"Chasing Ice" film shown FREE, Nov 1st

First Friday Films would like to invite the public to a special free showing of the film Chasing Ice on Friday, November 1^st, at 6:30pm at American Memorial Park. Previously shown at the White House on Earth Day this year, this film features amazing footage of camera crews going up cliffs and onto icebergs to document changes in our planet.

Chasing Ice is a story of one man’s mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of our changing planet. In the mid-2000s, James Balog, an environmental photographer, deployed time-lapse cameras across the Arctic to capture multi-year records of changing glaciers. Although Saipan is far from the polar ice caps and doesn't experience glaciers or blizzards, anyone can appreciate the footage shot by a camera crew that is climbing ice-covered mountains, braving extreme winds and witnessing mile-wide glaciers collapsing before their eyes. You will not want to miss this film – the perfect way to welcome the island “winter” season!

Before the film, Robbie Greene will speak about climate change work that is happening on Saipan, including measurements of sea level rise and coastal flooding. Robbie Greene is a NOAA Coastal Fellow at the CNMI Coastal Resources Management Office.

                                                        

First Friday Films is a partnership between American Memorial Park, the Division of Environmental Quality, Coastal Resources Management and the Humanities Council with support from other organizations and individuals.  This particular film is sponsored by a friend of FFF. As always, our film events are free and open to the public. This event will run about 90 minutes. 

American Memorial Park reopened, FFF continues in November

Hafa Adai Film Supporters,

As I'm sure you have heard, the end of the government shutdown has allowed for the re-opening of American Memorial Park, and therefore First Friday Films will plan to continue as regularly scheduled on Friday, November 1st.

We appreciate everyone who inquired about a possible rescheduling of the film Tapped after the cancellation on October 4th. Due to pre-scheduled speakers and the limited availability of other films, we are going to continue with our planned film line-up for the rest of the year and skip over Tapped for now. However, this film is still in our library and will be shown as a First Friday Film on the next available date, hopefully sometime in early 2014. Until then, please stay tuned for announcements about our other scheduled events.

Thanks, as always, for your support!

Film today canceled

Our apologies for the late notice, but due to the federal government shutdown, American Memorial Park will be closed today and therefore we have to cancel First Friday Films tonight. We hope to reschedule "Tapped" for a later date and will post here when it is rescheduled. Thank you for your continued support. 

New film "Tapped" discusses bottled water, trash

First Friday Films is presenting the new film "Tapped" on Friday, October 4th at 6:30pm at American Memorial Park about bottled water, why we love it, and why we shouldn't love it.

The film asks, “Is access to clean drinking water a basic human right, or a commodity that should be bought and sold like any other article of commerce?” The documentary is a behind-the-scenes look into the unregulated and unseen world of the bottled water industry -- an industry that aims to privatize and sell back the one resource that ought never to become a commodity: our water. “Tapped” is a portrait of the lives affected by the bottled water industry, from the plastic production to the ocean in which so many of these bottles end up.

Before the film, Mr. Jose M. Kaipat from the Division of Environmental Quality’s Safe Drinking Water Branch will give a brief presentation about drinking water and bottle usage on Saipan. Mr. Kaipat has been at DEQ for 18 years in various capacities and can speak first-hand about the regulations and concerns about drinking water sources in the CNMI. As the chief coordinator of DEQ’s Monthly Clean-up Brigade, Kaipat also knows the damaging environmental impacts of our beverage containers after the drinks are consumed.

                                                        

First Friday Films is a partnership between American Memorial Park, the Division of Environmental Quality, Coastal Resources Management and the Humanities Council with support from other organizations and individuals. These films are sponsored by the Division of Environmental Quality. As always, our film events are free and open to the public. This event will run about 75 minutes.

For more information about First Friday Films, email fffsaipan@gmail.com.

September 6th: 4 films, 4 stories, 4 cameras focused on our coasts!

First Friday Films will be showing four short environmental films on Friday, September 6^th at 6:30pm at American Memorial Park in coordination with Coastal Month to celebrate our coasts and the resources that they provide.

The four films being presented are from the Centre for Science Communication in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. First will be “Bluffed”, a 2006 film by Katie McSweeney about fishermen taking a stand to save their livelihood and a national icon – the bluffed oyster. Next, “Beyond the Kelp” by Amy Taylor and Rohan Currey (2005) takes us to the shores to find Hector’s dolphins and see how these amazing animals connect with the people of New Zealand. Third will be “Titans of the Coral Sea,” a film by Jordan Plotsky (2008) examining what happens when a fishing village lets the modern world in and their ancient ways become lost along with their livelihood.

