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Toronto, ON —Planet in Focus (PIF), Canada's acclaimed international environmental film and video festival is pleased to announce its sixth season festival screening of more than 70 thought-provoking, entertaining, award-winning films. Presented films include over 40 Canadian and international premiere screenings in all genre of short and full-length documentary, fiction, experimental, fantasy and animation films. PIF’s 2005 line-up kicks off with the Canadian premiere gala presentation of The Real Dirt on Farmer John, winner of the Audience Choice Awards at Slamdance and Chicago International Documentary Festivals, and Grand Jury Awards at the San Francisco and Newport Film Festivals. The opening gala on September 28th takes place at the Royal Cinema, 606 College Street at 7PM, with farmer John Peterson and director Taggart Siegel in attendance.
Films presented in 2005 touch on such universal themes as human and cultural displacement by ecological and economic change, gender and social identity, globalization, First Nations resistance, the politics of urban gentrification, community conflict and triumph, inter-species relationships, human and animal migration, women’s health as well as humour-filled, first-person, evocatively delivered narratives. PIF’s specific goal is to present films that extend the definition of ‘environment’ beyond the traditional emphasis on films about nature. “Our festival focuses on environment in all its contested forms: the political, the social, the natural and the virtual,” states Festival Director, Candida Paltiel. “Environmental films, like all good films, are compelling stories which, when combined with dramatic, comedic or documentary cinematic approaches, raise important questions about the human experience.”
PIF’s varied selection of cutting-edge films is unique, broad in content, and of interest to a wide audience including children of all ages. The 2005 lineup includes productions from Australia, Iran, Palestine, United Kingdom, Denmark, China, Germany, India, Dominican Republic, Philippines, Argentina, Egypt, Russia, Netherlands, Israel, Spain, Switzerland and Austria.
Planet in Focus' mission is to promote the use of film and video as a catalyst for public awareness, discussion, and appropriate action on the environmental, ecological, and social health of the planet, with a particular emphasis on the inclusion of diverse perspectives. The annual film and video festival is but one portion of PIF’s larger mandate. The educational outreach program includes such events as Youth, Camera, Action, as well as individual school programs, and the PIF Cross Canada Tour.
PLANET IN FOCUS, September 28th - October 2nd
General ($10), Student/senior ($8), Children ($3), Opening night ($15), Festival passes ($75)
Tickets: 416.531.4689, Discounted block seats available, Info: planetinfocus.org
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