Explore everything the Elements Film Festival has to offer.
Dive deeper into the stories behind the headlines. Each film explores the relationship between humans and the environment, challenging the way people think about the natural world, and inspiring them to discuss, explore and act on important environmental issues such as climate change, plastic pollution, deforestation, human-wildlife conflict and habitat destruction.
Elements features full length and short films by local, international and youth filmmakers. Short films are grouped together under environmental themes. Daytime films will be shown in the Science Theatre unless otherwise stated. All evening films are playing in the OMNIMAX® Theatre. Unless noted otherwise, films are not in OMNIMAX format.
Films by Date
Thursday, April 2
Friday, April 3
Saturday, April 4
Sunday, April 5
Evening Programming
7:30pm | Ticket purchase required.
To attend evening screenings and events you must be 19+ years of age.
The first glaciers to disappear aren't where you'd expect -- they're on the equator. East Africa's rivers of ice have existed for tens of thousands of years, but they won't survive the next 25. Follow polar explorer and environmental scientist, Tim Jarvis, as he searches for the region's mysterious and vulnerable glaciers.
Filmmaker: Miles Roland
Killing Contest
Costa Rica 12 min
Hunting competitions in North America are decimating populations of some of nature's most important predators, coyotes and wolves. Follow filmmaker Filipe DeAndrade's journey to illuminate this devastating "sport".
Filmmaker: Filipe DeAndrade
The Wild
USA 62 min
A personal and gripping story by filmmaker Mark Titus. Fresh into addiction recovery, an urgent threat emerges to spur Mark back to the Alaskan wilderness, where the people of Bristol Bay and the world’s largest wild salmon runs face devastation, if a massive copper mine is constructed.
Filmmaker: Mark Titus
Evening Programming
7:30pm | Ticket purchase required.
To attend evening screenings and events you must be 19+ years of age.
Keynote Speaker: Samual Mutisya, Head of Wildlife Conservation, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenya
Samual is an environmental scientist and biologist and is uniquely qualified to share the inspiring story of this incredible conservancy, the tragic loss of Sudan, the last male Northern white rhino, and international efforts to save these endangered species. Samual specializes in habitat and wildlife conservation with particular emphasis on rhino and elephant. He holds a BSc. in environmental science, Endangered Species Management from Durrell Conservation Academy in Jersey, and a MSc. in Conservation Biology from the University of Kent, UK.
About Oj Pejeta
Ol Pejeta Conservatory in Laikipia, Kenya is home to 2 very special individuals. Najin and her daughter Fatu are the last two Northern White rhinoceroses on the planet.
In 1970, Kenya was home to 20,000 rhinos. But civil war in neighbouring countries provided a tragic window of opportunity for poachers to capitalize on the market in Asia for rhino horns. Rhinos were killed at an alarming rate. By 1983, there were only 350 left.
Today, there are 800 rhinos in Kenya, most in protected conservancies such as Ol Pejeta, which is home to 150 rhinos. Under continuous armed protection in the 3602km conservancy, black rhinos, which are critically endangered, and southern white rhinos, which are threatened, live and breed in peace. Poaching has been almost entirely thwarted by the bravery and efforts of elite rangers and biologists who dedicate their lives to these animals.
Ol Pejeta's conservation efforts extend beyond simply providing a safe space for rhinos. Climate change is altering the landscape and compounds the issue of human-wildlife conflict. The conservancy includes tourism and ranching, while supporting endangered species such as the Grevy's zebra, Jackson's hartebeest, spotted hyenas, cheetahs, elephants, wild dogs, lions and giraffes.
Kifaru
USA 81 min
Sudan was the last male northern white rhino on the planet. With the death of this gentle giant, the world lost a part of its heart and soul. Kifaru explores the painful emptiness of extinction through the eyes of Sudan's three primary caregivers. Teetering on borrowed time and with his health in decline, Sudan's looming death and the uncertainty that it will bring hangs over the heads of the people who consider the rhinos as family. Their only hope to save the species that they love—and perhaps their livelihood—rests fully in the success of a last resort, an in vitro fertilization experiment.
Filmmaker: David Hambridge
Film Awards Party
Join us following the keynote and film presentations for drinks and entertainment, to celebrate the Elements Film Festival awards.
