The Department of Parks and Recreation announces that Family Movie Night sponsored by Soccer with Aldwin will be outdoors at the Bendheim Western Greenwich Civic Center on Monday, August 22, 2011. There will be a rain date on Tuesday, August 23, 2011.

Come to the Civic Center at 7pm, and have a picnic while the children play and have fun jumping in Aldwin’s bounce houses and playing fun games of soccer.  At approximately 8:00 pm the movie Toy Story 3 will be shown on a large 9’ x 12’ screen.  Come early, bring a picnic dinner (no barbecues please), a blanket, Frisbee, wiffle ball and bat, and enjoy a movie under the stars.
For more information please call The Bendheim Western Greenwich Civic Center at 203-532-1259, or visit www.greenwichct.org.

Audubon Connecticut/Audubon Greenwich
613 Riversville Road
Greenwich, CT 06831
203-869-5272 x239

Friday, May 27, 2011
6:00-9:00 pm

PLAY AGAIN – A film about ‘Nature Deficit Disorder’

(wine & cheese reception at 6 pm)

What are the consequences of a childhood removed from nature? Come watch our ‘screen’ and learn from top experts who discuss the toll this is taking on youth. This emotionally moving and humorous documentary follows six teenagers who, like the “average American child,” spend five to fifteen hours a day behind screens. PLAY AGAIN unplugs these teens and takes them on their first wilderness adventure – no electricity, no cell phone coverage, no virtual reality.

Through the voices of children and leading experts including journalist Richard Louv, sociologist Juliet Schor, environmental writer Bill McKibben, educators Diane Levin and Nancy Carlsson-Paige, neuroscientist Gary Small, parks advocate Charles Jordan, and geneticist David Suzuki, PLAY AGAIN investigates the consequences of a childhood removed from nature and encourages action for a sustainable future.

To see a trailer and learn more about the event, visit our event website: http://greenwich.audubon.org/Programs_SpecialEvents_PlayAgain.html

Film suitable for all ages. $12/adult. Youth & Environmental Educators are welcome, free of charge.
Reception: 6-7 pm. RSVP required for all film events to Jeff: 203-869-5272 x239 or email<mailto:jcordulack@audubon.org>.  Audubon Greenwich, 613 Riversville Road, Greenwich, CT.
*****

What they do not know, they will not protect. And what they do not protect, they will lose. -Charles Jordan, PLAY AGAIN
Everyone should see this film! – Richard Louv, Author of Last Child in the Woods
A festival of wisdom! – Bill Bigelow, Rethinking Schools
Thank you for making a film that inspires everyone, but judges no one. – A young biologist and gamer, Orem, Utah

FILM SYNOPSIS
One generation from now most people in the U.S. will have spent more time in the virtual world than in nature. New media technologies have improved our lives in countless ways. Information now appears with a click. Overseas friends are part of our daily lives. And even grandma loves Wii.

But what are we missing when we are behind screens? And how will this impact our children, our society, and eventually, our planet?
At a time when children play more behind screens than outside, PLAY AGAIN explores the changing balance between the virtual and natural worlds. Is our connection to nature disappearing down the digital rabbit hole?

This emotionally moving and humorous documentary follows six teenagers who, like the “average American child,” spend five to fifteen hours a day behind screens. PLAY AGAIN unplugs these teens and takes them on their first wilderness adventure – no electricity, no cell phone coverage, no virtual reality.

Through the voices of children and leading experts including journalist Richard Louv, sociologist Juliet Schor, environmental writer Bill McKibben, educators Diane Levin and Nancy Carlsson-Paige, neuroscientist Gary Small, parks advocate Charles Jordan, and geneticist David Suzuki, PLAY AGAIN investigates the consequences of a childhood removed from nature and encourages action for a sustainable future.

BACKGROUND
Seventy years ago, the first televisions became commercially available. The first desktop computers went on sale 30 years ago, and the first cell phones a mere 15 years ago. During their relatively short tenure these three technologies have changed the way we live. Some of these changes are good. Television can now rapidly disseminate vital information. Computers turned that flow of information into a two-way street. Cell phones enable unprecedented connectivity with our fellow human beings.

