Many people this past month waited eagerly for the release of the new Stranger Things season, or, after months of waiting, went to watch the screening of Wicked in theaters. Film is unique in the way it intrigues the human mind, and captures its full attention in spite of the bustling, ever-moving environments. Film has the ability to inspire ideas, excite intellect, arouse questions, and open eyes to new perspectives.
In the new year, the Shorewood Conservation Committee is hosting its annual Environmental Film Festival in hopes that it will achieve all these things. The festival will feature three film showings, with a panel of guest speakers to answer questions from the community after each showing.
“Film is an inspiring medium—it brings topics to life in an immersive, relatable way,” said Erin Povak, a committee member who helped refine the event. “We hope the selected films spark curiosity about the physical world we live in, our place within it, and encourage the community to keep exploring.”
The tradition of the film festival began in 2012. This year, it will be hosted in the village center meeting room within the Shorewood Public Library. The event, mainly arranged by Julia Ela, a member of the Conservation Committee and SHS alumna, will feature three films over the course of January and into the start of February, free for all to attend.
With the support of her Committee members, Ela hopes the event increases awareness, environmental interest, and informs on timely and relevant environmental occurrences.
“We hope attendees take away new knowledge, ideas for change, and motivation to impact our environment at a local level,” Ela said.
Ela and her team chose to highlight films whose central themes align with local and large-scale issues. The festival’s focus is not only to educate but to inspire action and change by allowing attendees to engage with the message, ultimately motivating people to act.
“This year, two of the films highlight global issues: agriculture as it relates to climate change and light pollution, and one is local to the Great Lakes,” Ela said. “At the conclusion of each film, the panel will bring each topic to a local level and discuss how we can work on individual behaviors to hopefully impact these issues here in our community.”
The first film, “Kiss the Ground,” is showing on Thursday, January 15. It speaks on the part that soil plays in the ever-evolving climate and shows how soil can be a key factor to restoring and stabilizing the earth amidst climate change. The piece is narrated by Woody Harrelson and features National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) footage.
“All Too Clear,” the second film to be featured, will be open for viewing on Thursday, January 29. Set in the Great Lakes, it captures the effects of animal behavior in freshwater environments, relating to Shorewood’s location on the second largest freshwater lake globally by volume.
The last film which will be shown is titled “Saving the Dark.” It pinpoints the effects of light pollution on species natural patterns and how humanities lifestyle affects the surrounding environment and ecosystem. The documentary highlights the negative outcomes of light pollution and presents possible solutions to widen viewers’ scope on how a person or community can contribute to change.
“Each year, it is challenging to narrow our film selections down to only three when many topics would be interesting and relevant to the community, but we have a great and interesting variety this year,” Ela said. “The most rewarding part of the Film Festival is to see people who are interested in these issues come together and build a community around being good stewards of our environment.”
The topics they ended up curating this year differ in subject matter, highlighting different issues that impact the environment, especially within the village. This variety helps give everyone the chance to personally connect with one of the films, learn more about environmental matters that they aren’t as familiar with, and discover new things they may have not even known affect the natural world.
“I’m especially excited to share “All Too Clear,” but I also can’t miss “Kiss the Ground” or “Saving the Dark,” because I want to expand my own knowledge into other areas,” said Povak. “To find the film that resonates most with you, I’d recommend coming to see them all.”
Each film talks about its own distinctive issue, and following each showing there will be a panel of experts that the community can consult in a question and answer session. There will be a different set of people for each panel, and each will be specialized to the film being shown to allow for further discussion regarding the appurtenant topic, providing thoughtful discussion between the individuals of the community as well as the panel.
“The Q&A sessions after the films are often my favorite part, because I get to hear what people in my own community find interesting,” said Povak. “It’s a wonderful reminder that we are surrounded by curious, thoughtful, and engaged individuals who value learning. I hope the event provides a space for people to connect with like-minded individuals, who want to learn about and support local efforts.”
The resources provided at the Shorewood Library and the Environmental Film Festival give the community ways to move forward to become a more knowledgeable and conscientious being in an environmental context. At the very least, attendees can expect to walk away with a better conceptual understanding of the environment around them and their involvement within it.
“To stay engaged after the event, attendees can explore the supplemental materials curated by the Shorewood Library to continue learning,” said Povak. “They can also get involved in local initiatives […] These are great ways to turn inspiration from the films into meaningful action.”
Many other organizations exist within the Shorewood community which align with the mission of the festival.
“There are many great initiatives happening in Shorewood right now to address different areas of environmental concern,” said Ela. “The two big ones that come to mind are Catch the Wave Shorewood [which] is focused on reducing plastic use in the Village [and] Slow Mow May and Pollinator Protectors are working on improving habitat for our local pollinators.”
The Conservation Committee encourages all community members, and especially youth, to attend the event with an open mind.
“This is a great event for SHS students to attend—come with friends or family, and don’t hesitate to ask the panel questions at the end,” said Povak. “Who knows? It might spark an interest that leads you toward an exciting career path, and it will certainly broaden your perspective on the world we live in.”