Greetings,
WHO:Standing Rock Cultural Arts presents
WHAT: THE 19TH ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL
-Short Environmental Films from around the world
-Featured Short on the Removal of The Gorge Dam with special guest, Elaine Marsh, watershed specialist for Summit Metro Parks
WHEN: SATURDAY, APRIL 12, 2025 7-9pm.
WHERE: SRCA GALLERY
-300N. WATER ST., SUITE H.
DOWNTOWN KENT, OH 44240
ADMISSION: FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
ABOUT ELAINE MARSH:
Elaine currently serves as a watershed specialist for Summit Metro Parks,where she continues advocating for clean water, air and land. She serves on many boards, advisory committees and community projects andhas received numerous local, regional and national accolades.
In 1990, Elaine co-founded Friends of the Crooked River — an environmental group that educates the public on the value of a clean Cuyahoga River. Elaine hosted 26 annual River Day events, generating respect for the river through cleanup, education and activities.
Elaine Marsh has spent her life as a champion of the waterways of the Great Lakes region, focusing her entire career on raising awareness of the water quality of wetlands, lakes, streams and rivers in Northeast Ohio — especially the Cuyahoga River (the Cuyahoga).
In the early days, Elaine was mostly alone. Growing up along the Cuyahoga, she saw a waterway contaminated with industrial chemicals, sewage overflow, sludge and trash. Following its fire in 1969, many simply regarded the Cuyahoga as dead. But where most saw a lost cause, Elaine saw a sick friend asking for help.
Elaine has worked tirelessly over the past 40 years to remove barriers to improving water quality and restoring the Cuyahoga and its habitat.In 1972, a revision and expansion of the Clean Water Act greatly diminished the chemical contamination of the river, but Elaine knew here was still important work to be done.
As conservation chairwoman of the Portage Trail Group of the Sierra Club(1983), Elaine helped establish what is now Cascade Valley Metro Park. Not only did she and the group advocate for this river-centric Metro Park, they also used machetes and shovels to construct its first trail themselves.
ENVIRONMENTAL FILM DESCRIPTIONS:
Kent Environmental Council History Video. 10:25
Directed by JeffIngram. Kent
The Kent Environmental Council is a grassroots organization based in Kent Ohio that has been advocating for a clean environment since1970. They were one of the first groups in the nation to do River Clean-ups and Municipal Recycling. The KEC is a testament to the fact that a small group of individuals can have a large impact on the world. The efforts to clean up the Cuyahoga River in the late 1960’sled to the nationwide effort to create The Clean Air Act, The Clean Water Act, and The Environmental Protection Agency.
Free the Falls 7:05
Summit Metro Parks. Q&A with Watershed Specialist Elaine Marsh. Summit County Ohio
Summit Metro Parks and a large coalition of community partners are working together to remove the dam on the Cuyahoga River in Gorge Metro Park. Built more than 100 years ago, the Gorge Dam is no longer serving any useful purpose. In fact, today it is the largest remaining water quality impediment on the Cuyahoga River. Dam removal is necessary to improve wildlife habitat and address contaminated sediment within the river. It will also create recreational opportunities and drive economic development.
To Know A Place 10:23
Directed by Brendan Young. Colorado
Why it takes more than a lifetime to truly understand a single meadow.
How Water MakesClimate 12:00
Directed by Rosa Pannitschka & Ludwig Schramm. Portugal.
With music of Teresa Gabriel Boudica “ A Água é um Ser”
How Water Makes Climate, is an original 12-minute animation, portrays the crucial connection between water cycles and the climate. The animation shows what a healthy intact water cycle is, the consequences of its destruction, and how our broken water cycle can be restored. How Water makes Climate is an engaging and educational animation that inspires youth to learn about the importance of water and with that,to also take action in their communities, as many are already doing.
Crying Glacier 14:09
Director – LutzStautner Germany
Artist and Sound Design – Ludwig Berger
The louder the glacier, the stronger the melt. The creaking, cracking and rippling is the voice of impermanence. Sound artist Ludwig Berger shows how important it is to listen to the world that surrounds us. The film follows him on one of his numerous visits to Morteratsch glacier in the Swiss Alps, where he collects fascinating sounds that might disappear forever.
“Climate change has always been visible to me, but had something abstract and not directly tangible. With the idea of recording the inner sounds of the glacier I got a much more direct reference.“
Ludwig Berger, is a sound artist and composer from Zurich and Milan. In his installations and performances he playfully deals with superhuman worlds such as beehives, glaciers, water infrastructure and trees. He has released various albums of field recordings, improvisations and electroacoustic music.
I Am The Nature 5:23
Directed by Taliesin Black-Brown and Ramiro Vargas Chumpí Washikiat. Ecuador
I AM THE NATURE is a poetic documentary honoring the philosophy and cultural expression of the Achuar people from the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador. Narrated by Chumpí Washikiat, a local leader, the movie dives into the insights of a man who has walked between worlds, echoing ideas of unity,empathy and harmony.
Volcano Pilot 3:24
Directed by MikeAberra. Sweden
This is a truly special, exceptionally lovely In Memoriam video for a beloved, celebrated pilot named Haraldur Unason Diego. He tragically passed away in an airplane crash in Iceland in February, 2022, while on one of his regular sightseeing flights on the island. His cinematographer friend Mika Aberra has created Volcano Pilot - a stunning short video tribute to Haraldur, who was highly regarded as one of the best pilots on Iceland. There isn't a single word of this I didn't enjoy listening to, I think it's deeply inspiring and passionate. This is something special. - Review by by Alex Billington.
After Ice 12:20
Directed by Kieran Baxter Iceland
A project by: Kieran Baxter and Þorvarður Árnason
After Ice is a short film that explores how the glacial landscapes of the Hornafjörðurregion of Southeast Iceland are being affected by climate change. By comparing modern-day drone footage with 3D models created from aerial photography collected by the National Land Survey of Iceland throughout the Twentieth Century, we can gain a glimpse of not only the physical changes but also the aesthetics of a disappearing frozen world.
