September, 2004 - Nr. 9
PLANET IN FOCUS PRESENTS
TWO GERMAN FILMS
Toronto, ON: July 20, 2004 - The fifth annual Planet In Focus: Toronto International Environmental Film & Video Festival (Tuesday, September 28th to Sunday, October 3rd, 2004) is pleased to present two touching documentaries: Waste Land, by Jens Schanze; and Brigitte Krause’s Cockroach Cocktail.
Jens Schanze’s Waste Land (Friday October 1, 7:00 pm. at Innis College, 2 Sussex Ave.) tells a heartbreaking story of twelve thousand people in the Rhineland brown coal area who, over the next 40 years, will be re-located to allow open-cast mining. They are given no choice, and while some are resigned to the impending dislocation others are determined to stay put. Stunningly photographed in black and white, Waste Land observes the citizens of three villages in their old homes over the course of a year. They are movingly articulate about what they expect to experience in their new locations where developers make all the rules.
Bridgitte Krause’s satirical documentary Cockroach Cocktail (Saturday October 2, 2:00 pm at Innis College, 2 Sussex Ave.) about the common cockroach guides the viewer through the world of one of the most hated but least understood insects on earth; a creature that shares our homes, offices, our space, but not our love. Professional and amateur cockroach experts – scientists, roach wranglers, rap artists, even the owner of a ‘Cockroach Hall of Fame’- share stories that range from the practical to the ridiculous in an effort to help you overcome your cockroach phobias. Winner of the Critic’s Prize at the International Environmental Film Festival in Goias, Brazil.
The Planet in Focus (PIF) festival includes stimulating discussions and workshops that seek to engage the public. Themes showcased this year include Environmental Racism, Indigenous People and Mining, Toxics and Health, Art and the Environment, and International Development; special programmes for Children, Youth and Families; and a workshop on Media Skills for Environmentalists.
Planet in Focus 2004 features a selection of 81
thought-provoking and entertaining films from Australia, Austria, Brazil,
Burkina-Faso, Canada, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India,
Italy, Japan, Kenya, South Africa, Sweden, the U.K. and the U.S.A, including
33 Canadian and 8 World Premieres. The festival will also screen a diversity
of genres – feature film, short drama, animation, and
GERMAN FILMS
AT PLANET IN FOCUS FESTIVAL
experimental works – a testimony to the artistic creativity of engaged filmmakers working with environmental themes.
To kick-off the PIF festival, activist, author, and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Dr. Helen Caldicott will be promoting her message of peace, education, and empowerment at a special launch event on Thursday, September 22, 7:00 p.m. (at the OISE Auditorium, 252 Bloor St. W.)
A complete PIF schedule is available at www.planetinfocus.org. Festival passes and individual tickets are available by calling (416) 531-8985. Festival passes are $60.00 and individual tickets ($10.00 for adults, $8.00 for seniors/students, and $3.00 for children
under 12) will be available at the screening locations. Tickets for the Opening Night Screening and Gala Party are $15.00 and $12.00 for the Launch event ($10.00 for seniors/students).
PIF is Canada’s only annual, international environmental film and video festival. Its mission is to promote the use of film and video as catalysts for reflection, discussion and appropriate action on the ecological and social health of the planet.
