Transitions Film Festival 2017

Transitions Film Festival 2017 Program

16 Feb - 3 March at Cinema Nova

"At times like this, it's important to remember that there are dedicated people making the world a better place. None of us are helpless and the films in the Transitions Festival will inspire you to get involved." - Corinne Grant, Festival Ambassador

Transitions Film Festival returns to Cinema Nova this February with an inspiring line up of world-changing documentaries. The festival kicks off on the 16^th of February and will tour to Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide. 
 
This year's program showcases films about innovation, activism and heroism, and covers a broad range of themes, including: ethical fashion, health and wellness, mindfulness, impact entrepreneurship, climate change, immortality, and the future of work and death in an age of automation.
 
The festival opens with the Victorian premiere of How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can't Change, the highly anticipated feature film from Oscar-nominated director of Gasland, Josh Fox, and closes with Power To Change: Energy Rebellion, a beautiful cinematic snapshot of the energy revolution taking place in Germany.
 
Other festival highlights include The Age of Consequences, which looks at the impacts of climate change through a military lens, Wastecooking, which follows a quirky and gregarious Austrian on an adventure tour around Europe as he prepares feasts from food-scraps in an attempt to change the food system, and There Will be Water, a fly-on-the-wall film about an ambitious engineer and his attempt to solve food and water crises in the desert by using solar power to desalinate sea water.
 
The festival will premiere four Australian feature documentaries, including: RAW, a beautifully uplifting story about two 60 year old Australians who attracted international media attention when they ran 366 consecutive marathons to promote the benefits of a raw vegan diet, The Bentley Effect, an empowering portrait of the Northern Rivers' successful resistance to fracking in NSW, Our Power, a harrowing look at the 45-day Hazelwood mine-fires and a communities transition to the clean energy economy, and Esteem, the latest film from Melbourne based filmmaker Peter Charles Downey, which explores the relationship between personal psychology and the environment. 

 
Water is a central theme, with several films exploring the threats faced by our most precious, life-sustaining element. RiverBlue takes viewers on a journey towards an ethical fashion industry that doesn't pollute rivers, A Plastic Ocean offers solutions to the heart-wrenching problem of ubiquitous plastic pollution and its impacts on the food chain, White Waves spotlights the heroic feats of the Surfrider Foundation and their quest to keep the seas clean, and What Lies Below follows the story of a blind fisherman as he tackles the problem of unsustainable fishing from a unique perspective.
 
The 2017 Festival also adds a new health and wellness stream, with the highly anticipated The Pursuit of Silence, director Patrick Shen's (Philosopher Kings) latest meditation on the power of noise-free moments, Planting the Seeds of Mindfulness, an exploration of how mindfulness can improve the lives and well-being of children, and H.O.P.E What You Eat Matters, a reflection on the benefits of a plant-based diet for animals, people and planet.  
Other highlights of this year's festival include a range of films that showcase the transformational power of new economic forces. The University paints a portrait of Ray Kurzwiel and Peter Diamandis' Singularity University, a school that aims to nurture students to create projects that will positively impact the lives of over a billion people in under ten years. The Chocolate Case follows an intrepid Dutch journalist as he attempts to have himself imprisoned for eating a bar of chocolate, and then goes on to create the world's first 'slave-free' chocolate bar. The New Economy explores and highlights the benefits of co-ops and The Future of Work and Death investigates the massive implications of a world where automation is ubiquitous and immortality is a reality.
 
The complete program includes over 25 feature documentaries as well as a speaker program featuring leading sustainability academics, artists and entrepreneurs. The Melbourne festival takes place as part of the Sustainable Living Festival Australia, which runs throughout February.
 
The Transitions Film Festival runs from the 16^th of February until the 3^rd of March at Cinema Nova.
 
The Transitions Film Festival is dedicated to showcasing inspirational documentaries about the social and technological innovations, revolutionary ideas and trailblazing change makers that are leading the way to a better world.
 
