Movies

Greenpeace, David Suzuki, Stephen Harper—and movies

by Craig Takeuchi on March 10th, 2015 at 1:41 PM
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      No, they're not all in the same room together—disappointingly.

      But this week is chock full of environmental events being held at local cinemas to check out.

      Last night (March 9), Sea Shepherd (founded by former Greenpeace member Paul Watson) presented a double-bill of documentaries about salmon: The Breach, Mark Titus' investigation into how environmental damage in Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington state is affecting wild salmon populations, and Scott Renyard's The Pristine Coast, about marine biologist Alexandra Morton's research into how fish farms are impacting salmon populations in B.C.

      Tonight (March 10), Greenpeace is holding a discussion at Vancity Theatre with the provocative title "Why Harper is Good for the Environment". It's subtitled "An evening of debate and solutions brought to you by Greenpeace".

      It starts at 5:45 p.m. and will feature not only Greenpeace Canada's executive director Joanna Kerr but also Greenpeace International's executive director Kumi Naidoo. They'll be joined by other leaders in the environmental movement to discuss issues about the environment, social justice, the government, and community engagement.

      The discussion will be followed by a screening of the 1991 Canadian thriller Clearcut (8:40 p.m.), introduced by Georgia Straight contributor Allan MacInnis. It stars Graham Greene as an aboriginal leader who takes revenge against a pulp-mill owner.

      But wait—there's more to add to your eco-activism calendar.

      On Friday (March 13), the documentary Merchants of Doubt (which screened at the Whistler and Victoria film festivals) starts its theatrical run at Cineplex International Village. Robert Kenner takes an indepth look at professional skeptics who are hired by corporations to talk to media as scientific authorities to argue against any concerns about tobacco, chemicals and food, and climate change.

      The renowned David Suzuki will be participating in post-screening discussions at the Saturday and Sunday 7:20 p.m. screenings (March 14 and 15) with DeSmog Blog cofounder James Hoggan. 

      Needless to say, the discussions promise to be lively and invigorating. If it doesn't get your worked up into wanting to take action, who knows what will?

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