"Economics of Happiness" for January

First Friday Films will be featuring its first film of the year and you don’t want to miss it. The Economics of Happiness, a film by Helena Norberg-Hodge, Steven Gorelick, & John Page, will be showing on January 6, 2012, 6:30pm at the American Memorial Parks Visitors Center. 

Economic globalization has led to a massive expansion in the scale and power of business and banking. The Economics of Happiness describes a world moving simultaneously in two opposing directions. On one hand, the alliance between governments and big business continues to promote globalization and consolidation of corporate power. And on the other, people all over the world are resisting those policies. Communities are coming together to re-build more human-scale, ecological economies based on a new paradigm – the economics of localization.  More information about the film can be found here.

Anthony Pellegrino, owner of Saipan Aquaculture Co. Inc. and Cargo Air Bridge, will be on hand to discuss his vision for a sustainable local economy in the NMI as well as to share how he believes the community can participate in building it.  Additionally, he will be answering audience questions following the film.

For planning purposes, the movie runs about 65 minutes long. As always, First Friday Films is free and open to the public.

"Ocean of Islands" to be shown prior to this Friday's film

Tomorrow (Friday 12/2) we will be showing a second episode of the BBC South Pacific series entitled Fragile Paradise.  The film will start promptly at 6:30pm at the American Memorial Park visitor's center.  See the post below for more details.

Additionally, at 5:15pm we will be re-showing the episode from this series we screened last month, Ocean of Islands.  So if you missed this one, or would just like to see it again, come early tomorrow.

As with last month, we will be showing both of these beautiful films in Blu-Ray, which looks great up on the big screen.

For planning purposes, each episode will run 50min in length.  Seating is limited, so please arrive early to ensure admittance.

See you tomorrow!

Fragile Pacific for Dec 2nd

First Friday Films will be featuring another episode of BBC’s South Pacific, titled Fragile Paradise on December 2, 2011, 6:30pm at American Memorial Park Visitors Center.

The South Pacific is still relatively healthy and teeming with fish, but it is a fragile paradise. International fishing fleets are taking a serious toll on the sharks, albatross and tuna, and there are other insidious threats to these bountiful seas. Worst of all are ecological threats, notably global warming, which causes rising sea levels as well as climatic changes including storms and floods. This episode looks at the conservational measures, such as reserves and replanting coral reefs and what is being done to preserve the ocean and its wildlife.

For planning purposes, the movie runs about 50 minutes long. As always, First Friday Films is free and open to the public.

"Ocean of Islands" Friday

First Friday Films will be featuring BBC’s Wild Pacific:  Ocean of Islands this Friday, November 4^th, 2011,  6:30pm at American Memorial Park Visitors Center.

BBC’s Wild Pacific: Ocean of Islands presents an overview of the natural history of the region. This landmark series explores the sheer scale and majesty of the largest ocean on Earth. The film will also detail the methods of formation of its islands, the diverse ecosystems, the extraordinary journeys wildlife and humans have gone through to reach these specks of land, and how both have adapted to life here. 

First Friday Films is a monthly film series brought to you through a partnership with the National Park Service and the Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ), with generous support from community groups such as the Mariana Islands Nature Alliance (MINA).

For planning purposes, the movie runs about 80 minutes long. As always, First Friday Films is free and open to the public.  Seating is limited, please arrive early to ensure admittance. 

"Navigators" for October

First Friday Films Celebrates National Arts and Humanities Month in October featuring The Navigators: Pathfinders of the Pacific playing at 6:30 p.m. on October 7, 2011 at American Memorial Park.

Over 1,000 years ago, the islands of Polynesia were explored and settled by navigators who used only the waves, the stars, and the flights of birds for guidance. In hand-built, double-hulled canoes sixty feet long, the ancestors of today's Polynesians sailed across a vast ocean area, larger than Europe and North America combined.

To explore this ancient navigational heritage, anthropologist/filmmaker Sanford Low visited the tiny coral atoll of Satawal in Micronesia's remote Caroline Islands. The Navigators reveals the subtleties of this sea science, transmitted in part through a ceremony known as "unfolding the mat," in which 32 lumps of coral are arranged in a circle to represent the points of the "star compass." To master the lore of navigation was to attain great status in traditional Micronesian society.

This special event is brought to you by the NMI Council for the Humanities, the Tan Siu Lin Foundation, the Division of Environmental Quality and the National Park Service.

