One of my good friends from graduate school lives in East Haven, Connecticut so this weekend, she and I went to see three documentaries and five short films at the third annual Environmental Film Festival at Yale (EFFY). This year’s EFFY ran from March 25-April 3 and featured nine longer films, nine shorts, a workshop, and a meet and greet party with filmmakers, all free to the public. Each film was followed by a discussion panel or question and answer session with either experts in the topics touched upon in the documentaries or the film makers themselves.

            My EFFY experience started with the wonderful 4 minute long mockumentary “The Majestic Plastic Bag” narrated by Jeremy Irons. If you haven’t seen this one yet, you must, as it’s absolutely brilliant. http://vimeo.com/14221747

            “The Majestic Plastic Bag” was paired with “Bag It” a 78 minute film that starts off being about single use plastic bags and ends up being about so much more. The film follows an average American guy, Jeb Berrier, on a journey of discovery. Prompted by his own experiences, a local challenge to reduce plastic, and the birth of his first child, Jeb uncovers the ugly truth about plastic and what it does to our environment and our health. While the film covers a serious topic, it manages to be optimistic, and provides viewers with many suggestions on how to reduce their own plastic consumption and make a positive difference. “Bag It” is witty, well rounded, and scientifically accurate, and Jeb makes a wonderfully candid and genuine narrator who left us laughing, crying, and determined to change our own habits for the better.

            The next evening, the world premiere of “YERT: Your Environmental Road Trip” had us feeling just as hopeful and motivated as “Bag It.” This film followed three people on a year long road trip around the United States, and like “Bag It” the narrators were charismatic, the story was creative and well developed, and the environmental issues were well presented. “YERT” covered a wide range of topics and had a bit of something for everyone. After the show, the filmmakers were on hand to answer questions from the audience, which further added to the experience.

What I liked most about these two films was that they left the viewer feeling uplifted and driven to action, unlike the doom and gloom so common of many environmental films. The environmental issues were are currently facing are huge, ugly, scary, monsters, but cowering in a corner and succumbing to fear is no way to face them. These two films inspire hope while being realistic and honest, and they cover serious scientific topics in ways that are easy to understand. Even better was the way they were presented at EFFY; by encouraging dialogue and discussion after the film, viewers were able to clarify parts of the film they didn’t understand, relate the film to their own lives, and further engage with the issues.

The final long feature I was able to see was Disney Nature’s “African Cats” which follows the lives of a cheetah family and a lion family in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve. This may be one of the most beautiful films you will ever get to see; the video footage is absolutely incredible. However, the story is a rather tame one, revolving around mother-child relationships between the big cats and their offspring. Predator kills, feeding, and scenes of death are incorporated into the plot with very little blood and gore, making this film ideal for little ones or the squeamish. While the film does a great job of capitalizing on the natural beauty and charisma of these two species, it completely ignores addressing the conservation issues surrounding them and also seems to paint a prettier picture of their world than reality suggests. As such, I think it’s a beautiful film worth watching for the stunning footage, but a weak environmental documentary. Fortunately, Yale provided two graduate students, each doing research with lions and cheetahs, for questioning after the film. Although “African Cats” may have neglected to tell the whole story of these animal’s survival, the graduate students were quick to point out areas of concern, from increased human-wildlife conflicts to habitat fragmentation and climate change, and provided the audience with resources on how to help these beautiful cats.

I'd recommend watching any of these wonderful films. I also enjoyed the short "When the Water Ends" produced by Yale Environment 360, a publication of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies that also sponsors EFFY. This multimedia piece blends compelling stills with video and narration from two interviews, and is a wonderful example of how a conservation film can be put together without extensive filmmaking experience.

The Environmental Film Festival at Yale is a wonderful outlet for making science fun and accessible to everyday people. The films spread important environmental messages using language free of academic elitism and scientific jargon, supply real world examples that directly connect viewers to the issues, and they’re free. Quality environmental photojournalism provides a wonderful opportunity to connect people with our planet, and stories illustrated by stunning visual imagery bring these issues to life for people in a way that often words alone can not. Films such as these have the power to educate and inspire people from all walks of life. Presented as they are at EFFY, with professionals on hand to discuss the films afterward, they not only promote environmental literacy and stewardship but provide an opportunity for discourse, communication, and further understanding about important environmental issues.

For more information on EFFY check out their website: http://environment.yale.edu/film/home

You can also check out this listing of film festivals to see if there is one near you: http://www.ecofootage.com/forproducers/marketing/film-festivals/index.html