Sustainable Rossmoor’s Film Series
Each month we highlight one or more films that inspire or advocate for environmental causes around the world. We choose films that educate us about the breadth and depth of sustainability and prompt us to make better choices. All movies will be shown in the Peacock Theater. The standing featured movie time is on the second Wednesday of each month at 7pm. English subtitles will be shown whenever available.
Many of the movies previously shown as part of the SR Film series have been donated to the Rossmoor Library and can be checked out by residents. Ask at the front desk for information on recent donations and the location of the SR collection.
December 13, 2017
ECO-COMEDY SHORTS: light-hearted short films with environmental themes
WHEN: Wed, Dec 13, 7:00-8:30 pm; WHERE: Peacock Hall
DESCRIPTION: Serious laughs: environmental short films that provoke thought . . . and chuckles!
A special evening of light-hearted short films on a variety of environmental topics will be presented by Sustainable Rossmoor. Clever, amusing, and funny perspectives on promoting a healthy planet can sometimes give pause . . . and lead to reflection.
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BECOMING CALIFORNIA: Environmental Change on America’s Western Edge
November 8, 2017
On Wednesday, November 8, at 7:00 PM in Peacock Hall at Gateway, Sustainable Rossmoor will sponsor BECOMING CALIFORNIA, an Emmy-Award winning public television documentary about environmental change on America’s western edge. Narrated by Jane Fonda and with original music by Pat Metheny, the film shows how the needs of nature can be reconciled with the demands of civilization.
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CIRCLE OF POISON: October 4th, 2017
Four Rossmoor organizations – the Vegan Club, Garden Club, Wellness Club, and Sustainable Rossmoor Club – co-sponsor CIRCLE OF POISON. On Wednesday, October 4th at 7:00 p.m. in Peacock Hall at Gateway, this surprising documentary will reveal a very disturbing practice. It will show that many pesticides are banned in the United States because they are exceedingly dangerous to human health, animal health, and are extremely harmful to the environment. And yet many of these banned pesticides are still manufactured in 23 states in our country – but only for export. US law allows these harmful pesticides – prohibited here – to be sold around the world to less developed nations where they are used to grow coffee, tea, fruit, and other products. The toxic substances, sprayed on crops, cause enormous devastation. But ironically, and tragically, these toxic pesticides circulate the globe and come back to the US as residues on imported food. This is the “Circle of Poison.” READ MORE > > >
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SYRIANA: October 11th, 2017
Sustainable Rossmoor will present the movie SYRIANA on Wednesday, October 11 at 7 pm in Peacock Hall. The movie focuses on petroleum politics and the global influence of the oil industry. Big Oil’s political, economic, legal, and social effects are felt worldwide from the players brokering back-room deals in Washington to the men toiling in the oil fields of the Persian Gulf. This thriller weaves together multiple storylines that show the human consequences of the fierce pursuit of wealth and power.
A career CIA operative (George Clooney) uncovers the disturbing truth about the work to which he’s devoted his life. An up-and-coming oil broker (Matt Damon) faces an unimaginable family tragedy and finds redemption in his partnership with an idealistic Gulf prince. A corporate lawyer faces a moral dilemma as he finesses the questionable merger of two powerful U.S. oil companies, while across the globe, a disenfranchised Pakistani teenager falls prey to the recruiting efforts of a charismatic cleric. Each plays their small part in the vast and complex system that powers the industry, unaware of the explosive impact their lives will have upon the world.
Clooney won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role, and Stephen Gaghan’s script was nominated by the Academy for Best Original Screenplay. The film is R rated for violence and language. Subtitles in English. An optional discussion follows.
A SEA CHANGE: September 13, 2017
On Wednesday, September 13th at 7 pm in Peacock Hall, Sustainable Rossmoor will show A SEA CHANGE. The film takes the audience on a journey to explore the sources of the declining state of the world’s oceans. A young boy, his grandfather, scientists, and entrepreneurs look at the causes, the results, and possible solutions for ocean acidification, bringing a crucial and little-known issue to the attention of film-goers.
Sven Huseby, a retired educator, connects with his grandson, Elias, through their mutual fascination with underwater mysteries. Sven travels to some of the globe’s most gorgeous locales, trying to thread his way through the science and sociology of the oceans, a journey that takes him to Northern California, Alaska and the farthest reaches of arctic Norway, where his ancestors were born. Fishing was their life. There’s lots of breathtaking footage of the natural world, from the tiniest pteropod (the fluttery, planktonic sea snail that is most threatened by acidification) to the most majestic Norwegian scenery. Ocean acidification is the result of carbon dioxide combining with water and making carbonic acid. The carbon dioxide released by cars and trucks, and the burning of other fossil fuels dissolves in the sea, thereby fatally changing its chemistry. READ MORE > > >
THE GARDEN: August 2, 2017
Sustainable Rossmoor and the Rossmoor Vegan Club are once again co-sponsoring an outstanding movie. On Wednesday, August 2nd at 7 p.m. in Peacock Hall at Gateway, the two clubs will present “The Garden.”