As always, First Friday Films is free and open to the public. For planning purposes, the film runs 59 minutes.

"Recyclergy" to be shown tomorrow

Due to some unforeseen difficulties, we will be unable to show the film "All Jacked Up".  However, we do a have a great film to show, "Recyclergy", which looks at the fading subculture of recyclers in the San Francisco area.  This film won the community vote for Environmental Awareness Month this past May, and we though we would give everyone a second chance to see this entertaining film.

 After the first Earth Day celebration in 1970, community, non-profit recycling centers began to pop up in schools, garages, and neighborhood centers all sharing the goal of bringing recycling to their cities. Now only two non-profit recycling organizations remain in San Francisco. Despite the lack of surviving community recycling centers, the Bay Area is still home to a unique community of recyclers who push the envelope of possibilities. Featuring interviews with recycling pioneers and music by Rube Waddell, "The Recyclergy" is an entertaining examination of a fading subculture.

As always, the film is free and open to the public.  The film will start at 6:30pm, tomorrow September 2nd.  Please come early to ensure admittance, as seating is limited.

See you tomorrow!

Home Tomorrow!

We will be showing the film "Home" tomorrow, Friday 8/5, at the American Memorial Park Visitor's Center at 6:30pm.

With stunning shots from over fifty countries, Home presents what Time magazine hails as “an intoxicating perspective on our world” showcasing the majestic beauty of the planet as well as the undeniable tragedy that we have caused it, focusing specifically on global climate change.

Steve Mckagan from the NOAA field office here on Saipan will be on hand to talk about what we are doing locally to prepare for climate change and how the local community can get involved with some of those programs.

As always, First Friday Films is free and open to the public.

See you tomorrow!

Come "Home" Next Friday

It is time for us to save our planet from ourselves. On August 5, First Friday Films offers Home, a film that exposes the impacts of mankind’s actions on our planet Earth. With breathtaking visuals taken from an aerial perspective, we can take a look down on what has become of Earth and what we can do to save it from the threats of global warming. The journey starts at 6:30 PM at the American Memorial Park Visitors Center. 

There is no place like home—and that is especially true when “home” refers to our planet. With stunning shots from over fifty countries, Home presents what Time magazine hails as “an intoxicating perspective on our world” showcasing the majestic beauty of the planet as well as the undeniable tragedy that we have caused it. Director Yann Arthus-Bertrand hopes that with this stark presentation of Earth, the film will resonate in all of us and convince us to save our home.

As always, First Friday Films is free and open to the public. 

A Sea Change Tomorrow!

Join us tomorrow night at the American Memorial Park visitors center at 6:30 for our presentation of the film " A Sea Change", which follows one man's journey to discovery the less talked about side of climate change: ocean acidification.

Members of the CNMI Marine Monitoring Team will be on hand to discuss how you can help protect our corals from the expected effects of global climate change.

The Pacific Historic Parks (formerly the Arizona Memorial Museum Association) Bookstore, located inside the visitor’s center, will be open until 8:30 PM. All proceeds go to community education programs.

As always, First Friday Films is free and open to the public. For planning purposes, the movie runs 1 hour and 23 minutes long.

See you tomorrow!

Sea Change for July

If you think global warming is tough, you don’t know the half of it. Come to the next First Friday Films on July 1 and uncover the rest of the story. We will be presenting A Sea Change, a film that tackles the twin of global warming, ocean acidification, and its effects to our ocean, our corals and our marine animals. The event will start at 6:30 PM at the American Memorial Park Visitors Center.

If you live in an island, like ours, that heavily depends on coral reefs for tourism and sea creatures for sustenance, wouldn’t you want to know what is happening to them now and what might happen to them in the future? Sven Huseby, an ordinary grandfather, wants to know. Recipient of the 2010 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Environmental Hero Award, A Sea Change follows the journey of Sven as he travels from Alaska to Norway to uncover that the global ocean is slowly becoming too acidic for the creatures that live in it.

First Friday Films is a monthly environmental film series organized by the National Park Service and the Division of Environmental Quality.

The Pacific Historic Parks (formerly the Arizona Memorial Museum Association) Bookstore, located inside the visitor’s center, will be open until 8:30 PM. All proceeds go to community education programs.

As always, First Friday Films is free and open to the public. For planning purposes, the movie runs 1 hour and 23 minutes long.

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Nourish Yourself Tomorrow!