And the merging of cell phones and the internet has even allowed protest movements, like those in Iran, to organize and thrive. But there’s also a down side. For many people, especially children, screens have become the de facto medium by which the greater world is experienced. A virtual world of digitally transmitted pictures, voices, and scenarios has become more real to this generation than the world of sun, water, air, and living organisms, including fellow humans.

The average American child now spends over 8 hours in front of a screen each day. She emails, texts, and updates her status incessantly. He can name hundreds of corporate logos, but less than ten native plants. She aspires to have hundreds of online friends, most she may never meet in person. He masters complicated situations presented in game after game, but often avoids simple person-to-person conversation. They are almost entirely out of contact with the world that, over millions of years of evolution, shaped human beings – the natural world.

The long-term consequences of this experiment on human development remain to be seen, but the stakes couldn’t be higher. By most accounts, this generation will face multiple crises – environmental, economic and social. Will this screen world – and its bevy of virtual experiences – have adequately prepared these “digital natives” to address the problems they’ll face, problems on whose resolution their own survival may depend?

As we stand at a turning point in our relationship with earth, we find ourselves immersed in the gray area between the natural and virtual worlds. From a global perspective of wonder and hope, PLAY AGAIN examines this unique point in history.

The Dept of Parks and Recreation announces that it will be offering an intensive film making camp this summer.  The camp will meet Monday – Friday, 1 pm to 4 pm, from July 5 – 15 for Film making/Acting, and Special FX.  It will meet Monday – Friday, 1 pm to 4 pm from July 5 – 8 for Screen writing.

Join the award-winning Filmmaker instructors of Filmmakers Ink.  The camp will consist of programs in Film making/acting, Screen writing, and Special FX.  Filmmakers Ink offers a university film program experience in a camp setting.  Make friends, make movies, have fun.

Under the direction of award-winning filmmaker, Patrick McCullough, Filmmakers Ink has set itself apart from other film camps with their attention to storytelling through digital media.  Filmmakers Ink is staffed by working filmmakers who create docs, animation, comedy, shorts, and independent features.  Variety Magazine has cited a film of Patrick McCullough’s for its “Astonishing integrity.”

For more information, or to receive a registration form, call, or stop by The Bendheim Western Civic Center at 203-532-1259, or download a flyer at www.greenwichct.org.

CONNECTICUT MARINE BIOLOGIST FEATURED IN IMAX FILM “DOLPHINS”

The marine biologist featured in the IMAX movie “Dolphins” will discuss her research and the making of the film during a special lecture on Thurs., June 9 at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk.

Dr. Kathleen Dudzinski, a native of Meriden, CT, is one of the researchers featured in “Dolphins,” which will play at The Maritime Aquarium from May 27 through Aug. 31.

Her June 9 talk will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be followed by a screening of the Academy Award-nominated film.

Dudzinski studies dolphin communication and developed a unique video-audio recording device that helps to isolate which dolphins in the wild are making whistles, clicks and other vocalizations. “Dolphins” puts audiences in the water with her as she records Atlantic spotted dolphins in the Bahamas and then analyzes her results in the lab.

She previously has said she agreed to be involved with “Dolphins” because the filmmakers were more interested in the facts about the marine mammals than about the “mythical” ways that dolphins often are portrayed in the media.

Also, she added, “Too often I think scientists can forget that somehow they have to relate what they do to the general public. Because if I can’t share the wonder of what I’m doing and what I’m learning about dolphins with everyone – not just with colleagues – then there’s really no point in doing it.”

Dudzinski is now director of the Dolphin Communication Project (DCP), based in Old Mystic, CT.  She also conducts research on three groups of dolphins in both captive and wild environments, and oversees research conducted by graduate students from five universities who collaborate with DCP.

She has written several books, including “Dolphin Mysteries: Unlocking the Secrets of Communication,” written with colleague Toni Frohoff, and a children’s book, “Meeting Dolphins – My Adventures in the Sea.” She also has consulted on several documentary films, magazine articles and other projects.

