Green Movie Night has come and gone, and we emerged from all the complications and time restraints (relatively) unscathed. We definitely learnt from the experience, and understand a lot better steps to problem mitigation all event organizers inevitably have to face.

Even though it was a sizable audience, we are pretty sure many people did not get to see the short films we showed. For that purpose, here is a recap of the clips, found through the Internet.

Recap

The first four clips we showed were environmentally concerned advertisements, filmed by the Greenpeace foundation and other Green NGOs. This first one was focused on the dubious ethics of corporations such as Nestle, which require millions of gallons of Palm Oil obtained from deforestation to manufacture their products. Palm Oil is used in many industries, such as the food industry, cosmetics industry, Biodiesel, industrial applications, and many others. Indeed, global demand for the substance is astonishingly high, leading some to dub it “gold oil”. However, as the circle of life dictates, one man’s profit is another man’s (or animal’s) loss. This advertisement depicts this edict chillingly:

The next video continued in pretty much the same vein, making commentary against another multinational corporation called Unilever, which owns cosmetic brands amongst others like Dove, Lux and Sunsilk. In this one, the imagery varied a little further, moving from a stark juxtaposition of human life against animal death to a more nuanced and politicized view, depicting not only a senseless slaughter of animals but also the eviction and disruption of life for other people who live and depend on their forested lands. The little girl’s thousand yard stare pierces deep into the viewer’s very soul, forcing guilt and discomfort and an aversion of eyes. Very effective.

The next video is a collaboration between Greenpeace and the Forest Stewardship Council, and starring famous stars such as Ewan Mcgregor and David Attenborough. It shows a surburban white household cowering in fear as their house is demolished without their consent by chainsaws, and compare that to the horrors animals face everyday when their homes, ancient forests that take thousands of years to grow, are destroyed by logging companies.

The last short clip we showed was about African villagers who are increasingly caught in an ecological dilemma. Reap the profits of their fertile forests and risk killing their homes long term, or fight a battle they cannot win against deforestation and lose all hope of having a better life.

Here are a few more clips we could not afford to show due to time constraints!

Finally, we showed the main attraction. Green: the Film, is a film of moving images, with no dialogue; it uses a stark juxtaposition of music and images to make its meaning felt. There is a vague story arc focusing on a sick orang utan named Green, who was evicted from its home due to deforestation – accompanied by imagery of animals in the wilderness contrasted with scenes of massive deforestation, industrial factories and consumerism. A very powerful movie in its very message, but admittedly a little difficult to get into. It has a wonderful website, with lists of companies in various fields that engage in possibly unethical deforestation. Although the setting was on the forests of Indonesia, there is no doubt that this is a problem that extends beyond geopolitical boundaries, and concerns all of us. We all feel the effects of deforestation in global warming, increased prices of consumer goods, and agricultural complications.

After our showcase was another film done by filmmaker Allan Michaud. He has been living in Cambodia for over 10 years, and has a series of excellent films also about deforestation. Do check out his Youtube channel, as well as his blog articles over at his WordPress.

Finally, thank you for supporting our cause and together, we hope to educate more people about the environment and the benefits of preserving nature! Come check us out at our new Reddit page, and follow us on twitter @plantmoretreePR.