegistration

 

Coastguards
Austin Gallagher, Director & Producer
5 minutes

The film “Coastguards’ illustrates humanity’s obsession and mixture of fear and fascination for sharks, while bringing their ecological importance – and plight – into the spot light. Told through a perspective with footage compiled from expeditions and research trips from the last 3 years, “Coastguards” is a metaphor for the role sharks play in maintaining the health and stability of our precious blue planet.

Miniseason
Erica Staaterman, Producer & Director
10 minutes

Every year, thousands of tourists visit Florida’s reefs to partake in “mini season,” a 2-day period in which recreational divers can harvest their own lobsters. This event brings important tourism dollars to Florida, and while the harvest certainly has a direct impact on lobster populations, there is also an untold story of mini-season. Lobsters that are not captured by divers flee the scene, and don’t return for several weeks. Because lobsters are known to be a gregarious species, as these survivors become increasingly nomadic, they become more vulnerable to predators. In this film we learn of the cascading effects of mini-season on the lobster populations of South Florida.

The No Money Root
Produced by Orion magazine
3 minutes

Based on his story that appeared in Orion magazine, writer Roger Pinckney describes the rampant coastal development afflicting Dafuskie Island, South Carolina, and how in one case, wildlife and the economy combined in opposition.

After the Fall
Matt Black, Director
Produced by Orion magazine
6 minutes

For the past ten years, photographer Matt Black has been chronicling the environmental and social erosion of the Mixteca, an isolated region in southern Mexico that was once home to one of the most advanced cultures in the pre-Columbian Americas. After the Fall is a haunting video about a village there that is literally losing its moorings as it slides en masse from its highlands perch.

Oceanic Revelations
Amanda Cotton, Director & Producer
6 minutes
* World Premiere

A short film illustrating the difference between perception and reality with sharks. The fiction of the movie “Jaws” is often the perception of the public regarding sharks; this perception is not reality. In reality, sharks are in desperate need of protection on a global level.

Blood Dolphin$: Return to Taiji
Lincoln O’Barry, Producer & Director
45 minutes
* Award for Best Wildlife Activism Category

Former “Flipper” trainer Ric O’Barry continues on his redemptive mission to save dolphins at the peril of man. He and his son Lincoln return to Taiji, Japan, the site of the “The Cove” the nerve center of dolphin slaughter and trade to confront cultural, political and economic forces that affect the world’s dolphins. Threatened by annual hunts, dolphins are slaughtered by the thousands annually. They also victimized by a highly lucrative (at times cutthroat) captive trade, where a “prime specimen” can rake in up to $200,000 for the dolphin entertainment industry. Either scenario is a sad fate for one of the most remarkable, intelligent and loved creatures on the planet.

* Q & A with Austin Gallagher and Erica Staaterman

* Presentation of Lifetime Achievement Award for Cetacean Conservation to Ric O’Barry

** Q & A with Ocean Conservationist Ric O’Barry

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Sunday, April 21
Field Trip to the Turtle Hospital
Marathon, FL

Join WCFF staff for a behind the scenes tour of the Turtle Hospital in Marathon, FL. Our small group will be driven from Miami to the Florida Keys for a private, behind the scenes tour of a unique facility that cares for sick and injured sea turtles. Photography is permitted and after our tour the group will have lunch along one of the waterfront restaurants.

For more information to be a SPONSOR of the film festival, contact: Christopher@WCFF.org or 610-659-3614

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Monday, April 22 (Earth Day)
Everglades Kayak Trip
Florida City

Join the Wildlife Conservation Film Festivals (WCFF) for a private, guided, four hour tour on kayaks through Everglades National Park to see the unique wildlife found no where else on Earth. Trip is limited to just nine (9) people as we tour the beautiful mangrove tunnels of Everglades National Park to observe and photograph, alligators, wood storks, manatees, spoonbills, brown & white pelicans and perhaps even the rare crocodile. Bring comfortable clothes that you may get wt in. Suggest items are bug spray, sunscreen, water and snacks.

Mornings are the best to observe wildlife undisturbed. Our group will leave Miami Beach at 6:30 AM to arrive in Florida City for an 8:00 AM tour.

Afterward our kayak trip our group can grab lunch and has the option to visit the Schnebly Redland’s Winery, the southern most winery in the United States for a tour to enjoy glasses of wine, their own micro brew of beers, “Gator Tail Ale”, “Shark Attack” and hand rolled Cuban cigars.

For more information to be a SPONSOR of the film festival, contact: Christopher@WCFF.org or 610-659-3614

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* Notice: Films and speakers are subject to change prior to and during film festival

* Unless specifically stated, the views expressed in these films are not necessarily the opinions or policies of the Wildlife Conservation Film Festivals (WCFF).

* Once again we are proud to partner with Sustainatopia