Dr. Kathleen Dudzinski attended The University of Connecticut, graduating as University Scholar with a B.S. in the Biological Sciences in 1989. She completed and was awarded her doctorate in Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences with a focus on Dolphin Communication and Behavior in 1996. She was awarded a National Science Foundation Three Year Pre-doctoral Fellowship in 1990 and began graduate studies with Dr. Bernd Würsig and the Marine Mammal Research Program at Texas A&M University that September.

With guidance from Würsig and Dr. Christopher Clark of Cornell University, she designed and built a new system for simultaneously recording the behavior and vocalizations of dolphins underwater. For this work, Dudzinski received the Fairfield Memorial Award for Innovative Research at the 10th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals in 1993.

Tickets for Dudzinski’s lecture and the IMAX film are $15 for adults and $12.50 for children age 2-12. Maritime Aquarium members receive $2 discounts.

Reserve tickets by calling The Maritime Aquarium at (203) 852-0700, ext. 2206.  Or go online to www.maritimeaquarium.org.

“Dolphins” will play from May 27 through Aug. 31 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily. It’s narrated by actor Pierce Brosnan and has music by Sting.

Special Events 2011

For more information and tickets, visit http://www.focusonfrenchcinema.org

Aububon Greenwich
613 Riversville Road
Greenwich, Connecticut
Friday, February 25, 2011
6:00-9:00 pm

A FRIDAY NIGHT FILM EVENT:

“InGREEDients” ~ a film about the many additives in food with Special Guest Speaker, Dr. Madhu Mathur

Do you know what is in the food you eat on a daily basis? Do you know what partially hydrogenated oil is? What does zero grams of trans fat per serving really mean? If you eat food then you have to see this movie.

The documentary film inGREEDients took the independent film festival circuit by storm, winning several awards and was accepted at top international festivals. The film connects diet and health; teaches how to read a food label; and uncovers some scary truths about our food supply. Ride along on this culinary roller coaster as David sets the table with a cornucopia of leading researchers and the most respected scientists and healthcare professionals in the world. What you will discover is an alarming connection between what you put in your mouth and some of the most disgusting, unpalatable and life-threatening ailments known today! Plus, Dr. Madhu Mathur, Director of the KIDS’FANS Wellness Program; Medical Director of the Medical Home Initiative Southest CT; and the Chair of the Obesity Task Force; for Stamford Hospital, will be the special guest speaker and take questions from the audience.

Space is limited & RSVPs required. $15 for adults. Under 21 years old: $5. Includes a wine & cheese reception from 6-7 pm.  RSVP to Jeff Cordulack: 203-869-5272 x239 or email: jcordulack@audubon.org.  To buy discounted tickets for adults online for $12, visit:  http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/158490.

This film is not suitable for younger children but is suitable for older children and teens. For more information about the film and the event, visit: http://greenwich.audubon.org/Programs_SpecialEvents_InGREEDients.html or www.inGREEDientsMovie.com. To see the trailer for “inGREEDients”, visit: http://www.youtube.com/v/JZc9BeLA9VA. (Contains a few images not suitable for children or the faint of heart)

Hydrogenated Oils = Silent Killers

The three diseases most directly connected with the consumption of hydrogenated oil are heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. These afflictions are eventually deadly if one keeps consuming hydrogenated oils, but with some simple changes in food choices and a little bit of exercise, these diseases are extremely preventable. Partially hydrogenated oil, an artificial fat once seen as a cheap and healthy alternative to saturated fats, has been a staple in the food industry for decades. Because the fat stays solid at room temperature, it appears on the ingredient list of many mass-produced cookies, cakes and other grocery staples. But trans fat, a component of the oil, is actually more dangerous than the saturated fat it replaced, studies have shown. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, trans fats raise LDL or “bad” cholesterol levels, increasing your risk for coronary heart disease. Learn more about man-made food additiives at: http://www.dldewey.com/hydroil.htm

“This {hydrogenated oils} is really a toxic chemical that should not be in the food supply.” ~ Dr. Walter Willett,M.D., Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition and Chairman of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

