filmmakers – Moondance International Film Festival

A Moondance Hello & Some Reminders!

by Elizabeth English on September 30, 2016

“You have powers you never dreamed of. You can do things you never thought you could do. There are no limitations in what you can do, except for the limitations of your own mind.” ~ Darwin P. Kingsley

Thanks a million to all the many talented filmmakers, writers, composers, audiences, event staff and volunteers who participated in the 2016 Moondance International Film Festival & made it another memorable season!

www.moondancefilmfestival.com

FOR INFO ON THE 2016 MOONDANCE,

PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINKS LOCATED ON THE WEBSITE:

FILM PROGRAM • FILM DESCRIPTIONS • FILMS SCREENED • KEYNOTE & MASTER CLASS • WORKSHOPS • WINNERS, FINALISTS & SEMI-FINALISTS • NETWORKING EVENTS • AWARDS CEREMONY & RECEPTION • 2016 BEST ACTOR AWARDS • AUDIENCE FAVORITE FILMS • MOONDANCE SUCCESSES • MISSION STATEMENT

The 2016 Moondance Photo Album is coming soon!

Winners Anna & Adrian

ATTENTION: 2016 WINNERS, FINALISTS & SEMI-FINALISTS:

You can download any laurels for which you are eligible HERE!

ATTENTION 2016 SELECTED FILMMAKERS & WINNERS!

CLICK ON THE STAR IMAGE, FOR INFO ON AWARD CATEGORIES!

If you would like to have us send you back your Blu-ray screener, or if you were not able to attend the awards ceremony, & want us to send you your winner’s award star & certificate, please click HERE for the form to request it & pay only the minimal postage & handling.

The final deadline for ordering is October 15^th!

“Movies are just another form of merchandising – we have our factory, which is called a stage; we make a product, we color it, we title it, and we ship it out in a can, and then try to convince people to buy it.” ~ Cary Grant

100% NATURAL

ThankYouMIFFGreen

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QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

[email protected]

Moondance 2016 Wrap-Up & Announcements!

by Elizabeth English on September 17, 2016

The 17^th annual Moondance International Film Festival was a grand success for everyone who attended; audiences, indie film buffs, filmmakers, writers, composers, workshops & master class presenters, staff & volunteers, and a productive, good time was had by all! We thank you all for your valued participation, enthusiasm & for every one of those great films!

www.moondancefilmfestival.com

THANKS A MILLION TO ALL OF OUR 2016

EXECUTIVE STAFF, VOLUNTEERS & BOARD OF ADVISORS!

VERY SPECIAL THANKS GO OUT TO:

RACHEL MAINS

Events Coordinator, Volunteers Coordinator & Ticket Sales Coordinator

CASSIA HENDRICKSON

Film Screenings Coordinator & Moondance Website Developer

VIC SARIN

Film Director, Keynote Speaker & Master Class Presenter

Alan Rogers • Sponsorships Coordinator
Michael Wallace & Cos Lindstrom • Official Festival Photographers
Miguel Carson, Sean Kearney, Zach Miller • Projectionists
Lynn Patrick • Awards Ceremony & Reception Musician
Jasmine Sahu • Written Works Feedback Coordinator
Chris Anastasiadis • Board Of Advisors
Vittoria Colonna • Board Of Advisors
Olga Rojer • Board Of Advisors

MEET THE 2016 MOONDANCE TEAM

FOR INFO ON THE 2016 MOONDANCE, PLEASE CLICK ON THESE LINKS:

FILM PROGRAM • FILM DESCRIPTIONS • FILMS SCREENED • KEYNOTE & MASTER CLASS • WORKSHOPS • WINNERS, FINALISTS & SEMI-FINALISTS • NETWORKING EVENTS • AWARDS CEREMONY & RECEPTION • 2016 BEST ACTOR AWARDS • MOONDANCE SUCCESSES • MISSION STATEMENT

ATTENTION: 2016 WINNERS, FINALISTS & SEMI-FINALISTS:

You can download laurels for which you are eligible HERE!

ATTENTION 2016 SELECTED FILMMAKERS & WINNERS!

CLICK ON THE STAR FOR INFO ON AWARD CATEGORIES!

If you would like to have us send you back your Blu-ray screener, or if you were not able to attend the awards ceremony, & want us to send you your award star & certificate, please click HERE for the form to request it & pay only the minimal postage & handling.

