Film Festival at the Green Living Expo
How much do you learn by watching movies? A lot, if those movies are documentary films chock full of fascinating information and mind-searing images that inspire and motivate. This year’s 4th annual Green Living Expo, to be held on Saturday, May 8 at Riversprings Middle School, will, for the first time, feature documentary films with this magical power to change behavior.
The festival kicks off at 10:00 a.m. with a film presentation of “A Chemical Reaction”, hosted by Scott Houston of the Tallahassee organic lawn care business, Natural Matters. The documentary explains the damaging impact lawn chemicals have on water quality and promotes the use of safer, more environmentally friendly options. At 11:30 a.m., the newly released “Wakulla Springs, A Watery Treasure” will be showcased. Produced by Tallahassee filmmaker Bayard Stern, the film traces the history of Wakulla Springs and the people that helped shape it, and includes colorful interviews with local personalities Don Gavin and Luke Smith, tour boat captains; Springs Ambassador Cal Jamison; park rangers, Sandy Cook and Bob Thompson, and Enwood Ashmore, whose insights to the influence of former springs owner, Ed Ball, are captivating. The film’s amazing footage covers the cave exploration of the Woodville Karst Plain project, which was the longest cave dive in history, and interviews diver Casey MacKinlay, hydrologist Todd Kincaid and biologist Scott Savery. Recent struggles to control the effects of development and protect the pristine waters of the springs are also documented.
After lunch, at l: 00 p.m. the film festival resumes with a showing of “Blue Gold”. Based on the ground-breaking book of the same title, the documentary has won several awards, including Best Ecological Film at the European Independent Film Festival and Best Documentary Film at the Newport Beach Film Festival. The movie presents the economic realities surrounding our earth’s dwindling fresh water supply, and exposes the hardship suffered by people in third world countries because they lack clean drinking water. Wrapping up the day’s film offerings, “Food Inc.” will be shown at 2:45 p.m. Presenting a comprehensive look at the food industry in America and its impact on farmers and consumers, the film also offers action steps toward establishing more healthful and sustainable food practices.
Admission to the film festival and the Expo is free and the public is invited to attend.