“Two-thirds of these diseases, {heart disease and diabetes} would be eliminated if we consumed a healthier diet and exercised more”. ~ Dr.Meir Stampfer M.D., Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

FILM AWARDS:

Honolulu International Film Festival 01/09

Gasparilla International Film Festival 02/09

Silk Fest City Festival 10/09

The Indie Film Fest Awards 11/09

Naples Film Festival 11/09

Florida Choice Award 11/09

What you think you know about your diet and the food you eat is completely wrong…DEAD wrong! Registered nurse and “inGREEDients” filmmaker, David Burton knows.

About David Burton ~ Writer / Director / Editor of “inGREEDients”

Raised in the sticks of Southeastern Connecticut, David has always been amazed by the human body and how it functions. Burton received his Associates of Science degree in Nursing in 2005 and has since been working as a registered nurse in the hospital setting on medical, surgical, cardiac, and intensive care units. Filmmaking has always been a hobby of Burton’s, who moved to Land O’Lakes three years ago from Connecticut to be closer to his wife’s family. He’s produced short documentaries on beer and music festivals, but the 76-minute InGREEDients marks his first full-length film. For 2 years straight he was the President of the International Honors Society, Phi Theta Kappa, and named to the All-Connecticut Academic Team. Now living in Tampa, FL he continues working at a community hospital while pursuing his independent filmmaking career as President and Founder of Sir Rebel Films. David has shot, directed, produced, and edited three short films, two music videos and a documentary.

David has spent the past 2 years writing, directing, and editing the documentary inGREEDients, a film that has successfully blended his career as a health care professional with his passion for filmmaking. He is currently focusing all his efforts on getting inGREEDients into every school, health care center and home in America and plans to continue making movies that entertain and make a difference.

Audubon Greenwich
613 Riversville Road
Friday, January 28, 2011
6:00 – 9:00 pm

‘End of the Line’ – A film about unsustainable fishing and the future of the oceans

How is overfishing impacting the environment, our food, and our future? Rupert Murray dives deep to illuminate the cold truth about industrial pillaging of Earth’s oceans with his film, “The End of the Line”. This is the first major feature documentary film to reveal the devastating effect that global over-fishing is having on fish stocks and the health of our oceans. Filmed over two years, the film follows the indefatigable investigative reporter Charles Clover as he confronts the politicians and celebrity restaurateurs who exhibit little regard for the damage their policies-and their menus-are doing to the oceans.

Narrated by Ted Danson and endorsed by and with major marketing support from National Geographic, Greenpeace and the Waitt Family Foundation, “The End of the Line” is a must-see for all who love the ocean and its creatures. http://endoftheline.com/ (82 min.)

Space is limited and RSVPs are required. Suggested donation only $12 online or $15 at the door. Under 21 years old: $5 suggested. Includes a organic wine & local cheese reception from 6:00-7:00 pm. Contact Jeff Cordulack to check for RSVP availability. 203-869-5272 x239 or jcordulack@audubon.org.

To reserve your seat online, visit: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/144027

###

Synopsis

Debuting at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and playing in hundreds of cinemas, aquariums, and universities across the US and the United Kingdom, Rupert Murray’s THE END OF THE LINE is nothing short of the inconvenient truth about the devastating effect of overfishing on the world’s ecosystems. The first major documentary to reveal the extent of the crisis facing today’s oceans, THE END OF THE LINE challenges us to imagine a world without fish…period.

The New York Times calls it “vital”, “well-researched,” and “evenhanded ”: a film “that subverts our ancient faith in the ocean as an inexhaustible resource, offering a persuasive case that the major species of edible fish are headed for extinction.”

Filmed over two years, the documentary follows the indefatigable investigative reporter Charles Clover as he confronts the politicians and celebrity restaurateurs who exhibit little regard for the damage their policies—and their menus—are doing to the oceans. Taking us from the cod-depleted shores of the Atlantic to the Straits of Gibraltar and the coasts of Senegal, and on to the Tokyo fish market, THE END OF THE LINE sounds a powerful wake-up call to the world: If we continue fishing as we are now, we will see the end of most seafood by 2048.

