ALBANY GREENDOCS

These four documentaries showcase individuals and communities that are are actively working with the environmental changes and challenges that affect our planet. 

We welcome your tax-deductible donation of any amount and offer our thanks for your continued support.

Albany FilmFest is fiscally sponsored by Independent Arts & Media, a 501(c)(3) corporation, Federal Tax ID# 94-3355076. Your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Thanks to EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT and ARKIN TILT ARCHITECTS for underwriting this screening.

PROGRAM

Joan N. Hamilton, THE LONG GAME: HOW ROBERT DOYLE SHAPED THE EAST BAY (Documentary, 35:52) The story of Robert Doyle, a Concord, California, boy who loved gardening, worked for the East Bay Regional Park District, ended up making it the largest local park agency in the country, and helped keep the East Bay from becoming another sprawling Los Angeles. "We need to save the earth and save the planet," he says. “And what I found out is that by doing it at home, you can make a real big difference if you stick to it.”

Shannon Morall, SPEAR, SPATULA, SUBMARINE: FLORIDIANS FIGHT TO TAKE BACK THEIR WATERS (Documentary, 12:45) “Lionfish really are an underwater forest fire,” says ocean researcher Scott Cassell. “Nobody watches it. Nobody can see it from the shore.” With an avaricious appetite, no native predators, and rapid reproduction rates, these beautiful but invasive fish are one of the planet's greatest eco-disasters. In this short documentary about sustainability and activism, a community of passionate Floridians use creative removal methods to save the waters they love. Watch the trailer

John Richie, IRON SHARPENS IRON (Documentary, 28:03) The story of Ironton, Louisiana’s fight on several fronts: for better levee protection, for recovery from the destruction wrought by Hurricane Ida, and against the development of the Plaquemines Liquids Terminal (PLT) atop the community’s ancestral burial grounds. Filmmaker John Richie says, “Ironton has had to fight its entire existence, every step of the way, for services and resources most of us take for granted. I think their story begs the question: If we cannot assume even common decency now for every community out there, how will we ever steer the ship back to a sustainable future for all of us?” Watch the trailer Winner! Joseph Andre McCord Award for Social Justice and Racial Equity

Sarah Howard, CLIMATE BLUEPRINT (Documentary, 25:00) Dominica, a small island in the Caribbean, faces the onslaught of climate change while still reeling from the impacts of colonialism, slavery, natural resource extraction, and environmental degradation. This film explores a community imagining what a resilient future could look like if everyone gets behind this transformation, and how Small Island Developing States can be a model and resource for the rest of the world on climate ambition and resilient design. Winner! Best Short Documentary