2016 AUDIENCE FAVORITE FILMS ANNOUNCED!

• FEATURE FILMS:

A Shine of Rainbows Vic Sarin Canada

Mousse John Hellberg Sweden

The Dawns Here Are Quiet… Renat Davletyarov Russia

Tomorrow Ever After Ela Their USA

• FEATURE DOCUMENTARY FILMS:

Rivering Bill Parks New Zealand

The Boy From Geita Vic Sarin Canada

Unit 731 Chris Nebe USA

• SHORT FILMS:

A Game of Chicken Michael Hilf USA

A Wilderness Within Vangelis Maderakis Greece

Behind the Wall Bat-Sheva Guez USA

Omessa Charlène Favier France

Play Date Paige Morrow Kimball USA

Sandboy Vittoria Colonna USA

The Sky Over Berlin of My Childhood Bakhtiyar Islamov Kazakhstan

The Windfisherman Anna McRoberts USA

• SHORT DOCUMENTARY FILMS:

Displaced Niamh Heery Ireland

Meeting With the Leaf Fazlollah Tari Iran

The More Things Change Nathan Myers USA

• MUSIC VIDEO:

Heaven’s Falling Kimberley Williams USA

• ANIMATION FILMS:

Ella Juan Montes de Oca Spain

The Diver Damon Mohl USA

• WORKS-IN-PROGRESS / SNEAK PREVIEW FILM:

Hey! Alex Jovanoski Germany

MOONDANCERS WRITE US!

• “I’d like to thank you and your team for a wonderful weekend. Everyone at the Moondance festival worked so hard and maintained their smiles throughout. I truly appreciate all your help and the aid of the volunteers, in particular Rachel and Cassia for making this weekend memorable. Your enthusiasm is an inspiration!” ~ Lianne Collinson, personal assistant to Vic Sarin, director of Moondance winning films, A Shine of Rainbows & The Boy from Geita

• “Thank you for curating a festival with integrity. I loved the films I saw (which isn’t usually the case at festivals…) I love your taste in films and you clearly take the time to watch submissions.” ~ Ela Their, Winning Moondance 2016 feature film, Tomorrow Ever After

• “I just wanted to say thank you so much for selecting Displaced as winner of the Short Documentary Film category at Moondance this year. I just checked your website and I’m over the moon! (Pardon the pun!) A festival like yours is exactly why I make films, the fact that you guys focus on women, focus on social justice and global issues and work hard to promote it is very admirable and I’m thrilled to be a small part of it. As I’m thousands of miles away in Ireland and cannot get to the festival this year, I wish you the very best of luck with all the screenings and events, and thank you again for exhibiting Displaced.” ~ Niamh Heery

• “My friends and family came to my screening on Sunday and said that they had a wonderful time. Congratulations on a successful event! ~ Bat-Sheva Guez, 2016 Moondance winner for Behind the Wall

• “Thanks again to you and your staff for making my wife (Gwen) and me feel so welcomed to your wonderful festival. Really enjoyed the time I got to spend with you, and our conversations. I hope our paths cross again.” ~ Jay Kettering, Moondance winning audio play, My Dad & Pre-Socratic Thought

• “Thank you for awarding LUDLOW a first place prize for feature screenwriting. I was pleased to no end to be honored and to receive the Seahorse Award. Barbara and I enjoyed watching A Shine of Rainbows and Rivering, entirely different movies, but both good stories filmed in beautiful locations. ~ Bruce Leaf, multi-award-winning screenwriter

“Fine festival for screenwriters. Good and timely communication make this a recommended festival for screenwriters, both new and experienced.” ~ Jim Norman, FilmFreeway review

• “Just a note to thank you for having me in Boulder. You work hard and have your heart at the right places. I am happy to meet you and that I was able to spend a little time with you. Please also thank the volunteers whom I met, as they were all very kind and caring. I hope our paths cross again in the future.” ~ Vic Sarin, director, winning Moondance films, A Shine of Rainbows & The Boy from Geita, Sepia films

MOONDANCE IN THE NEWS:

IRAN BAGS 3 AWARDS AT MOONDANCE FILMFEST.

TEHRAN, Sep. 14 (MNA) – Three Iranian films, including ‘The Sea and the Flying Fish’, have been awarded prizes at the Moondance International Film Festival in the US. ‘The Sea and the Flying Fish’ directed by Mehrdad Ghafarzadeh won Best Feature Film award alongside titles from Canada, Germany, Russia and the US. The film is about a young innocent deaf and dumb inmate of a correctional camp who communicates through painting. ‘The Sea and the Flying Fish’ has previously won the Best Actor award at Spain’s film festival.