FULL PROGRAM (MELBOURNE)
  HOW TO LET GO OF THE WORLD AND LOVE ALL THE THINGS CLIMATE CAN'T CHANGE (VICTORIAN PREMIERE) THURSDAY 16 FEB, 7:00 >> CINEMA NOVA >> WITH MC CORINNE GRANT
In How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can't Change, Oscar Nominated director Josh Fox (Gasland) continues in his deeply personal style, investigating climate change – the greatest threat our world has ever known.
 
RAW (AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE) FRIDAY 17 FEB 6:30 & SAT 18, 12:30PM >> CINEMA NOVA >> FOLLOWED BY Q&A WITH FILMMAKER AND GUESTS INCLUDING PHILLIP WOLLEN (KINDNESS HOUSE) AND THE SUBJECTS OF THE FILM, ALAN MURRAY AND JANETTE MURRAY-WAKELIN.
Cancer survivor Janette and her partner Alan are an incredible demonstration of what is possible with the human body. This story follows the two raw food champions in their 60s as they break world records by running 366 consecutive marathons on a raw plant-based diet.
 
THE CHOCOLATE CASE (AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE) FRIDAY 17 FEB 8:45 >> CINEMA NOVA >> PRESENTED BY LUSH
The Chocolate Case follows the incredible journey of three intrepid Dutch Journalists, who after uncovering child slavery in the cocoa production chain, try to persuade large corporations to end the use of child labour. Rebuffed by the industry, and after failed attempts at self-imprisonment, they set out on a mission to develop the first 'slave-free' chocolate bar called -Tony's Chocolonely', now one of Holland's leading brands.
 
PLANTING SEEDS OF MINDFULNESS (AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE) SATURDAY 18 FEB 10:30 AM >> CINEMA NOVA
Planting Seeds of Mindfulness is a beautifully animated feature documentary based on the book by world-renowned meditation practitioner Thich Nhat Hanh, -Planting Seeds: Practising Mindfulness With Children'.
 
THE C WORD (AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE) SATURDAY 18 FEB 2:45 >> CINEMA NOVA
From Executive Producer Morgan Freeman, The C Word follows the powerful stories of celebrated French neuroscientist and cancer revolutionary Dr.David Servan-Schreiber and the film's director Meghan O'hara on their unconventional battles against cancer and their journeys from diagnosis to wellness. 
 
H.O.P.E. WHAT YOU EAT MATTERS (AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE) SUNDAY 19 FEB >> 12:30
Featuring Jane Goodall and Vanada Shiva, as well as health and environmental experts, H.O.P.E, What You Eat Matters, shows the benefits that plant-based diets can have on both people and planet.
 
PURSUIT OF SILENCE (AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE) SUNDAY 19 FEB 2:30 >> CINEMA NOVA
Beginning with an ode to John Cage's ground-breaking composition 4'33", In Pursuit of Silence takes us on an immersive cinematic journey around the globe – from a traditional tea ceremony in Kyoto, to the streets of the loudest city on the planet – and instantly inspires us to experience silence and celebrate the wonders of our world.
 
GENERATION STARTUP (ADVANCED PREVIEW) MONDAY 20 FEB 6:00 >> GENERAL ASSEMBLY>> FOLLOWED BY FORUM WITH THAT STARTUP SHOW AND OTHER STARTUP EXPERTS
Generation Startup takes us to the front lines of entrepreneurship in America, capturing the struggles and triumphs of six 'Venture for America' fellows who put everything on the line to build startups in Detroit, a city moving towards a new embodiment of innovation and prosperity.
 
RIVERBLUE (AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE) TUESDAY 21 FEB 6:30 >> CINEMA NOVA >>
Narrated by Jason Priestley, RiverBlue follows follows internationally celebrated river conservationist Mark Angelo on a round the world journey that uncovers the dark side of the fashion industry and the solutions to river pollution. 

WHAT LIES BELOW (AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE) TUESDAY 21 FEB 8:45 >> CINEMA NOVA
Lawrence Gunther, a blind graduate from York University's Master's program in environmental studies and a highly regarded speaker, writer and radio host on the subject of fishing and Canada's aquatic ecosystems, travels across Canada to explore what local people are doing to ensure the future sustainability of traditional fisheries.
 
