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Environmental Movie Week

Earth Week and Gravity Lounge are proud to present a limited series of movies on environmental issues as a part of the Earth Week Festival. Show times are 2 pm each day. Admission is free for under 18s, and a suggested donation of $5 for adults.

What's Playing

The Real Dirt on Farmer John
Wednesday, April 23, 2 pm
Sponsored by The Piedmont Virginian Magazine

Winner of the Sundance Audience Award, the Al Gore Award and 30 other film festival awards. The Real Dirt on Farmer John will turn every idea you ever had about what it means to be an American farmer, or an American dreamer, on its head. Meet Farmer John, the incredible human being whose inspirational story of revolutionizing his family farm and redeeming his own life has won accolades and awards at film festivals around the world. Director Taggart Siegel of Collective Eye made the film in a most unusual way - shooting farmer John Peterson over 25-years of their evolving friendship, and using multiple media, from 8 mm home movies to modern video -- allowing him to capture his alternately humorous, heartbreaking and spirited life with raw drama and intimacy.

Crude Impact
Thursday, April 24, 2 pm
Sponsored by Public Policy Virginia

Crude Impact is an award-winning documentary film which Chris Vernon of TheOilDrum.com called " a terrific film ... the best documentary I have seen on the subject." This feature film explores the interconnection between human domination of the planet, and the discovery and use of oil. Crude Impact has been an official selection at over 20 film festivals around the world and has won numerous awards, including the Best Environmental Feature Film at LA's 3rd Annual Artivist Film Festival. The film screened at the famous Egyptian Theater on Hollywood Boulevard.

Eat at Bill's
Friday, April 25, 2 pm
Sponsored by The Piedmont Virginia Magazine

Eat at Bill's: Life in the Monterey Market is a video documentary about the phenomenon that is the Monterey Market, a family owned produce market in Berkeley, CA. The focus is on Bill Fujimoto, the market's owner, whose enthusiasm and experience fuel the enterprise and illuminate the Market's wide world of small growers and diverse customers. The Monterey Market's single store supports many dozens of small (and formerly small) farms. Bill's determination to support the maximum number of small growers and his passion for connecting customers with the very best has attracted a small army of restaurant customers. Bay Area chefs know the Monterey Market's back room is the place to find the season's finest. A celebration of the Market's diverse network of customers and suppliers, this documentary highlights the best of what can happen to a local economy when you focus on "Buy[ing] Fresh, Buy[ing] Local."

Kilowatt Ours, followed by presentation by Al Weed
Saturday, April 26, 2 pm
Sponsored by UVA Green Grounds

Winner of the Southern Appalachia International Film Festival, Kilowatt Ours takes on the coal industry, which hits closest to Virginia's doorstep as we face the installation of the new plant in Wise County. The film opens with Vice-President Dick Cheney's energy policy speech in which Cheney makes the claim that America needs nearly 1900 new power plants in the next 20 years to meet projected electricity demands. From there, filmmaker Jeff Barrie takes viewers on a journey from the coal mines of West Virginia to the solar panel fields of Florida, as he discovers solutions to America's energy related problems.

Following the movie, alternative energy advocate Al Weed of Public Policy Virginia will give a presentation and lead a discussion on Virginia's energy future, with a focus on climate change.