By ANNIE DYSART The Great Lakes Environmental Film Festival (GLEFF) was showcased by the Diederich College of Communication last Wednesday in Weasler Auditorium. GLEFF is a student-run, annual event directed by Dr. Joe Brown - a professor of Digitial Media and Performing Arts here at Marquette. The festival aims to "inspire, educate, and motivate audiences on environmental topics" through thought-provoking films and discussion. Five carefully selected films were presented. The first was "Lost in Light," directed by Dr. Sriram Murali. Three wordless minutes of footage progressing from highly polluted skies to the most vivid starry nights spoke to the effects light pollution all across the globe. The second film, "Being Hear," presented a perceptive commentary about noise pollution. Acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton discusses what it means to listen: to take "all sounds in with equal value." Our opportunity to fully witness nature's soundscapes is diminishing - even Earth's most isolated ecosystems are not unscathed by noise pollution. Next up was "Back Forty," by Mark Doremus. It reported on the protest against The Back Forty Mine project that would be installed near the Menominee River in Lake Township, Michigan. The film highlights the cultural and environmental conflicts that could arise from the mine's installation, in particular, the destruction of Menominee Tribe burial grounds and sacred sites along the riverbank. Presented by Lush Cosmetics, "Trophy" asks us to evaluate the fear often associated with grizzly bears and the morality of killing them for sport. Captivating and heartbreaking, it is difficult walk away from this film without wanting to protect such beautiful animals. The last film of the festival was "The Canoe" by Goh Iromoto. Five empowering stories illuminate the vessel's unique place in Canadian identity. Possessing a rich historic and cultural value, the canoe serves to bring Canadians together and increase their appreciation for the nature surrounding them.
References: www.gleff.org/
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