The Garden has the pulse of verité with the narrative pull of fiction, telling the story of the country’s largest urban farm, backroom deals, land developers, green politics, money, poverty, power, and racial discord. The film explores and exposes the fault lines in American society and raises crucial and challenging questions about liberty, equality, and justice for the poorest and most vulnerable among us. Director Scott Hamilton Kennedy captured the very souls of the gardeners, and the cinematography is so exquisite we can just about taste the fruit and smell the flowers. The 80 minute long film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary of 2008. It has won more than a dozen international awards. Captions. All Rossmoor residents and their guests are invited. A raffle will be held before the film. Also, gardeners are encouraged to bring their home-grown produce to swap.
MERCHANTS OF DOUBT: August 9, 2017
On Wednesday, August 9th at 7 pm in Peacock Hall, Sustainable Rossmoor will show MERCHANTS OF DOUBT — a satirically comedic and illuminating journey into the heart of American spin. We meet highly charismatic, silver-tongued pundits who present themselves in the media as scientific authorities – yet spread misinformation and confusion about public threats ranging from toxic chemicals such as asbestos, DDT, and nicotine to pharmaceuticals and acid rain, ozone, and global warming. We learn how modern propaganda machines have become very polished.
The film is 93 minutes, with an optional discussion following. All Rossmoor residents and their guests are invited.
JULY: Saving the Bay, Part 2 (2009)
Narrated by Robert Redford, we see the geologic formation of our Bay after the last Ice Age and follow its transformation through years of catastrophic exploitation, ending with the restoration efforts of today. Read More Here:
JUNE: Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story
In June, Sustainable Rossmoor and the Rossmoor Vegan Club jointly sponsored Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story. It’s won over a dozen international awards.
What does food have to do with Climate Change? Why would we want to buy cosmetically challenged produce? How can a person eat healthily in the US for an average of $17/mo without raising it? And have plenty extra to share?
Join a young film-making couple as they follow the story of food waste on a massive scale to food rescue programs. See some of the 40% of the food grown or raised in the US that is never eaten. For example, suppliers throw out tons and tons of perfectly edible fruits and vegetables – from 20 to 75 percent of a harvest, valued at billions of dollars.
The good-humored couple decide to conduct an experiment to eat only discarded food for six months; their enthusiasm for this treasure hunt is infectious. They bring home more than $20,000 worth of wasted food. Read More Here:
Queen of the Sun What Are the Bees Telling Us?
May 10, 2017 7pm
“This is a remarkable documentary that’s also one of the most beautiful nature films I’ve seen” described Roger Ebert. This film poetically balances a sense of urgency about the global bee crisis with hope and inspiration. It earned a 97% rating from Rotten Tomatoes critics, and nearly a dozen international awards.
Filmmaker Taggart Siegel takes us on a journey through the mysterious world of beehives and their catastrophic disappearance. He explores the precarious world of the bees through interviews with beekeepers and global experts, helping unravel the multiple factors behind bee colony collapse. Read More
Saving the Bay, Part 1 (2009)
April 12, 2017, 7 pm
Narrated by Robert Redford, we see the geologic formation of our Bay after the last Ice Age and follow its transformation through years of catastrophic exploitation, ending with the restoration efforts of today. Read More Here:
Part 2 will be shown at a later date.
Racing To Zero, in Pursuit of Zero Waste (2014)
March 8th, 2017, 7 pm
San Francisco’s Recology waste collection program sets an example for the nation by achieving over 95% diversion from landfill. This quick moving, upbeat documentary provides solutions to the growing global problem of waste management. Interestingly. the facility powers its operations from its large scale composting center of collected city waste. Enjoy this testament to what one city has done to solve a growing global issue. Co-sponsored by RecycleSmart (Rossmoor’s recycling collection service). Read More Here
Deepwater Horizon ( 2016)
February 8, 2017 Two Showings: Noon and 7pm
Sustainable Rossmoor will screen DEEPWATER HORIZON on Wednesday, February 8th at both 12 Noon and 7 pm in Peacock Hall. This emotionally intense film depicts the catastrophe of April 20, 2010, when the largest and deepest oil rig in the US exploded forty miles off the coast of Louisiana. Eleven were killed and 17 severely injured. The tragedy also resulted in the world’s largest marine oil spill – avoidable had it not been for British Petroleum’s greed and impatience. Read More Here
Erin Brockovich (2000)
January 11, 2017, 7 pm
A novice (Julia Roberts) uncovers moral and legal environmental corruption as she assists her new boss (Albert Finney), an attorney, in winning a landmark case. Read more here
