Author: Fraser

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About Water

About Water

Über Wasser

Austria, 2007, 82 min, 35mm
In German with English subtitles
North American Premiere

Directed By: Udo Maurer
PRODS: Erich Lackner, Anne Schroeder
SCR: Udo Maurer, Michael Glawogger, Ursula Sova
CAM: Attila Boa
ED: Udo Maurer

As effective as An Inconvenient Truth was, it only described a situation–it didn’t actually show it. About Water is (yet another) superb Austrian documentary that transports the viewer to far-flung parts of the globe and immerses them in environments they may never forget. Remarkable for the clarity of its images and sound, About Water is also clear on its intentions: simply to show what life is already like in places that have either too much, or too little, water.

Co-written by fellow documentarian Michael Glawogger (Megacities, Workingman’s Death), Udo Maurer’s timely and urgent film begins its story in Bangladesh, the biggest river delta in the world, where flooding constantly threatens one of the world’s densest populations. We have lots to learn from the way they handle the wet element. Next we travel to Kazakhstan’s Aral Sea where a monumental ship cemetery in the desert forms a surreal landscape. Idyllically jubilant Soviet propaganda films are counterpointed with the few remaining residents’ telling accounts of modernity gone wrong. Finally we travel to the immense and colourful human beehive of one of the largest slums in Africa, the Kibera district of Nairobi, Kenya. Here we witness the day-to-day struggle, strength and spirit of the busy residents. These are people whose lives may well stand for a majority of the world’s population before too long…

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Uncategorized

Thanksgiving an important seasonal ritual

I love celebrations that serve to remind us about important aspects of our lives. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day celebrate two of the most important people in our lives while Earth Day reminds us to take care of the planet we depend on for our survival.
But seasonal celebrations are too often overlooked in our modern, fast-paced urban world. With the days getting shorter, the kids back in school and most everyone back to work; autumn is a time when we start spending more and more of our lives indoors. We flick on electric lights, fire up the furnace, turn on the TV and often forget about our biological roots and our connections to nature and the seasons.

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Education and Learning

The 2008 Green Reel Environmental Film Festival is now accepting submissions!

The GREEN REEL ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL is a two-day event held annually in Vaughan, ON, that serves both as a showcase for environmentally-themed productions and as an awareness forum for community green groups.
Our event is dedicated to promoting environmental causes in our community using film as a medium to share information.

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Natural Resources Management

Stupid to the Last Drop: How Alberta Is Bringing Environmental Armageddon To Canada (And Doesn’t Seem To Care)

Stupid to the Last Drop: How Alberta Is Bringing Environmental Armageddon To Canada (And Doesn’t Seem To Care) is written by bestselling investigative journalist who takes a tour of the Alberta oil and gas industry, revealing how Canada’s richest province is squandering our chance for a sustainable future.
Richard Helm of the Edmonton Journal writes, “In his examination of Alberta’s oil and gas industry, author William Marsden puts a fascinating focus on Fort McMurray and the oilsands and the runaway development there, and I have to say it’s a fairly dispiriting, entirely convincing report.”
Marsden and his book are also mentioned in a Maclean’s article (Oct. 8th, 2007 issue) – DOOMSDAY:Alberta Stands Accused (p.20) – watch for it on newsstands.

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