We have a great film event tomorrow night (June 3rd) at American Memorial Park.  Starting at 6:30pm at the visitor's center we will be screening Nourish, Food + Community, a film celebrating fresh and wholesome food that’s both good for you and the community.  It delves into how the choices we make affect our sustainable food supply.

Also joining us, will be members of the Sabalu Farmers Market Association, including Asap Ogumoro who will be discussing where our food in Saipan comes from and how you can make food choices that benefit your community, health, and environment.

NMC CREES will have a selection of tasty dishes made from locally grown produce for all to try as well as their recipes for you to use at home.

The Pacific Historic Parks (formerly the Arizona Memorial Museum Association) Bookstore, located inside the visitor’s center, will be open until 8:30pm. All proceeds go to community education programs.

For planning purposes, the movie runs about 30 minutes long. As always, First Friday Films is free and open to the public.  Please arrive early to ensure admittance, as seating is limited.

We home to see you tomorrow!

Meet the Local Farmers behind YOUR food at the next First Friday Films!

SAIPAN – Discover the story behind your local produce at the next First Friday Films. Come see Nourish, Food + Community 6:30 p.m. at American Memorial Park.

Meet some local farmers and hear from the Saipan Sabalu Farmers Market Association, including member and farmer Asap Ogumoro. Following the movie, enjoy a tasty food demonstration using local produce from NMC CREES.

Have you ever wondered where your food came from? Was it produced locally or hundreds of miles away and shipped to your hometown? Nourish is a film celebrating fresh and wholesome food that’s both good for you and the community.

With interviews from Best-selling author Michael Pollan, Sustainable Food Advocate Anna Lappe, Chef and author Bryan Terry, and Dr. Nadine Burke, the film delves into how the choices we make affect our sustainable food supply. From the seed to your table, see how food connects every individual on earth.

First Friday Films is a monthly film series brought to you through a partnership with the National Park Service, Division of Environmental Quality, with generous support from community groups such as the Mariana Islands Nature Alliance.

The Pacific Historic Parks (formerly the Arizona Memorial Museum Association) Bookstore, located inside the visitor’s center, will be open until 8:30pm. All proceeds go to community education programs.

For planning purposes, the movie runs about 30 minutes long. As always, First Friday Films is free and open to the public. Find more information about the film at www.firstfridayfilmssaipan.blogspot.com. Subscribe to the blog for regular updates on upcoming events.

Garbage! The Revolution Starts at Home

Several of us have already screened this movie and its definitely worth watching. A funny and educational look at the waste we create. Hope to see you there!

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How much trash can one family generate and where does that garbage go? Come to the next First Friday Films on May 6 to find out. Garbage! The Revolution Starts at Home follows the revealing journey of one family after it decides to keep every scrap of garbage for three months.

Sponsored by the Tan Siu Lin Foundation, Garbage! The Revolution Starts at Home will be screened 6:30 p.m. at American Memorial Park Visitors Center.

Writer and director Andrew Nisker takes an average urban family, the McDonalds, and asks them to keep every scrap of garbage that they create for three months. He then takes them on a journey to find out where it all goes and what it's doing to the world.

From organic waste to the stuff they flush down the potty, the plastic bags they use to the water they drink out of bottles, the air pollution they create when transporting the kids around, to using lights at Christmas, the McDonalds discover that for every action there is a reaction that affects them and the entire planet.

First Friday Films is a monthly environmental film series organized by the National Park Service and the Division of Environmental Quality.

The Pacific Historic Parks (formerly the Arizona Memorial Museum Association) Bookstore, located inside the visitor’s center, will be open until 8:30 p.m. All proceeds go to community education programs.

As always, First Friday Films is free and open to the public. For planning purposes, the movie runs 1 hour and 17 minutes long; find more information about the film at www.firstfridayfilmssaipan.blogspot.com. Subscribe to the blog for regular updates on upcoming events.

Check our our new environmental film winners!

Starting tomorrow (Wednesday) come check out the winners from our First Friday Films contest in celerbation of Environmental Awareness Month and CNMI Earth Day!

All of the following movies play at American Memorial Park Visitors Center

April 20^th

1:00pm: The Mighty River

4:00pm: Recyclergy

6:00pm: The Mighty River

April 21^st

1:00pm: Recyclergy

4:00pm: The Mighty River

6:00pm: Recyclergy

EAM films starting tomorrow

Our free films events for Environmental Awareness Month (EAM) start tomorrow.  Come out and help spread the word!

