Environment and creation care have long been on the agenda for scientists, journalists like Bill McKibben, the occasional theologian, and activists – many, many activists! We have long believed, however, that some of our most important allies in this cause would turn out to be our sisters and brothers in the world of the arts. A movement needs people, a manifesto, and… music and film.

Artists have been working in these areas for a long time, for sure. But this weekend we can celebrate two significant developments:

• The release of the first instalment of new film documentary series, Taste and See. It’s all about… Food! Virtual screenings are available from now for the next couple of weeks. Click here for our write up and a preview.
• Climate Vigil Songs, a long-awaited album of original creation focused worship songs, became available yesterday. Here’s a preview, with links to get the music for yourself.

Five years after beginning the project, and two years after the first film was finished, the first instalment of Andrew Brumme’s pivotal film documentary series Taste and See is ready for viewing this weekend. Here at LWCCN we know Andrew quite well, and we love the idea of exploring food as a means of discovering and relating to God’s creation (and to God himself).

Having faced the same challenges many of us in the world of creation care have faced (“The mainstream distribution world thinks our project is “too spiritual“, but the religious distributors think we’re “not spiritual enough” for their niche audiences. We’ve been caught in the middle.”, says Andrew.) the project has decided to go straight to the audience – you and me.

We’ve posted the trailer below. Here’s how you can help the project:

1. Buy a Ticket for the Virtual Screening.*(see below) All tickets help, but if you can afford the higher level tickets you’ll contribute additional funds and get access to bonus content!
2. Make a financial gift to Taste and See, above and beyond your ticket cost, if you’re compelled to give even more to this vision.
3. Invite your friends and family who might be interested in Taste and See to participate in the virtual cinema event.

SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY FOR POLLINATOR READERS:

Recognizing that a US$20 ticket would be difficult for many of our readers to manage, the Taste and See project has made us the following offer: For every ticket purchased through the ticket links on this page, they will donate one free ticket to be made available to another LWCCN member on request. So if you are in a position to do so, do yourself and someone else a favor by buying a ticket. And if you would really like to see this film, but the ticket price is beyond your budget, send us a note with your particulars and we’ll reserve a ticket for you as they become available through the generosity of our other members.

If you’d like to read more, here’s an in-depth interview with Andrew.

Earth Day is coming, and with it, Evangelical Environmental Network’s now annual film festival. This event will be held online and will feature the film Virginia’s Calling, a documentary by Barry Lyons and Linda Nieman.

In the film, a homeschooling mom’s picture-perfect life is shattered when her home floods. Just as she hits rock-bottom, an unlikely spiritual guide appears. A warm, intimate portrait of a strong and determined woman of faith, Virginia’s Calling offers a sensitive look into the human effects of climate change on an evangelical family that never thought it would affect them.

After the screening of the film, we will have a live panel and Q&A with the protagonist of the film, Virginia herself, as well as producers Barry and Linda. 

You can register for the event here. (21 April 7 pm US Eastern Time)

Virginia’s Calling is a new documentary film of her story. From the website:

A homeschooling mom’s picture-perfect life is shattered when her home floods.  Just as she hits rock-bottom, an unlikely spiritual guide appears. A warm, intimate portrait of a strong and determined woman of faith, VIRGINIA’S CALLING offers a sensitive look into the human effects of climate change on an evangelical family that never thought climate change would affect them. Virginia’s new purpose has far-reaching effects.

Hoping to inspire fellow evangelicals to embrace creation care, Virginia shares, in her own words, this dramatic story of faith tested to the breaking point.

How can she hold on to evangelical beliefs and conservative convictions while working with people who don’t share them? God leads Virginia into challenging situations. Yet He also shows her the way, giving her the courage to step out of her comfort zone to do His will in the fullness of Christian love.

Here’s a 10 minute preview, or watch the full 30 minute documentary here.

Seaspiracy, a new documentary from Netflix, purports to expose some of the wrongdoing within the global commercial fishing industry. As with every situation, there are two sides to the story. Here’s a useful analysis:

The film includes all the damning evidence and dramatic footage required to make the important point that industrial fishing is — throughout the world — a too often out-of-control, sometimes criminal enterprise that needs to be reined in and regulated. In this, it reinforces and shares with a wide audience a knowledge that is widespread in the ocean conservation community, but not in the public at large.

However, overall Seaspiracy does more harm than good. It takes the very serious issue of the devastating impact of industrial fisheries on life in the ocean and then undermines it with an avalanche of falsehoods. It also employs questionable interviewing techniques, uses anti-Asian tropes, and blames the ocean conservation community, i.e., the very NGOs trying to fix things, rather than the industrial companies actually causing the problem.

https://www.vox.com/2021/4/13/22380637/seaspiracy-netflix-fact-check-fishing-ocean-plastic-veganism-vegetarianism

Chris Elisara, one of the co-leaders of the Lausanne/WEA Creation Care network, Director of the WEA Creation Care Task Force and a long-time advocate for better urban planning, has been working with a couple of friends to produce what looks like a major film festival on the topic of Better Cities.