Credits

Rupert Murray, Director: Rupert Murray directed and edited UNKNOWN WHITE MALE (2005), which was nominated for awards at the Directors Guild of America Awards, the Grierson Awards and the British Independent Film Awards. He has recently directed a feature length documentary OLLY AND SUZY: Two of a Mind, a film about two artists who paint dangerous predators in the wild.

Charles Clover, Author, The End of the Line:  Charles Clover’s book, The End of the Line, has been described as the definitive book on over-fishing, winning the Guild of Food Writers’ Derek Cooper Award for investigative food writing, an Andre Simon award for food writing, and the Zoological Society of London’s BIOSIS award for communicating zoology. Clover writes a weekly column in the Sunday Times and was Environment Editor of The Daily Telegraph, based in London, from 1988-2008.

Claire Lewis, Producer: Claire Lewis is the award-winning film and TV producer of the 7UP series with director Michael Apted.  Lewis also produced THE TRUCK OF DREAMS (2005), which won the World cinema award in Washington IDFF, 2006.

George Duffield, Producer: George Duffield has produced DOT THE I (2003), starring Gael Garcia Bernal, and MILK (1999), and has executive produced TONIGHT AT NOON (2008) and BLACK BOX (2007) and associate produced LIVE FREE OR DIE (2008). He is currently producing Rupert Murray’s OLLY AND SUZE (2009) for BBC’s Storyville and Journeyman (2009).

Christopher Hird, Executive Producer:  Christopher Hird is a founder of Fulcrum Productions and Dartmouth Films—a production company committed to documentaries that make a difference. In addition to executive producing THE TERROR AND THE TRUTH (BBC, 1997), the Grierson-winning BELONGING (2003), and BLACK GOLD (2006), Hird has most recently executive produced PIG BUSINESS, to be released in 2009.

Jess Search, Executive Producer: Jess Search is Chief Executive of the Channel 4 British Documentary Film Foundation and the BritDoc Festival.

The Campaign

A powerful and convincing call to action, THE END OF THE LINE, the film has three messages for consumers, citizens and companies:

Ask before you buy: Only eat sustainable seafood.

Tell politicians: Respect the science; cut the fishing fleet.

Join the campaign: Fight for marine protected areas and responsible fishing.

This winter, THE END OF THE LINE also launches an unprecedented FISH ‘n’ FLICKS restaurant campaign across The United States: a four-city tour of the film in screenings hosted by twelve of America’s most renowned and sustainability-conscious chefs. To learn more about the FISH ‘n’ FLICKS restaurant campaign, please contact: Anna Ghosh at annamghosh@gmail.com.

http://endoftheline.com

Perrot Library
at Binney Park

Perrot will be presenting its second Movie in the Park for this year, Born Free, on August 14th! Bring your picnic, your chairs, and enjoy an evening of entertainment at Binney Park!
Free event.

Born Free (Rated PG)
Saturday August 14th, 2010, at 8:30 PM
[Rain date: Sunday, August 15th]

The heartwarming story of a British couple who teach their pet lioness how to survive in the wilds of the African jungles. Joy and George Adamson involuntarily domesticate several lions while living in Kenya. They keep one, named Elsa, until she is fully grown, and rather than turn her over to a zoo, they decide to train her to live like a wild animal so that they can release her into her natural habitat. The film, based on Joy Adamson’s book, is poignant and emotional without ever becoming banal or overly sentimental.

Western Greenwich Civic Center
449 Pemberwick Road
Monday, August, 9, 2010

Free Outdoor Event

The entertainment will begin at 7:00 pm with The Amazing Andy thrilling the audience with a magic show. After the Magic Show at approximately 8:00 pm we will show the movie Kung Fu Panda on a large 9′ x 12′ screen. Come early, bring a picnic dinner (no barbecues please), a blanket, Frisbee, wiffleball and bat, and enjoy a movie under the stars.

For more information please call The Bendheim Western Greenwich Civic Center at 203-532-1259.