April 12^th

 

1:00pm: Disneynature’s Oceans

4:00pm: Sharkwater

6:00pm: Disneynature’s Oceans

April 13^th

1:00pm: Sharkwater

4:00pm: Disneynature’s Oceans

6:00pm: Sharkwater

Films for EAM

Thanks to everyone that voted throughout March for the films we will be showing during Environmental Awareness Month.  The results are now in!  Help us spread the word about our events this April.  All the films will be shown at the American Memorial Park Visitors center.

The schedule for this month will be:

April 12^th

 

1:00pm: Disneynature’s Oceans

4:00pm: Sharkwater

6:00pm: Disneynature’s Oceans

April 13^th

1:00pm: Sharkwater

4:00pm: Disneynature’s Oceans

6:00pm: Sharkwater

April 20^th

1:00pm: The Mighty River

4:00pm: Recyclergy

6:00pm: The Mighty River

 

April 21^st

1:00pm: Recyclergy

4:00pm: The Mighty River

6:00pm: Recyclergy

Short descriptions of the films can be found by clicking the "read more" link below:

The Man Who Planted Trees Tomorrow!

Just a quick reminder that we will be showing "The Man Who Planted Trees" tomorrow night (April 1st) at 6:30pm in the American Memorial Park Visitors Center.

The Academy Award winning animated film tells the story of one man's long and successful single-handed effort to re-forest a desolate valley.  The touching family film is a tribute to how much good one person can accomplish in a lifetime.  There will be some great displays in the lobby and prizes for some of the children in the audience following the film.  Additionally, Dr. Dilip Nandwani from NMC CREES will be at the film to speak about their revegetation and planting projects.

The Pacific Historic Parks (formerly the Arizona Memorial Museum Association) Bookstore, located inside the visitor’s center, will be open until 8:30 p.m. All proceeds go to community education programs.

For planning purposes, the program will run about 60 minutes. As always, First Friday Films is free and open to the public.


We hope to see you tomorrow night!

Vote for EAM Films!

For the annual Environmental Awareness Month (EAM) put on by the Division of Environmental Quality, First Friday Films will be screening a number of movies throughout April, and we want your help to decide which ones will be shown!

Voting can be done on our First Friday Film home page (http://firstfridayfilmssaipan.blogspot.com/) throughout the month of March.

We will have 4 categories that fans can vote in:


Previously Shown Family Films

New Family Films

Previously Shown Environmental Films

New Environmental Films


The winning film from each category will be shown a couple times in April (the schedule will be posted on April 1st).

Descriptions of the films in each category can be found by following the jump link below.

Disney Nature's Earth Tomorrow

Join First Friday Films tomorrow for a journey around the planet from the perspective of nature’s most mysterious and elusive animals. Disneynature’s Earth will be screened Friday at 6:30 p.m. at the American Memorial Park Visitor’s Center as part of this monthly event. 

The animated feature “The Man Who Planted Trees,” which was scheduled to play this month will be rescheduled to the April 1^st event due to some logistical delays.

Audiences tomorrow will not be disappointed, however, by  Disneynature’s “Earth”, which takes the viewer into the personal family lives of three of the world’s most carismatic and elusive animals; the Polar bear, Elephant, and Humpback whale.  Filled with adventure and suspense, the film ventures into the realm of these wild animals and the spectacular world in which they exist.  Created with rare footage and remarkable scenes, it is an inspiring film for all ages.

The Pacific Historic Parks (formerly the Arizona Memorial Museum Association) Bookstore, located inside the visitor’s center, will be open until 8:30 p.m. All proceeds go to community education programs.

As always, First Friday Films is free and open to the public.  For planning purposes, the movie runs about 90 minutes long.

How One Person Can Change the World

The Man Who Planted Trees – a story of one person’s sacrifice to benefit future generations and the environment – will be featured at the next First Friday Films at American Memorial Park on March 4^th at 6:30 p.m.

The animated movie brings to life the classic story of an old man who collects acorns and other seedlings and revives a once deserted and barren wasteland and creates a beautiful environment for building homes and raising families. Guest speakers will highlight the importance of trees and how they breathe life into the world. Don’t miss out on this wonderful and educational event!

The Man Who Planted Trees is made possible by generous support from the Tan Sui Lin Foundation and the Mariana Islands Nature Alliance (MINA). First Friday Films is a monthly environmental film series from the National Park Service and the Division of Environmental Quality.

