8th annual Princeton Environmental Film Festival

The 8th annual Princeton Environmental Film Festival, sponsored by the Princeton Public Library will run from January 30 - February 9, 2014. All screenings are offered free of admission and will be in the Community Room of the Princeton Public Library unless noted otherwise.

The festival's mission is to engage the community in examining environmental sustainability from a wide range of perspectives via this annual presentation of exceptional documentary films.

The screenings are accompanied by Q&A with film directors and producers, and/or talks with guest speakers. Films exploring topics from climate change to rooftop farming and more shine a light on issues that are important to all of us.

There will also be a panel discussion "Farming at the Edge of Nature" on February 1 at 4 pm.
A group of farmers and naturalists from our region will talk about their farming practices, philosophy, ethics, business models, challenges and their optimism for the next generation who are embracing working closely with the land. Many on the panel are also visual artists and the presentation will exhibit their photography focused on their work. This session will also feature the opportunity for a Q&A and networking.

The panel features: Alec Gioseffi, Adam Martin and Lauren Nagy, Cooperative 518; Lindsay Napolitano and Johann Rinkens, Fields Without Fences; Jared Rosenbaum and Rachel Mackow, Wild Ridge Plants, Growers and Stewards of Native Plants; and Steve Tomlinson, who works at Great Road Farm.

Jared Flesher, documentary filmmaker and Edible Jersey editor will be the moderator of the panel. Jared is an award-winning reporter, photojournalist and documentary filmmaker, with a focus on the topics of energy, agriculture and ecology. His last two documentaries are “The Farmer and the Horse” (2010) and “Sourlands (2012.) His latest film “Field Biologist” is in production and will be released later in 2014. A trailer previewing this film will be featured during the session.

One film that interests me is "Tiny: A Story About Living Small" produced and directed by Merete Mueller and Christopher Smith (2013, 62 minutes) which is the story of Christopher Smith who, approaching his 30th birthday, decides it’s time to plant some roots. He impulsively buys a 5-acre plot of land in hopes of fulfilling a lifelong dream of building a home in the mountains of Colorado. With the support of his girlfriend, Merete, he sets out to build a Tiny House from scratch despite having no construction experience.