I'm Kristen Bergren with the QC Environmental Film Series. After three great seasons, the QC Environmental Film Series planning committee members from River Action, Nahant Marsh, Sierra Club Eagle View Group, the Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities, and The Singh Family Foundation, were puzzled about one thing: why weren't we seeing more young people in attendance? We decided to reach out to the faculty advisors of environmental clubs in area high schools and colleges to offer them a chance to participate in our film series. Our hope was with student involvement, it would not only increase attendance by the younger generation but would also, enhance the experience of all QCEFS movie goers.
The clubs would be responsible for choosing a movie from a list of twenty current environmental films which cover a variety of genres: activism, energy, food sovereignty, land and water preservation, wildlife and social justice in the environmental movement. Besides hosting on the day of the movie, students would be in charge of creating a display to coincide with the theme of their film r about a club project, find a reflection speaker for after the movie discussion and help publicize their event. In turn, the QC Environmental Film Series committee would pay for screening rights, the venue fee and provide a $250 grant to each club.
Augustana College, Black Hawk College, North High School, and St. Ambrose University took us up on our offer and the QCEFS Student Plan-It Committee was formed. Last September we met with the faculty advisors and students to brainstorm how to attract more young people to our movies. Students had great suggestions that included aligning film dates with the school calendar and showing the movies on their school campuses.
Although the venues will be varied this season, the day of the week and starting time will be the same for all events. Movies will be shown on Sundays at 2 PM. the QC Environmental Film Series 2023 season will premiere on January 22nd with The Seeds of Vandana Shiva at the Figge Art Museum.
Jan. 29 My Garden of a Thousand Bees will be hosted by St. Ambrose's Green Life at the Galvin Fine Arts Center.
Feb. 5 Youth Unstoppable will be hosted by the North High Schools Green Team at the North High school auditorium.
Feb. 12 The Ground Between Us will be hosted by Augustana's Student Sierra Club at Augustana's Olin Hall auditorium.
Feb. 26 Black Ice will be hosted by Black Hawk College's Clean Sphere at the Figge Art Museum.
March 5 The Dead Sea Guardians will be hosted by the Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities at the Figge Art Museum.
Admission is $5 and a season ticket is $20. They can be purchased at the door or soon on the River Action website. There is no admission for My Garden of a Thousand Bees and Youth Unstoppable. This year, we are also offering sponsorships, for $50 to become part of our Film Crew to help support our expanded mission for the QC Environmental Film Series. It includes admission to all the movies and film crew members will have their names listed as a sponsor on our publicity. We are grateful to all who attend and look forward to seeing you at the movies next year!