THE FUTURE OF WORK AND DEATH (AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE) WEDNESDAY 22 FEB 6:30 >> CINEMA NOVA >> PRESENTED BY THE SCHOOL OF LIFE
With commentary from author Will Self, futurist and techno-philosopher Gray Scott, and biomedical gerontologist Aubrey de Grey, among a host of other knowledgeable and endearingly eccentric experts in their fields, The Future of Work and Death takes a fascinating look at the disruptive and transformational impacts that advances in automation, artificial intelligence and ageless immortality will have on our future.
 
SIGNS OF HUMANITY (AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE) WEDNESDAY 22 FEB 8:30 >> CINEMA NOVA >> PRESENTED BY THE BIG ISSUE
Artist and professor Willie Baronet has purchased more than 1,000 homeless signs over the past 22 years. During 2014, Willie and three companions drove across America, interviewing more than 100 people on the streets, and purchasing over 275 signs to create art installations and raise awareness about homelessness. Signs of Humanity is a film about that trip.
 
THERE WILL BE WATER (AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE) THURSDAY 23 FEB 6:30 >> CINEMA NOVA >> PRESENTED BY THE EU CENTRE ON SHARED COMPLEX CHALLENGES AND AND GRIMSHAW ARCHITECTS. FOLLOWED BY PANEL DISCUSSION
Bill Watts has a big idea: turn salt water into an energy source and use large desert areas to produce clean energy, food and water. This stunningly shot documentary follows the birth of The Sahara Forest Project, a bold, innovative and ambitious undertaking involving a saltwater-cooled greenhouse, concentrated solar power, and technologies for life-saving desert re-vegetation.
 
WHITE WAVES (AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE) THURSDAY 23 FEB 8:45 >> CINEMA NOVA
Featuring Surfers Against Sewage and the Surfrider Foundation, White Waves follows the personal stories of positive action, solutions and hope from surfers who are fighting to keep waves clean and beaches free from pollution.
 
WASTECOOKING (AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE) FRIDAY 24 FEB 6:30 >> CINEMA NOVA
David Grob, a fun-loving and gregarious food activist and cook, travels through five European countries in a van that runs on vegetable oil, creating beautiful dishes out of food that would otherwise go to waste.
 
REUSE BECAUSE YOU CAN'T RECYCLE THE PLANET (AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE) FRIDAY 24 FEB 8:30
Alex Eaves travels across 48 U.S. states in search of the best reuse solutions for our waste problem that are sustainable, creative, easy and fun!
 
ESTEEM >> SATURDAY 25 FEB 12:30 >> CINEMA NOVA >> FOLLOWED BY Q&A WITH FILMMAKER, PETER CHARLES DOWNEY
Victorian based filmmaker, Peter Charles Downey takes us on a personal and cathartic journey of empowerment, redemption, and powerfully healing cinema. Hurt people will hurt people, and hurt people will hurt the earth. But just as the pain of an artist can lead to brilliant creativity, so too can the pain of the world lead us to esteem.
 
OUR POWER (ADVANCED WORK-IN-PROGRESS SCREENING) SATURDAY 25 FEB 2:30 >> CINEMA NOVA, FOLLOWED BY Q&A WITH FILMMAKERS AND PANEL
Our Power is a Melbourne-made documentary about the Latrobe Valley community as they bear the brunt of the privatisation of Victoria's electricity in the 1990s and deal with the devastating Hazelwood mine fire of 2014. An emotional and intense roller-coaster that exposes the tragic impacts of the 45 day fire, the fundamental issues facing the community today, and their transition to a 'post-coal' world.
 
WHAT IT TAKES TO BE EXTRAORDINARY + GENERATION HOPE (AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE) SUNDAY 26 FEB 2:30 >> CINEMA NOVA >> PRESENTED BY DUMBO FEATHER
What It Takes to Be Extraordinary shares the story of one inspirational man ­– Nepal Orphans Home founder, Michael Hess – who is selflessly dedicating his life to educate, empower and care for impoverished children throughout Nepal. This screening will be followed by Generation Hope, a film which shows the extraordinary difference a daily meal at school can make to children growing up in some of the world's poorest communities.
 