‘Atlan’ directed by Moein Karimoddini won the Feature Documentary Film award at the festival. The film relates the story of a horse-trainer, Ali Golnejad and his beloved horse, Ilhan, which is supposed to bring much success and glory to the family. In the short film category, ‘The Salt Man’ directed by Sajad Mousavi won an award along with other titles from US, Ireland, France, and Kazakhstan.

Moondance International Film Festival, popularly known as the “American Cannes”, is one of the premier venues for the exhibition and promotion of feature and short films in the US, and one of the leading indie film festivals in the world. This 17th edition of the festival took place on September 4th and 5th, 2016.

SOME THINGS TO THNK ABOUT NOW:

“The world is a mirror; growl at it, and it growls in return. Smile, and the world smiles back at you.” ~ Herbert Samuel

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”Sunrise” miriadna.com

“Cease to ask what the morrow will bring forth. Set down as a gain each day that fortune grants.” ~ Eudora Welty

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‪Photo by misskarenmarquez.edublogs.org

“Life is the perpetual present moment one lives in, and a perception that time is nothing more than the current…an eternal flowing back to the sea.” ~William Least Heat-Moon, author, “River Horse”

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“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” ~ Zen Buddhist Proverb

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“How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.” ~ Wayne W. Dyer

Please forward this news-blog to your creative artist colleagues!

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

Moondance has always been, and continues to be, a “Green” event!

No trees or natural habitats were harmed in the creation of this news-blog!

The Moondance Summertime News & Festival Guide!

by Elizabeth English on July 25, 2016

Come join us, in beautiful Boulder, Colorado!

SUNDAY & MONDAY ~ SEPTEMBER 4^th & 5^th

DON’T MISS THESE PLANNED EVENTS AT THE 2016 FILM FESTIVAL:

INDIE FILM SCREENINGS (documentaries, animation, music videos, foreign, feature & short films)
PROFESSIONAL WORKSHOPS FOR FILMMAKERS, WRITERS & COMPOSERS
PRODUCTIVE NETWORKING PARTIES & EVENTS DAILY
CELEBRITY APPEARANCE & PHOTO-OPS
CELEBRITY KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Director Vic Sarin
PRIVATE CONSULTATIONS WITH THE PROS
Q&As WITH THE FILM DIRECTORS
AFTER-PARTIES EACH EVENING
LINKEDIN & STAGE 32 GET-TOGETHERS
GALA AWARDS CEREMONY & BANQUET RECEPTION!

Gazebo St. Julien

Awards ceremony & reception in the gardens.

Click here for

TRAVEL TIPS • LODGING INFO

3 red tickets-small

>>> FESTIVAL TICKETS GO ON SALE SOON! <<<

www.moondancefilmfestival.com

2016 MOONDANCE SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES!

Dear Friends, Moondancers, Supporters, Donors & Sponsors,

If you’d like to consider a unique sponsorship at Moondance, to further promote your company or product to our international audiences & event attendees, please take a look at our Sponsorship Categories, and contact our sponsorships coordinator, Alan Rogers, at: [email protected]

SPONSORSHIP CATEGORIES

SPONSORSHIP FAQ

BECOME A MOONDANCE PARTNER

FESTIVAL LOCAL ECONOMIC IMPACT

FILM FESTIVALS ARE GOOD BUSINESS!

Thanks a million for your interest in a mutually-beneficial working relationship with the 2016 Moondance International Film Festival!

MOONDANCERS WRITE US:

“How nice to get your note that you’ve received my screenplay. So often, nothing comes back, and we submitters are like tourists tossing pennies at a fountain… Your greeting was immediate, buoyant and gratefully taken in. Thanks for the “voice back”. I’ll subscribe to the blog and keep up-to-date, and look forward to meeting you at the 17^th Moondance. Very glad you consider screenplays.” ~ Stephen Keep Mills

“Thank you for considering us! We love your festival and your free-spirited theme.” ~ Carlos Antonio León

Gromit, Aardman animation

MOONDANCE E-ZINE

Don’t miss reading great filmmaking, writing & music articles written by the pros exclusively for Moondancers. Read about: how to win a screenplay competition; how to win a film festival competition; winning titles & loglines for films & scripts; screenplay submissions; movie script writing; writing character, dialog & action; how to get an agent; what Hollywood wants to see; directing indie films, documentaries, short films, animation; film scores; stage plays; short stories; TV MOW; TV pilots; kids films; music videos; radio plays, and more!

