Green Edge NYC and Solar One have teamed up for the fourth consecutive year to bring New Yorkers free outdoor films for two weekends this summer — August 18th, 19th & 20th and August 25th, 26th, & 27th. The 2011 Solar-Powered Film Series brings another round of exceptional films to Stuyvesant Cove Park, sponsored by Chapin Hill Advisors.
The first week’s selections, August 18, 18 & 20, will focus on food and urban agriculture — one of today’s hottest environmental topics. Along with films about dirt, the new urban farming movement and the genesis of the local food craze, the Eagle Street Rooftop Farm will be on site with a farm stand of fresh Brooklyn-grown produce, along with speakers from the Lower East Side Ecology Center, Build It Green and Just Food.
The second week will be more eclectic, starting with an evening with local bicycle activist and Friend of Solar One Matthew Modine, who will be showing a selection of his own short films on Thursday evening, August 25th. On Friday, August 26th Dirty Business will expose of the “clean coal” myth; and the final film of the Series, Saturday, August 27th, will be Home, a beautiful and inspiring look at Earth with gorgeous aerial photography and narration by Glenn Close.
About the Series
The Solar-Powered Film Series is the first in New York City to use the power of the sun to operate an outdoor “eco-theater”. The independent film venue integrates natural and human-made components of our urban environment creating the city’s “greenest” motion picture showcase. This free, six-evening program is held at Solar One’s outdoor location in beautiful Stuyvesant Cove Park and showcases a commitment to green energy by powering each screening with clean, renewable, carbon-free solar energy.
The series’ power to demonstrate the utility of renewable energy in the urban context has never been more relevant or important than it is today. Expect great entertainment paired with expert speakers and information regarding key green initiatives.
The Solar-Powered Film Series Line Up:
August 18 DIRT! The Movie
(2009, 86 mins)
Directed and produced by Bill Benenson and Gene Rosow, DIRT! takes you inside the wonders of the soil. It tells the story of Earth’s most valuable and underappreciated source of fertility—from its miraculous beginning to its crippling degradation. Narrated by Jaime Lee Curtis.
August 19 Urban Roots
(2011, 90 mins)
Produced by Leila Conners (The 11th Hour) and Mathew Schmid and directed by Mark Mac-Innis, the film follows the urban farming phenomenon in Detroit. Urban Roots is a timely, moving and inspiring film that speaks to a nation grappling with collapsed industrial towns and the need to forge a sustainable and prosperous future.
August 20 Food Fight
(2008, 83 mins)
A fascinating look at how American agricultural policy and food culture developed in the 20th century, and how the California food movement has created a counter-revolution against big agribusiness.
August 25 An Evening with Matthew Modine
A series of short films produced, written and directed by Matthew Modine.
Matthew Modine, political activist and a passionate environmentalist, is the founder of Bicycle For A Day (BFAD), a global initiative focused on promoting the use of bicycles for transportation to reduce carbon emissions and their poisonous effect on the environment. In addition, he is an internationally renowned actor, filmmaker, writer, photographer. Matthew will be introducing and answering questions about his short films, as well as signing posters and other memorabilia after the screening.
August 26 Dirty Business
(2010, 90 mins)
Can coal ever really be made “clean”? If we were to try to wean ourselves off coal, how would we keep the lights on? Is renewable energy ready for prime time? Dirty Business reveals the true social and environmental costs of coal power and explores the murky realities of “clean coal” technology.
August 27 Home
(2009, 93 mins)
Over the past 200,000 years, humans have upset the balance of planet Earth, a balance established by nearly 4 billion years of evolution. Through visually stunning footage from over 50 countries, all shot from an aerial perspective, Artist-Activist, Yann Arthus-Bertrand shows us a view of our world that most of us have never seen.
Each screening will be followed by a discussion of the issues presented in the films lead by local experts in the field.
The Solar-Powered Film Series is free and open to the public.
Doors open each night at 7:00 p.m., films begin at 8:30 p.m.
All films are screened outdoors at Solar One (23rd St. & the East River)