A PLASTIC OCEAN >> TUESDAY 28 FEB 6:30 >> CINEMA NOVA
An exploration of the devastating impacts plastic is having on our oceans and our health and what we can do about it – before it is too late.
 
THE AGE OF CONSEQUENCES >> TUESDAY 28 FEB 8:45 >> CINEMA NOVA >> PRESENTED BY BREAKTHROUGH. INTRODUCED BY LUKE TAYLOR, DIRECTOR OF BREAKTHROUGH
From the directors of Requiem for the American Dream, The Age of Consequences unpacks how climate change stressors interact with societal tensions and function as 'catalysts for conflict'. The film highlights how business as usual on climate will lead to increased waves of refugees, failed states and terrorism, with grave implications for the 21^st century.
 
THE UNIVERSITY (AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE) WEDNESDAY 1 MARCH 6:30 >> CINEMA NOVA
Featuring Stephen Hawking, Peter Diamandis, Buzz Aldrin, Shimon Peres, Ashton Kutcher, will.i.am, Michio Kaku and more, The University tells the story of the students and faculty of Singularity University and its single mission: nurture students to create companies that will positively impact the lives of over a billion people in under ten years.
 
A NEW ECONOMY (AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE) WEDNESDAY 1 MARCH 8:45 >> CINEMA NOVA >> PRESENTED BY THE ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION
A documentary about people building a new way of making a living. Following the journeys of a Brewing Co-op, a Romanian laser physicist, and a social enterprise street farm, among others, the film shows how by rewarding human effort fairly and proportionately, instead of obsessing about the bottom line, these 'non-traditional' businesses are creating a more economically and environmentally sustainable future.
 
THE BENTLEY EFFECT (VICTORIAN PREMIERE) THURSDAY 2 MARCH 6:30 >> CINEMA NOVA >> FOLLOWED BY Q&A WITH THE FILMMAKER AND PANEL DISCUSSION WITH ALEX KELLY.
When the Northern Rivers community found their home being threatened by gas field industrialisation, a critical mass of citizens from all walks of life responded to the call.
Their deep love of the land led to a massive social movement and a historic showdown in Bentley, outside Lismore NSW.
 
FREIGHTENED (AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE) THURSDAY 2 MARCH 8:45 >> CINEMA NOVA
The newest film from veteran director Denis Delestrac reveals an audacious and gripping investigation of the many faces of globalised trade and the impacts of freight on climate change and ocean health.
 
POWER TO CHANGE: ENERGY REBELLION (AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE) FRIDAY 3 MARCH 7:00 >> CINEMA NOVA >> PRESENTED BY THE MELBOURNE SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY INSTITUTE >> FOLLOWED BY PANEL DISCUSSION
Throwing a spotlight on the inspirational personal stories of the heroes who have taken the responsibility for energy supply into their own hands, Power to Change is a beautiful and insightful portrait of the energy transition in Germany and what it may mean for the rest of the world.
 
http://www.transitionsfilmfestival.com/melbourne2017/
 
The Transitions Film Festival is visionary film festival dedicated to spotlighting the complex challenges, cutting-edge ideas, mega-trends and creative-innovations that are redefining what it means to be human. The Festival presents positive, solutions-focused films and showcase cutting-edge ideas from around the world, along with the creative, academic, governmental, community and business leaders who are creating change locally.

Melbourne: 16 February – 3 March
Sydney: 9 – 25 March
Brisbane: 23 – 26 March
Adelaide: 19 – 28 May
 
Melbourne: Cinema Nova, General Assembly
Sydney: Zenith Theatre, Hayden Orpheum, Cremorne, Dendy Newtown, Concourse Urban Screen
Brisbane: New Farm Cinema 
Adelaide: Mercury Cinema
 
www.transitionsfilmfestival.com
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http://www.transitionsfilmfestival.com/festival-trailer-2017/
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Sydney Program: Raw, How to Let Go of The World, A Plastic Ocean, Bringing Home the Light, Wastecooking, Power to Change: Energy Rebellion, The Chocolate Case, There Will Be Water, Riverblue
Brisbane Program: Riverblue, Power to Change, Energy Rebellion The Bentley Effect, The C Word, A Plastic Ocean