MALE DIRECTORS ON RAMPANT SEXISM & GENDER BIAS IN HOLLYWOOD

http://girltalkhq.com

Directors Pedro Almodovar, Paul Feig and Duncan Jones are just a few of the male directors who have been fighting against the Hollywood establishment and its attitude toward women in film. Feig recently addressed the backlash against his all-female remake of “Ghostbusters,” while Almodovar talked about the importance of casting women of all ages to fight against the industry’s “diabolical sexism” at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this summer. Taking a stand and creating change in an industry that should be the standard-bearer for creative liberalism, but sadly isn’t just yet. But with all this important activism comes the realization that change isn’t going to happen with just half of the industry population working to create it. Men also have to join the fight and recognize what a benefit it is to filmmaking when everyone gets the same kinds of opportunities based on talent and merit, not skin color or gender. READ MORE:

SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT:

“The unexamined life is not worth living.” ~ Socrates

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Ernest Hemingway writing in Cuba

“The world breaks almost everyone, and afterwards, many are stronger at the broken places.” ~ Ernest Hemingway

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“Blessed is the person who sees a need, recognizes the responsibility, and actively becomes the answer.” ~ William Arthur Ward

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“They are indolent discoverers who, upon seeing nothing but sea and sky, absolutely deny that there can be any land at all beyond them.” ~ Sir Francis Bacon

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THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EMPATHY AND COMPASSION IS EVERYTHING

by Lori Chandler • www.bigthink.com

Elena Shumilova, photographer, Russia

Compassion and mindfulness are two wings of the same bird, and we need both in order to live in a wise way. But what about compassion? What is compassion? How is it different from empathy? Empathy is a gateway to compassion. It’s understanding how someone feels, and trying to imagine how that might feel for you — it’s a mode of relating. Compassion takes it further. It’s feeling what that person is feeling, holding it, accepting it, and taking some kind of action.

Compassion is empathy in action. Compassion is all about realizing that we ultimately all want the same things out of life (love, safety, health, happiness), and responding in an appropriate way. With a little practice, we can all become more compassionate toward ourselves and others. It’s a bold, brilliant, and radical choice to go against the stream of self-interest and self-centeredness. READ MORE:

MOONDANCE SUPPORTS & RECOMMENDS:

EU DECLINES TO BAN IVORY TRADE

In April, over $105 million worth of poached elephant tusks were set on fire in Kenya, calling for an end to international ivory sales. In May, France, announced a complete ban on ivory trade in the country. But the European commission REFUSED to support a global ban on the ivory trade. And without their support, we could lose the elephant forever. The facts say it all: In 2014, 20,000 African elephants were killed by poachers. Between 2009 and 2015, Tanzania and Mozambique lost over HALF of their elephant populations.

Now, the African Elephant Coalition is warning of a mass extinction of elephants on the continent within 25 years. By not taking action, the EU is endangering tens of thousands of elephants each year. Time is running out. We need the EU to act now.

Tell the EU to support a global ban on the ivory trade:

http://go.saveanimalsfacingextinction.org/EU-Ivory-Ban

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Rhinos are one of the world’s most distinctive and beloved animals, but they are rapidly disappearing from the wild. Why? Demand for rhino horns as a status symbol and fake cure for cancer has skyrocketed. Coupled with a dramatic loss of habitat, all five species of rhinos are threatened with extinction. The public outcry over rhino poaching is growing. With your support, we can keep these species alive and thriving. If we don’t take action now, these precious animals could be lost forever. It’s up to us to step up and do something to protect these majestic animals.

Help us protect the rhinos today:

http://go.saveanimalsfacingextinction.org/Save-Rhinos

100% NATURAL

Please forward this news-blog to your creative artist colleagues!

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

EMAIL: [email protected]

WEBSITE: www.moondancefilmfestival.com

BLOG: www.moondancefilmfestival.com/blog

Moondance has always been, and continues to be, a “Green” event!

No trees or natural habitats were harmed in the creation of this news-blog!

Moondance Film Festival Thanks & Latest News!

by Elizabeth English on July 1, 2016

The final, extended call-for-entries deadline was June 30^th,

and we are no longer accepting new submissions.

Thanks a million to all those talented filmmakers, writers & composers who submitted their fine projects to the 2016 Moondance competition!

Previews, judging, selecting and programming are in the works now.

Announcements will be made in this news-blog, and on the MIFF website in August!

STAY TUNED!

Come join us, in beautiful Boulder, Colorado!

