Black Bear is back

Sunday’s ENVIROFEST is all environment, all the time

MILFORD, PA — The 2008 Black Bear Film Festival will take place from Friday, October 17 through Sunday, October 19. Films will shown at the Milford Theatre on Ann Street and at Grey Towers National Historic Site.

The festival will feature a wide variety of films from animated features to documentaries to shorts. Screenings at the Milford Theatre cost $8 in advance and $10 at the door for an individual film; a $200 Gold Pass provides admission to all films. Among the films to be shown at this venue are “The Girl Who Leapt through Time,” an animated fantasy (Saturday at 10:30 a.m.); “Daughters of Wisdom,” a documentary about Buddhist nuns in a remote area of Tibet (Sunday, 3:00 p.m.); and the thriller “The Poker Club,” filmed in and around Milford, which follows the spiral of violence, menace and mayhem that occur when a burglar intrudes upon four friends at their weekly poker game (Saturday, 8:35 p.m.). It will be followed by a discussion with Director Tim McCann.

On Sunday, October 19 ENVIROFEST will be presented at Grey Towers National Historic Site. ENVIROFEST is a provocative selection of free films with a focus on the environment, dialogues and information booths in three venues on the grounds of Grey Towers: The Pool Terrace, The Letter Box and The Bait Box (see sidebar).

This year’s ENVIROFEST, with additional sponsorship support from Clemleddy Construction, will explore the local food movement and energy—our consumption and conservation, alternative fuels, dependence on foreign oil and actions we can all take to make a difference, among other timely topics.

A free low-emissions biodiesel bus will be available all day on October 19 to shuttle filmgoers between BBFF’s main venue, the Milford Theatre, and ENVIROFEST at Grey Towers. Environmental film enthusiasts not riding the bio-diesel bus are welcome to use Grey Towers’ free public parking area. Picnicking is encouraged on the Grey Towers grounds and some refreshments will be available for a donation in The Bait Box.

Sabrina Artel’s Trailer Talk (www.sabrinaartel.com)—a combination live performance, community event and radio broadcast that centers around the tiny kitchen table of Artel’s 1965 Beeline trailer—will host discussions with filmmakers, activists and festival goers in the public parking area near the Grey Towers visitors center.

No reservations or tickets are needed for ENVIROFEST. There is no charge to attend.

For more information visit blackbearfilm.com or call 570/409-0909.

ENVIROFEST: Sunday, October 19

The Pool Terrace at Grey Towers

10:00 to 11:10 a.m.—“Opposable Chums: Guts & Glory at The World Series of Birding,” 65 mins. (2007). A nature documentary about an annual event that is equal parts scavenger hunt, science expedition and endurance test: New Jersey’s World Series of Birding, which generates millions of dollars for conservation.

11:30 AM to 1:15 p.m.—“King Corn,” 90 mins. (2007). A feature documentary about two friends, one acre of corn and the subsidized crop that drives our fast-food nation.

1:30 to 2:30 p.m.—“A Land Out of Time,” 55 mins. (2006). The gas drilling boom in the Rocky Mountain West, as seen by filmmaker Mark Harvey.

2:45 to 4:00 p.m.— Visual essay of the Upper Delaware River region by Pat Carullo, 10 mins. (2008); then, clips from “The Rage of Nature,” 30 mins. (2008).

The Letter Box at Grey Towers

10:00 to 11:15 a.m.—“Good Food,” 57 mins. (2008). The comeback of family farms in the Pacific Northwest.

11:30 to 11:50 a.m.—“Toast,” 12 mins. (1974). Illustrating our underlying dependence on fossil fuels.

12:00 noon to 1:15 p.m.—“Kilowatt Ours: A Plan to Re-Energize America,” 55 mins. (2007). What would you find if you traced the wires from your light switch to their energy source? Mountaintop removal, childhood asthma or hope?

1:30 to 2:30 p.m.—“Transforming Energy,” 60 mins. (2007). A documentary about the hope of alternative energy as a solution to the problems of global warming and the end of cheap oil and gas.

2:45 to 4:30 p.m.—“The Greening of Southie,” 80 mins. (2007). The story of Boston’s first LEED-certified residential green building, and the men and women who bring it to life.

The Bait Box at Grey Towers

All day: informational booths by a variety of environmental organizations including Damascus Citizens for Sustainability ( damascuscitizens.org ), the Delaware Highlands Conservancy ( delawarehighlands.org ), the The Eagle Institute ( eagleinstitute.org ) and many more.