The Pacific Historic Parks (formerly the Arizona Memorial Museum Association) Bookstore, located inside the visitor’s center, will be open until 8:30 p.m. All proceeds go to community education programs.

For planning purposes, the movie runs about 85 minutes long. As always, First Friday Films is free and open to the public. Find more information about the film at www.firstfridayfilmssaipan.blogspot.com. Subscribe to the blog for regular updates on upcoming events.

For more information on the upcoming event feel free to contact Aric Bickel or Lisa Eller, Division of Environmental Quality 664-8510 or Nancy Kelchner, National Park Service, American Memorial Park, 483-7253.

Addicted to Plastic at the next First Fridays!

Our next First Friday Film - Addicted to Plastic - reveals the history and worldwide scope of plastics pollution, investigates its toxicity and explores solutions. The show starts at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 4 at American Memorial Park. Come early to check out our informative lobby displays.

From styrofoam cups to artificial organs, plastics are perhaps the most ubiquitous and versatile material ever invented. No invention in the past 100 years has had more influence and presence than synthetics. But such progress has had a cost.

Addicted to Plastic shows the cycle of many different types of plastics we use everyday, the many threats they pose to our oceans and health, and the challenges with recycling plastic. It is “a wake up-call…a sort of eco-horror movie!” said Dr. M. Cervino of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. It also presents unique and bizarre solutions to reducing, reusing, and recycling this useful yet toxic material.

For planning purposes, the movie runs about 85 minutes long. As always, First Friday Films is free and open to the public. Limited seating is available; please arrive early to ensure entry.

Rob Stewart to Speak Monday!

Rob Stewart, director of the film Sharkwater (previously shown by First Friday films in August) will be speaking at the American Memorial Park Visitor's Center this coming monday (Jan. 24th), at 6:30pm. As part of the event he will be showing shark footage he has taken in his travels around the world and talking about the making of Sharkwater and how the CNMI community can get more involved in shark conservation.

Stewart's presentation is part of his brief visit to the islands to follow the progress of a shark fin bill awaiting the Governor's signature and to film footage of sharks for his next film.

The event is free and open to the public; seating is limited, so please come early to  ensure admittance.  For planning purposes, the event is expected to last between 60 and 90 minutes.

Please come out and join us for this exciting event and help us spread the word!

Second Screening of Oceans this Friday!

Thanks for everyone who was able to make it out to our screening of Disneynature's "Oceans" last Friday night.

We apologize to those that were turned away due to our reaching of maximum capacity; unfortunately the American Memorial Park venue we use can only seat so many, and the movie ended up being so popular that we could not legally allow anyone else in the theater.

However, due to its popularity, we will be doing a second screening of the film this Friday night at 6:00pm at the American Memorial Park visitors center.  So, if you missed it the first time around or would like to share it with us again, please come out!

For your planning purposes, the film is 80minutes long and will start promptly at 6:00pm.

Sharkwater on KSPN Thursday!

In anticipation of the legislature's vote on a shark-fining ban in the CNMI (details here), KSPN will be screening the film Sharkwater at 6:30pm this Thursday (Jan. 6th).  Regular attendees of the First Friday Film program will remember that we screened this film in August of last year to an over-capacity crowd at AMP.

Last night, KSPN ran a piece as part of their evening news about the shark bill, that featured an interview with the director of the film, Rob Stewart (the entire program can be viewed here).  During the interview, Stewart reaffirmed his intentions to visit the CNMI later this month in response to efforts of Kathy Pagapular and her San Vicente 3rd grade class, who wrote to Stewart about their dedication to shark conservation following the viewing of his film (more details here).

Please help us in spreading the word about this television event.  You can view the trailer for the film by clicking on the banner below, and you can read our press release on the film here.

KSPN will be running stories on the evening news related to the screening of the film and progress of the fining bill all week, so stay tuned!

MMRN Members to Speak After Disney’s 'Oceans'

To kick off 2011, First Friday Films will be screening the Disneynature film “Oceans” at 6:30pm on January 7^th at the American Memorial Park visitor’s center.

At the event, members of the Marine Mammal Response Network (MMRN) will speak about the whales, dolphins, and other marine mammals that are found in CNMI waters and how our community can contribute to our knowledge of and support the conservation of these animals.

Come out early to visit our lobby exhibits and to visit the Pacific Historic Park bookstore (proceeds from which support the park's community programs)