Documentary-film lovers will have their fill in the 2010 collection at the Powell River Film Festival. As well as the films featured on Thursday and Friday, the Saturday program will be a full one, with lots of community participation and a light lunch available to tide you over.
HomeGrown, directed by Robert McFalls, introduces the Dervaes family who, on their urban homestead on 1/5 of an acre, have honed their intensive cultivation practices, increasing output to 6000 pounds of produce annually.
As much a portrait of an extraordinary family as an experiment in sustainable living, the film of the Dervaes’ struggle to live lightly on the land is a reminder that the future has a great deal to learn from the past. Possessed of a warm, humble spirit, HomeGrown is a gentle indication that we are only a few generations removed from the family farm, and that sometimes, the very best thing to do is go home again.
Preceding the feature, Jon Ornoy will present his short film Plastic Bottles, on an artist’s quest to make a difference. 10:00 a.m., Saturday, February 20th.
The horror, the poison and the appalling, vast wasteland we’ve created! These words easily come to mind as we witness the spectacle of the Athabasca tar sands, in Petropolis: Aerial Perspectives on the Alberta Tar Sands, directed by Peter Mettler. This film gives a spectacular bird’s eye view of the beauty and the grandeur of the north being irrevocably altered by our quest for oil. Slowly revealed through unforgettably stunning images, the magnitude of development can be comprehended only when seen from above.
Overburden, directed by Neil McArthur and Warren Cariou, complements the non-verbal aspects of Petropolis by giving voice to the Alberta aboriginal communities’ struggle in the face of one of the world’s largest and most destructive oil-recovery operations. 12:30 p.m., Saturday, February 20.
What do secrecy, police provocateurs, an assault on democracy and infringements on citizens’ rights have in common? The Security Prosperity Partnership. You, Me, & the S.P.P, directed by Paul Manly, exposes the latest corporatist agenda undermining the democratic authority of the citizens of North America.
Two processes, the Security Prosperity Partnership (SPP) and the Trade Investment Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA), are rapidly eroding and eliminating standards, civil liberties, regulatory systems and institutions put in place over generations through the democratic process. Proponents of the SPP and TILMA say that these agreements are needed to keep trade flowing, while opponents say they not only undermine the democratic authority of citizens but also threaten the sovereignty of the three participating nations. The big question asked: Just who benefits?
Director Paul Manly and local author Murray Dobbin will attend. 2:30 p.m., February 20.
Passes and tickets are on sale at Breakwater Books at 6812A Alberni, Armitage Men’s Wear, and the Festival Office at 201A - 7373 Duncan Street. For more information call 604 485 0325 or visit the website at
www.prfilmfestival.ca .
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