SF Green Film Festival is pleased to present this special World Oceans Day screening of Chris Jordan's ALBATROSS - an intimate portrait of these magnificent seabirds on Midway island in the North Pacific Ocean.

FREE event, no ticket required.

This event is sponsored by the Green Stacks program of SF Public Library.

ALBATROSS

Artist Chris Jordan alit on Midway Island in 2009 to photograph the albatrosses that populate this small spot of land in the middle of the Pacific. Little did Jordan know that he would return time and again to Midway on a wildly challenging eight-year odyssey to tell the story of these remarkable birds and what they mean to him. This is not your textbook nature documentary, but rather a revelatory and existential examination of life, loss and love. Exquisitely beautiful, immensely touching and ultimately inspiring, Albatross takes us on a journey to this remote island that few people ever see. What we glean is a profound understanding of how our everyday material lives intersect with the natural world, even when it seems far away. ~ Mountainfilm

“A love story for our time from the heart of the Pacific.”

ALBATROSS explores the beauty and tragedy in the cycles of birth, life, and death of creatures that live in the middle of the ocean on Midway Island, thousands of miles away from the nearest continent. Director Chris Jordan describes the motivations of the Midway Project as a drive to “convey the intensely vivid sensual, emotional, and spiritual experience of being with [the birds] on the island.” The intimacy of the birds’ nurturing, poetic and cyclical lives is starkly contrasted by the shocking images portraying the devastation of the effects of an unhealthy ocean.

In defiance of the mass production, commercialization, and human consumption that lie at the root of the problem afflicting the albatrosses, Jordan is releasing ALBATROSS as a public art project. “One thing I can do is to give my eight-year labor of love as a gift to the world, as a gesture of trust in doing the right thing for its own sake.” The release of the film is bookended by Earth Day 2018 (April 22) and World Oceans Day 2018 (June 8). During this time, anyone can host a free screening of the film for their communities, culminating in a screening at the United Nations as part of their official World Oceans Day Program.

The plight of the albatross serves as a microcosm for the unintended effects of human action and consumption on our world. Jordan alludes to The Rime of the Ancient Mariner in the ALBATROSS trailer, drawing direct parallels between the poem’s albatross as a metaphorical curse and psychological burden, and the film’s ALBATROSS as a representation of the collective burden humanity must bear as a direct result of our actions.

ALBATROSS will spread to the world through hosted screenings, word of mouth, and social media. Follow our Instagram @greenfilmfest and help spread the message!

www.albatrossthefilm.com

(Chris Jordan, USA, 2017, 97 mins)

Dropped jaws, and shocked gasps filled the room at Tuesday night’s San Francisco premiere of Death by Design by Sue Williams.

The sold out screening produced by the San Francisco Green Film Festival, as part of Bay Area Science Festival, was a rude awakening for many in the room.

Sue Williams' documentaries are an in-depth look into the past, present, and future.

In her most recent production, Death by Design, she does an in-depth investigation into the electronics and technology companies and the harmful environmental and health effects that come with them on a global scale.

We all love – and live on – our smartphones, tablets and laptops. 

A cascade of new devices pours endlessly into the market, promising ever better communication, non-stop entertainment and instant information.

But can tech be made sustainably?

I've always considered myself pretty green.

Film entries for next year’s San Francisco Green Film Festival are coming in from across the globe.

The Festival may be over but we're planning more screenings of some of your favorite films.

Where to see or buy films from the 2015 Festival:

Congrats to Jean Hill, star of Divide in Concord, who has been recognized by the EPA at the 2015 Environmental Merit Awards ceremony.

Food is front of mind as we all come together with friends and family for Thanksgiving. Whether it's your old family recipe for pumpkin pie or a new take on turkey and all the trimmings, one things for sure, sharing food and traditions is what makes this holiday special.

Here are our top three Festival documentaries that have sharing and food at the heart of their story.