EarthX Film Festival 2022 turns its spotlight on Texas, celebrating filmmakers and stories with ties to the Lone Star state. Films showcasing the beauty and diverse ecology found throughout Texas, the impact of boom and bust oil on small towns, and the hidden cost of fast fashion are scheduled for the four day festival.
The EarthX Film Festival will be held May 12-15 in the Dallas Arts District, and will showcase over 75 feature length and short documentary films. The films celebrate nature, environment, conservation, and outdoor adventure. They also honor those heroes working to protect our planet.
DEEP IN THE HEART
This visually stunning celebration of Texas’ diverse landscapes and remarkable wildlife found nowhere else is directed by award winning filmmaker Ben Masters. The film is told through the eyes of wildlife species ranging from the mysterious blind catfish to the elusive mountain lion. It follows our ever-changing relationship with the natural world and how we affect it. Narrated by Texan Matthew McConaughey, the film aims to safeguard our remaining wild places. “Deep in the Heart” also recognizes the importance of Texas’ conservation on a continental scale. The film runs 103 minutes, and is directed by award-winning filmmaker and writer Ben Masters.
BATTLE FOR THE HEART OF TEXAS
Landowners and county officials were in the dark when, in September of 2018, Kinder Morgan announced construction of The Permian Highway Pipeline, a 420 mile natural gas pipeline traversing Texas. When the news was announced one thing would become clear: if a private company can exercise the power of eminent domain, private property rights no longer exist in the very state these rights are sacred. Battle for the Heart of Texas explores the tension that arises between individuals, corporations and government — and ultimately how this affects the land itself. Directed by John Claiborne Brown, who grew up on the Texas-Louisiana border, the film runs 80 minutes.
THE ANTS AND THE GRASSHOPPER
Anita Chitaya has many a gift; she can help bring abundant food from dead soil, educate men in gender equality and end child hunger in her village. Now, to save her home from extreme weather, she faces her greatest challenge: persuading Americans that climate change is real. Traveling from Malawi to the White House, she meets climate skeptics and despairing farmers. Anita’s journey highlights the power of conversation and compassion in the mission to protect Mother Earth in The Ants and the Grasshopper. Directed by: Raj Patel and Zak Piper, the film runs 74 minutes.
WHEN IT’S GOOD, IT’S GOOD
A filmmaker returns to her hometown in West Texas to document the effects of the boom-and-bust nature of the oil industry. She documents the political transformation that takes place in her family over five years and two election cycles. An intimate portrait of place, family, memory, politics and economy, centered around an oil town called Denver City,m TX. The documentary is directed by Alejandra Vasquez, a Mexican-American filmmaker raised in West Texas. The short documentary is 16 minutes long.
MONSTER IN OUR CLOSET
We are wearing fossil fuels. The fashion industry is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than France, Germany and the United Kingdom combined. The Monster in Our Closet documents how a determined lawyer, a surfing materials developer and a witty climate reporter work to tackle the problem of plastic in fashion by championing solutions through policy, design and individual action. Directors: Kathryn Francis and Nicole Gormley, the short documentary runs 27 minutes.
80º NORTH follows a group of international artists as they explore the Arctic island chain of Svalbard. Set against dramatic natural backdrops, the artists share their hopes, fears and insights on encountering an environment undergoing radical change. Director Brandon Holmes (NY-based filmmaker raised in Texas), runs 15 minutes.
EarthX Film Festival
The 2022 EarthX Film Festival is four days of film, music and interactive environmental programs and events set in the heart of Dallas Arts District, May 12-15. Our mission is to bring awareness of the environmental crisis in order to create sincere action on both an individual and communal scale; to inspire local and global change on how we as humans affect our home planet and our fellow beings. For information, visit earthxfilmfestival.org.
