Docs Equinox Offers An Earth Day Celebration

Hamptons Doc Fest inaugurates spring with its annual Docs Equinox celebration and four days of four documentaries and Q&As — all happening over Earth Day weekend, April 21 to 24, in partnership with both the Southampton Arts Center and Sag Harbor Cinema.

“The great naturalist Aldo Leopold once said, ‘Like winds and sunsets, wild things were taken for granted until progress began to do away with them,’” said Hamptons Doc Fest founder and executive director Jacqui Lofaro. “Each documentary film in our environmental film series speaks to saving Mother Earth. We are her stewards, we are the watch-keepers. Earth Day is a good time to remind ourselves of that responsibility.”

“Southampton Arts Center’s commitment to the environment is evidenced in the exhibitions and programs we present throughout the year with and for our community,” said SAC’s executive director Tom Dunn. “As we endeavor to creatively confront the alarming state of our planet and its inhabitants, we understand the value of partnering with like-minded organizations like Hamptons Doc Fest. We’re thrilled to collaborate with our friend Jacqui Lofaro and her team to co-present three thoughtful, dynamic and actionable documentaries in celebration of Earth Month. These incredible films have the power to inspire the critical actions needed to save our planet.”

Added Sag Harbor Cinema artistic director Giulia D’Agnolo Vallan, “I have been wanting to bring ‘Aquarela’ to our cinema for years now. It is a brilliant example of how daring artistic ambition in a documentary can empower what is already a very urgent message. Furthermore, water surrounds us here on the East End. It is an integral part of our landscape, of our economy and has been a constant source of inspiration for generations of local artists. This co-presentation with Hamptons Doc Fest is a perfect opportunity to celebrate it."

Using no dialogue or narration but only fast-frame cinema, sound, and a heavy metal score, director Victor Kossakovsky captures images of the raw power of water and ice in seven countries around the world.

The film, which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2021, was directed, produced and written by two-time, Oscar-nominated British filmmaker Lucy Walker. She and her crew embedded with a team of firefighters during the 2018 Camp Fire in Malibu and Paradise, the most destructive fires in California history. The film reveals the heroism and horror of the fires, investigates the causes of wildfire epidemics, and examines what can be done to lessen the destruction. After the screening, Walker will appear in a live Q&A Zoom about the film.

The film, directed by wildlife photographers Vincent Munier and Marie Amiguet, follows Munier and writer Sylvain Tesson as the two men, perched on a cold mountain ridge, patiently wait in hopes of catching sight of the elusive Tibetan snow leopard, in the meantime filming Tibetan wild yaks, foxes, bears and mountain cats. A live Q&A with ecologist and author Carl Safina follows the screening.

Written and directed by Jennifer Peedom, co-written/co-directed by Joseph Nizeti, “River” is a bird’s eye view of Earth’s most precious resource as seen in 39 countries spanning six continents around the globe. Narrated by Academy Award-nominated actor Willem DaFoe, with a score by the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the film shows rivers from perspectives never seen before, including satellite filming, and retells the history of rivers and human civilization. After the screening, director Joseph Nizeti will appear in a live Q&A Zoom about the film.

Tickets are $15 (less for seniors and members of Sag Harbor Cinema or SAC) and information for the Docs Equinox screenings are available at hamptonsdocfest.com, sagharborcinema.com and outhamptonartscenter.org. The Southampton Arts Center requires proof of COVID vaccination or a negative test with ID.