4th Annual Seacoast Environmental Film Festival hits the STAR Theatre on April 9
KITTERY, Maine – Mark April 9 on your calendar to get informed and energized about critical environmental issues at the 4th annual Seacoast Environmental Film Festival. A benefit event for the Kittery Land Trust, SEFF is a full day of films, discussions, panels, exhibits, food and fun at the STAR Theatre at the Kittery Community Center. It is a coming-together of organizations, experts, businesses and activists from around the region who care about the environment, sustainability and conservation.
Major sponsors of SEFF are Faith Harrington and Peter Lamb: Ralph E. Ogden Foundation, and Eldredge Lumber and Hardware. SEFF is also sponsored by Altus Engineering, ARQ Architects, and Kennebunk Savings Bank. Tickets are not required but there is suggested donation of $5 per film. Kittery Land Trust is also selling VIP passes for $50 that includes admission to all films, early entrance to each screening, complimentary passes for the Caffeine Kickoff and a special lunch reception sponsored by Ore Nell’s Barbeque and Vida Cantina.
“We are so excited for our 4th annual film festival”, says Lisa Linehan, Executive Director of Kittery Land Trust. “After the long hiatus due to Covid, we’re thrilled to bring a diverse line-up of films, speakers, exhibitors, and organizations under one roof so people can connect and cross-pollinate their ideas and passions.” Linehan adds that “KLT’s hope is that these films get our Seacoast neighbors informed and inspired to act locally to protect our shared community.”
SEFF gets underway at 8:30 a.m., with a caffeine kick-off sponsored by Lil’s Café and White Heron. The first film begins at 9 a.m., with The Long Coast, a lyrical film about Mainers whose lives and livelihoods are inextricably connected to the ocean. This film is sponsored by Rotary Club of Kittery and Taylor Lobster, and will be followed by a panel discussion with Lori Howells of Spinney Creek Shellfish, Gabriela Bradt of NH Sea Grant, and Jeremy Gabrielson with Maine Coast Heritage Trust.
At 11 a.m., SEFF will feature Eating Our Way to Extinction, a powerful, star-studded film about the global impacts of animal-based food systems and a call for a plant-based diet. A panel discussion follows with vegan chef Morgan Avery, and Kittery filmmaker and animator John Dorlean. This film is sponsored by Green Elephant.
Filmgoers can take a break from 1 to 2:30 p.m., learn from more than 15 exhibitors in the KCC gymnasium, and purchase a delicious lunch provided by Ore Nell’s Barbecue and Vida Cantina.
At 2:30 p.m., SEFF continues with the screening of Inhabitants, a fabulous film that reveals how time-tested practices of some of North America’s Indigenous tribes are increasingly relevant in a rapidly changing world. A panel discussion follows with Paul and Denise Pouliot, spokespeople for the Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook-Abenaki People. Inhabitants is sponsored by Hoppi’s Barber Shop, Osprey Ecological Services, and Site Structures Landscaping.
SEFF’s final film rolls at 4:30 p.m., with the screening of I am Greta, an intimate documentary that follows teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg from her early days as a shy Swedish schoolgirl to a globally recognized truth-teller about the climate crisis and urgent need for international action. A panel discussion will follow with Anna Siegel, Maine Youth for Climate Justice, and other young climate activists. I am Greta is sponsored by The Climate Initiative, League of Conservation Voters NH, and Veris Wealth Partners.
The day’s events and panel discussions will be moderated by Melissa Paly, the Great Bay – Piscataqua Waterkeeper with Conservation Law Foundation, and long-time board member of the Kittery Land Trust.
Tickets are not required but there is a suggested donation of $5 per film.
Special VIP passes and full details about SEFF are available at www.kitterylandtrust.org.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: 4th Annual Seacoast Environmental Film Festival hits the STAR Theatre on April 9