The 2011 film “Tangled Waters” will be the evening's finale, directed by Saipan resident, Nicole Schafer, and Andrew Scott. Their 2011 film will let the audience jump in and wind their way through a comedic journey of shakrs, surf and local politics to discover how a small community brought an end to a forty-year practice. After the film, director Nicole Schafer will be available for a Q&A session.

First Friday Films is a partnership between American Memorial Park, the Division of Environmental Quality, Coastal Resources Management and the Humanities Council with support from other organizations. These films are sponsored by Coastal Resources Management. As always, our film events are free and open to the public. This event will run about 90 minutes.

For more information about First Friday Films, email fffsaipan@gmail.com.

Visiting researcher presents on Megapodes this Thursday 8/15

First Friday Film viewers might be interested in this upcoming talk entitled "Megapodes: their Distribution, Evolution and Conservation" hosted by APASEEM this Thursday, August 15th at 6:30pm at American Memorial Park.

The Asia Pacific Academy of Sciences, Science Education, and Environmental Management (APASEEM) will host a science-focused public presentation on the avian family Megapodiidae, or megapodes, Thursday, August 15th at the American Memorial Park auditorium, Saipan.  Time is from 6:30 to 8pm.  Everyone is invited to attend and learn about this unique family of birds, one species of which (the Micronesian Megapode) occurs in the Marianas.  The presenter, Dr. René Dekker, is a world authority on megapodes and Director of Collections at the National Museum of Natural History, Leiden, The Netherlands.

Dr. Dekker has been involved in megapode conservation and research since 1985, when he was appointed project leader for the conservation of the Maleo (Macrocephalon maleo) in Sulawesi, Indonesia, where he lived and worked for 18 months.  Since this time he has been involved with various megapode studies and has served on advisory committees for megapode conservation.  Dr. Dekker has also acted as chairman of the IUCN/SSC/WPA Megapode Specialist Group for 22 years.  With his Australian colleague Darryl Jones he has published a book on megapodes for Oxford University Press, wrote IUCN/SSC conservation plans, and published multiple articles on the evolution and breeding strategy of megapodes.  During his work, Dr. Dekker has visited many places to study megapodes, often on remote islands such as the Nicobars (India), Niuafo'ou (Tonga) and Waigeo (Papua).

Megapodes are unique among birds because of their aberrant breeding strategy that utilizes heat from decomposition, geothermal activity, or radiant energy from the sun to incubate their eggs. Such a strategy, however, puts their large, yolk-rich eggs at risk of being harvested and consumed by humans in many parts of their range.  This has led to the decline of many species, some of which are considered endangered according to IUCN criteria.  Megapodes occurred on numerous South Pacific islands in the not so distant past but many were exterminated by early settling Polynesians.  Like the flightless rails that also occurred on many of these same islands, at least 20 species of megapode have become extinct; only 22 species remain.  Dr. Dekker’s presentation will illustrate and describe the variety of megapode species and delve into many aspects and explanations of their distribution, behaviour, evolution, and conservation.  As at all APASEEM talks, questions from the audience are strongly encouraged.  For more information visit the www.apaseem.org website or write to them via apaseem@gmail.com.

"Return of the Cuyahoga" this Friday

First Friday Films will premier Return of the Cuyahoga this Friday, August 2^nd at 6:30pm at American Memorial Park in recognition of environmental success stories.

For centuries, the Cuyahoga River in Ohio has been the mainland United States’ frontier. When the United States was a new nation, the river literally marked the western frontier. But "civilization" came to the river; by 1870 the river was on the industrial frontier. On the river's banks sprouted a multitude of factories, a booming display of what was called progress. The river, as it flowed through Cleveland, became a foul-smelling channel of sludge, with an oily surface that ignited with such regularity that river fires were treated as commonplace events by the local press.

But then, in 1969, the river burned again, just as a third kind of frontier swept across the nation: an environmental frontier. And the Cuyahoga River became a landmark on this frontier too -- a poster child for those trying to undo the destruction wrought by progress in America. This film marks the path that the river has taken over the years.

Before the film, representatives from the CNMI Division of Environmental Quality will discuss several environmental disasters on our own islands which are becoming success stories of rehabilitation partnerships between local, national and international partners.

First Friday Films is a partnership between American Memorial Park, the Division of Environmental Quality, Coastal Resources Management and the Humanities Council with support from other organizations. This particular film is sponsored by DEQ. As always, our film events are free and open to the public. This event will run about 70 minutes.