This is what Chris had to say on Facebook:

It’s a film festival that tells inspiring stories about making cities, towns, and neighborhoods better. This year it is a virtual festival, so my friends you can watch any of the 80 films from over 26 countries wherever you live in the world. We’ve got great feature films (Jane Sweeney check out City Dreamers!), and amazing short films organized into the following categories (which we give a best film award to): Better Communities, Better Economies for All, Better Environment, Better Transport, Better Planning and Design, Better Technology and Innovation. And this year we have some special categories: Architecture & Cities, Bicycling & Cities, Engineering & Cities, Housing & Cities, Next Generation & Cities, Water & Cities, and World Games & Cities.

The dates are Oct. 8-11, but you have 7 days to watch the films after you’ve logged in to watch your first film.

Here’s the Better Cities Film Festival 2020 website. It looks to us like it would take more than 7 days to work through this list, but who knows? There’s a pandemic on…

FEATURE FILMS

City Dreamers

Detroit 48202: Conversations Along a Postal Route

Dreamhood

MOTHERLOAD

Priced Out

The Great Disconnect

SHORT FILM BLOCKS

Better Communities

• GOOD WHITE PEOPLE: A Short Film About Gentrification, 
• The Liveable Regional Cities in Bangladesh Project 2019, 
• COLOSAL Cerro la Campana, 
• Entangled, 
• Windows, 
• Medellin in Paris, 
• Segregated By Design

Better Economies for All

• Working Cities Wednesday, 
• The Eastpoint Project, 
• GOOD WHITE PEOPLE: A Short Film About Gentrification, 
• Sustainable Development Training – Milan Food Policy, 
• Dehlight

Better Environment

• On the Fenceline: A Fight for Clean Air, 
• Nepal Ecocity Network, 
• There’s a Dinosaur on Oxford Street, 
• Detroit Hives, 
• Degrowth in the Suburbs, 
• Sustainable Development Training – Milan Food Policy, 
• Blue Goes Green: Net Zero Police Station

Better Planning & Design

• Briançon, 
• Living the Historical Center, 
• Urbanizing the Suburbs, 
• Entangled, 
• Utrecht: Planning for People & Bikes, Not for Cars, 
• Medellin in Paris, 
• Living Patrimony, 
• COLOSAL Cerro la Campana, 
• 5 Blocks

Better Technology & Innovation

• The Wilshire Grand Story: Tech Talk, 
• Starting Small: Open Data in Chile, 
• What the Hell is a Bluetooth Sniffer?, 
• GROWTH BELOW, 
• Pushing Zero

Better Transport

• Rhythm’s Gonna Get Ya, 
• The Innovative Way Ghent Removed Cars From The City, 
• Age of Automobility, 
• Gentrification Express: Breaking Down the BQX, 
• ACT LA: The Problem of Public Transit in Los Angeles, 
• Last Stop For Lost Property, 
• Boober, 
• Spokespeople

Architecture & Cities

• Space Needle: A Hidden History, 
• Instruments in the Architecture: Building The Pianodrome, 
• DEAR ESTHER, 
• The Forest Tower

Award Winning films from UNHabitat Better Cities Film Festival @WUF10

• The Eastpoint Project, 
• There’s a Dinosaur on Oxford Street, 
• GROWTH BELOW, 
• Nepal Ecocity Network, 
• Knife Crime – Faith Inspired Awareness Campaign, 
• Briançon, Living the Historical Center, 
• Detroit Hives, 
• Pushing Zero

Bicycling & Cities

• Cycling Towards a Brighter Future, 
• “Hi-Wheel”, 
• There & Then, 
• Age of Automobility, 
• Bike to Dodger Stadium, 
• Boober, 
• The Bicycle Maker, 
• White Bicycle

Engineering & Cities

• Building Greener Cities, 
• Blue Goes Green: Net Zero Police Station

Housing & Cities

• Frances, 
• Piece of the Puzzle, 
• Outside the Sprawl, 
• Regeneration, 
• The People’s Struggle, 
• The Plummery, 
• Living Patrimony, 
• Segregated By Design

Next Generation & Cities

• Literacy for Environmental Justice: Cultivating Youth Leaders in Southeast San Francisco, 
• Rebel Bells, 
• Rainbow Walks: The First Trail, 
• Cycling Towards a Brighter Future, 
• Making our place, 
• The Bicycle Maker, 
• We Watch, We Think

Water & Cities

• #WaterChronicles, …I am Water, 
• By Way Of Canarsie, 
• King of the Manhattan Lap, 
• City Swim, 
• L’EAU EST LA VIE (WATER IS LIFE): FROM STANDING ROCK TO THE SWAMP

World Games & Cities

• The Discarded: A Tale of Two Rios, 
• White Elephants, 
• Vision 2030: Future of SoCal