SUNDAY & MONDAY ~ SEPTEMBER 4^th & 5^th

DON’T MISS THESE PLANNED EVENTS AT THE 2016 FILM FESTIVAL:

INDIE FILM SCREENINGS (documentaries, animation, music videos, foreign, feature & short films)
PROFESSIONAL WORKSHOPS FOR FILMMAKERS, WRITERS & COMPOSERS
PRODUCTIVE NETWORKING PARTIES & EVENTS DAILY
CELEBRITY APPEARANCE & PHOTO-OPS
CELEBRITY KEYNOTE SPEAKER
PRIVATE CONSULTATIONS WITH THE PROS
Q&As WITH THE FILM DIRECTORS
AFTER-PARTIES EACH EVENING
GALA AWARDS CEREMONY & BANQUET RECEPTION!

>>> FESTIVAL TICKETS GO ON SALE SOON! <<<

Celebrity Appearance & Keynote Speaker

Moondance 2016

* V I C S A R I N *

A passionate and diverse filmmaker, Vic Sarin‘s career includes award-winning feature films, documentaries and television movies.

We are very proud to announce that the US premiere of Sarin’s feature documentary film, The Boy from Geita, will be screened at Moondance, along with his award-winning feature narrative film, A Shine of Rainbows. READ MORE!

Happy Independence Day to all of our American Moondancers!

SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT:

“If you break faith with us who die, we shall not sleep, though poppies grow in Flanders fields.” ~ by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae

Each one of those 888,246 poppies represented a drop of blood from a brave man or woman who lost their lives in World War I. The Battle of the Somme was launched on July 1^st, 1916, one hundred years ago today. The fighting was also in Holland, France, Belgium, Germany, Greece, the Balkans, at sea, and outside Europe, as well. Historical statistics relate that over one million men & women were killed or wounded, but how can we imagine the lost & maimed sons, husbands and brothers, mothers, wives & sisters? 400 British surgeons were also killed in the first few days of the Battle of the Somme – what a terrible loss of knowledge & healing skills, which could have helped so many others! ~ Excerpted & edited from Lady Carnarvon’s blog at Highclere Castle, UK (Downton Abbey)

The Moondance International Film Festival actively promotes, inspires & encourages non-violent conflict resolutions through film, television, radio, writing & music, and the coveted Columbine awards, with recognition of alternatives presented to international & local audiences and annual event attendees.

logo-kid.com

“I’m convinced of this: good done anywhere is good done everywhere.” ~ Maya Angelou

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“Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakes,” ~ Carl Jung

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“Artists…notice the things that engage the mind’s private and idiosyncratic interior, that area where the life of the senses mingles with the life of the spirit…” ~Annie Dillard, from An American Childhood

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Robert Duvall & Mary Badham, Universal Pictures

“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through, no matter what.” ~ Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, (Atticus to Scout)

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www.mommyish.com

“Don’t be discouraged by a failure. It can be a positive experience. Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, inasmuch as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true, and every fresh experience points out some form of error which we shall afterwards carefully avoid.” ~ John Keats

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“I choose…to live by choice, not by chance; to make changes, not excuses; to be motivated, not manipulated; to be useful, not used; to excel, not compete. I choose self-esteem, not self-pity. I choose to listen to my inner voice, not the random opinions of others. ~ Author Unknown

Please forward this news-blog to your creative artist colleagues!

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

EMAIL: [email protected]

WEBSITE: www.moondancefilmfestival.com

NEWS-BLOG: www.moondancefilmfestival.com/blog

Moondance has always been, and continues to be, a “Green” event!

No trees or natural habitats were harmed in the creation of this news-blog!

Moondance April Call-for-Entries (May Deadline!)

by Elizabeth English on April 15, 2016

“It’s finally Spring. C’mon in & join us!

MOONDANCE 2016 CALL-FOR-ENTRIES!

Accepting regular submissions through May 31, 2016

For your best chance to win, enter right now!

PLEASE VISIT THESE PAGES ON THE WEBSITE FOR MORE INFO:

LINK TO SUBMISSION CATEGORIES LIST

LINK TO AWARDS CATEGORIES LIST

LINK TO SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

LINK TO OFFICIAL ENTRY FORM

LINK TO AWARDS BENEFITS

LINK TO MOONDANCE SUCCESSES

LINK TO THE MOONDANCE MISSION STATEMENT

You may also submit your entry to Moondance via Withoutabox or FilmFreeway:

DON’T MISS THESE EXCITING EVENTS AT THE 2016 FILM FESTIVAL:

Top-quality Indie film screenings (documentaries, animation, music videos, drone films, feature & short films); professional workshops for filmmakers, writers & composers; productive networking cocktail parties & events daily; celebrity appearances & photo-ops; private consultations with the pros; industry keynote speakers; Q&As with the film directors; after-parties each evening; gala awards ceremony & reception, and more.

SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT TODAY:

“Charlie”, photo by C. Anastasiadis

“Know yourself. Don’t accept your dog’s non-judgmental admiration of you as conclusive evidence that you are simply wonderful.” ~ Ann Landers

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“Let your hook always be cast in the stream where you expect a fish.” ~ Ovid

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“Magic is believing in yourself. If you can do that, you can make anything happen.” ~ Goethe

ENVIRONMENTAL ALERTS

INDONESIA’S ORANGUTANS SUFFER AS FIRES RAGE

Excerpts from an article by: Joe Cochrane • April 5, 2016 • The New York Times

Photo by Kemal Jufri

The blazes in the Indonesian regions of Borneo and Sumatra are an annual occurrence, when farmers clear land by burning it, often for palm oil plantations. The blazes have recently destroyed more than 10,000 square miles of forests, blanketing large parts of Southeast Asia in a toxic haze for weeks, sickening hundreds of thousands of people and, according to the World Bank, causing $16 billion in economic losses.

Multinational palm oil companies, giant pulp and paper businesses, the huge plantations that sell to them, local farmers and even day laborers all contribute to the problem. While it is against Indonesian law to clear plantations by burning, enforcement is lax.

The fires also killed at least nine orangutans, the endangered apes native to the rain forests of Borneo and Sumatra. More than 100, trapped by the loss of habitat or found wandering near villages, had to be relocated. Seven orphans, including five infants, were rescued and taken to rehabilitation centers here. The suffering of the wildlife is part of a larger story of corporate expansion in a developing economy crashing into environmental issues in an era of climate change.

CLIMATE-RELATED DEATH OF CORAL AROUND WORLD

Excerpts from an article By Michelle Innis, April 9, 2016, New York Times

Photo credit XL Catlin Seaview Survey

SYDNEY, Australia — Reports of damaged or dying coral reefs around the world have become a major concern. Reefs that take centuries to form can be destroyed in weeks. The damage off Kiritimati is part of a mass bleaching of coral reefs around the world, only the third on record and possibly the worst ever. Scientists believe that heat stress from multiple weather events including the latest, severe El Niño, compounded by climate change has threatened more than a third of Earth’s coral reefs. Many may never recover.

Coral reefs are the crucial incubators of the ocean’s ecosystem, providing food and shelter to a quarter of all marine species, and they support fish stocks that feed more than one billion people. They are made up of millions of tiny animals, called polyps, that form symbiotic relationships with algae, which in turn capture sunlight and carbon dioxide to make sugars that feed the polyps. In Indonesia, fish supported by the reefs provide the primary source of protein. Rising temperatures due to climate change have pushed corals beyond their tolerance levels.

FUN FACTS: THE BAGEL LEGEND

It is said that, in 1683, a Jewish baker in Vienna, Austria, was looking for a way to thank the king of Poland for having protected his compatriots from the invading Turks. He created a small bread in the form of a stirrup (‘beugel’, in Austrian German), which pleasantly reminded the king, who loved riding, of his favorite hobby.

Adopted by the Polish, bagels became the official gifts offered to new mothers upon the birth of a child. They are even mentioned in the civil registers of communities of that era. Bagels were also used as nutritious teething rings that babies could easily chew and manipulate.

When bagels arrived in Russia, they were given the name “bubliki” They were sold at market stands and on city streets. Because of their circular form, they were said to bring happiness, and were believed to have magical powers. There even seems to have been songs about bagels! “The Bagels’ Bagel Book” by Marilyn and Tom Bagel

Thank you for your interest in the Moondance International Film Festival!

Please forward this news-blog to your creative artist colleagues!

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

EMAIL: [email protected]

WEBSITE: www.moondancefilmfestival.com

BLOG: www.moondancefilmfestival.com/blog

Moondance has always been, and continues to be, a “Green” event!

No trees or natural habitats were harmed in the creation of this news-blog!

Tag Archives

FOR INFO ON THE 2016 MOONDANCE,

The 2016 Moondance Photo Album is coming soon!

You can download any laurels for which you are eligible HERE!

CLICK ON THE STAR IMAGE, FOR INFO ON AWARD CATEGORIES!

The final deadline for ordering is October 15th!

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

2016 MOONDANCE SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES!

The final deadline for ordering is October 15^th!