The Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival (FLEFF), which spans several academic and non profit institutions in the region, is now based in the Division of Interdisciplinary and International Studies at Ithaca College. It was formerly housed at Cornell University.
Programmed by Christopher Riley, the festival is one of only seven environmental film festivals in North America. It screens films in a wide range of genres and from all over the globe. It is also the only environmental festival to combine interdisciplinary scholarly discussions on a wide range of environmental topics ranging from science, public policy, history, business, art, sociology, political theory and critical communication studies to create lively public forums.
Now in its eighth year, the festival runs from October 22 to 28, 2004. A gala opening night event will inaugurate the festival on Friday, October 22, in Park Auditorium.
The festival features over 30 films and 40 different screening events, each emphasizing audience discussion and debate. Screenings will be held on the Ithaca College, Cornell, Hobart and William Smith, Syracuse University, and Wells College campuses, as well as at other arts and educational non profit venues in the region.
A large number of screenings will be held during that week across all schools and divisions on the Ithaca College campus, as well as at Longview. Faculty speakers from history, politics, environmental studies, culture and communication, business, cinema and photography, journalism, organizational communications, learning and design, television/radio, sociology, and health policy studies will lead discussions after each screening. All Ithaca College screenings are free and open to the public.
As a special feature of this year's launch of the festival at IC, renowned environmental documentary filmmaker Judith Helfand will be the Culture and Communication Artist in Residence, doing retrospective screenings, master classes, and a workshop during October 25-28. Helfand directed two award winning environmental films, A Healthy Baby Girl and Blue Vinyl.
Another special feature of the festival's move to Ithaca College is a new one-credit mini course called Culture, Media, and the Environment. The mini course, offered through the culture and communication program, provides an experiential learning experience through attendance at festival screenings, participating in workshops with Judith Helfand, and connecting readings to the practice of the festival. It is open to students in all schools and divisions.
Major funding for the festival on campus is provided by the Division of Interdisciplinary and International Studies, the Office of the Provost, the Roy H. Park School of Communications, the School of Business, the School of Humanities and Sciences, Environmental Studies, Office of Multicultural Affairs, and Cinema on the Edge. Additional funding is provided by Cornell University.
For more information about the festival, contact Christopher Riley.
For more information about the festival on the IC campus and the mini course, contact Patricia R. Zimmermann.
Contributed by Patricia R. Zimmermann