Daytime films
Included with admission to Science World.
The Carbon Farmer
UK 11am | 7 min
Our actions today could become the traditions of tomorrow. Presently, the UK's degraded peatlands are a colossal source of greenhouse gas emissions, but if new actions are adopted now, one day "The Carbon Farmer" could proudly share stories of the positive impact his family has made on their moor for generations.
Filmmaker: Andy Clark
Return of the Predators
USA 11am | 51 min
The wolves have returned. The grizzly bear population is at an all-time high. The mountain lions never left. The presence of these predators touches every corner of Yellowstone Park, but many questions remain about survival in this wild wilderness.
Filmmaker: Thomas Winston, Tria Thalman
Call of the Forest
Canada 11:30am | 75 min
Visionary scientist and acclaimed author, Diana Beresford-Kroeger journeys from Japan to California, from Ireland to Germany to Vancouver Island and across to the great Boreal Forest, exploring our profound biological and spiritual connection to trees. The Call of the Forest film and movement is a call for massive, global reforestation to reverse climate change.
Filmmaker: Jeffrey McKay
This film is playing in the OMNIMAX Theatre.
Guidance
USA 12:30pm | 3 min
A father's shared passion for nature and exploration guides a young man to his own passion for wildlife and the outdoors.
Filmmaker: John Matriano
Finding Solitude
Vancouver 12:30pm | 22 min
The stunningly beautiful alpine, glacier and forest ecosystems of Vancouver Island are explored by scientific, environmental and Indigenous cultural leaders. The current state of the region and the critically important steps necessary to obtain a sustainable future are featured.
Filmmakers: Tristan Hinder-Hohlweg, Jaiden George
Ancient Giants
Vancouver 12:30pm | 15 min
After an ill-fated expedition to northern Patagonia, in search of one of the oldest living trees on Earth, three explorers reflect on their discoveries and what it means for the future of rainforests. Ancient Giants provokes the questions, is sustainable forestry really sustainable? What can we do to change the future?
Filmmaker: Zak Bentley
Clatter
France 12:30pm | 6 min
Isolated on the Salvation Islands, a troop of monkeys and a couple of peacocks are living a mysterious epic. The fauna and flora are slowly erasing the vestiges of the past, an area known for being home to one of the toughest penal colonies in French Guiana.
Filmmaker: Rémi Rappe
Goldene Acht
Germany 12:30pm | 9 min
Music video featuring the latest song from German DJ Dominik Eulberg. For him, nature is the greatest artist of all and his main inspirational source for creative activity. Now a veteran of more than ten years, Dominik is still as compelling as ever, much like the natural world in which he so passionately surrounds himself with.
Filmmaker: Jan Haft
The Mill
Canada 1pm | 52 min
The community of Pictou County, Nova Scotia, is facing a major turning point in the 50-year-old controversy surrounding its pulp mill. Considered the dirtiest in Canada, the mill’s waste flows directly into the Northumberland Straight. The Government of Nova Scotia must make a stark choice between jobs and the lives of local and First Nations residents.
Filmmaker: David Craig
This film is playing in the OMNIMAX Theatre.
Be a Better Roommate
USA 2pm | 3 min
A comedy of role reversal and environmental errors as a sperm whale damages the habitat of its human roommate.
Filmmaker: Paul North
Inside the Fence
Australia 2pm | 29 min
Self-proclaimed maverick of the conservation movement, Dr John Wamsley, built Australia’s first predator-proof fence, a unique ecosystem known as Warrawong Wildlife Sanctuary, that challenged conventional thinking about zoos.
Filmmakers: Daniel Clarke, Amy Pysden
Million Dollar Mouse
New Zealand 2pm | 20 min
An eradication team in New Zealand eliminates invasive mice on Antiipodes Island, who threaten the local seabird population.
Filmmaker: James Reardon
The Condor & the Eagle
USA 2:30pm | 80 min
Four indigenous environmental leaders embark on an extraordinary transcontinental adventure from the Canadian plains deep into the heart of the Amazonian jungle to unite the peoples of North and South America and deepen the meaning of climate justice. Issues surrounding oil development in the US, Canada, Ecuador and Peru are examined.
Filmmakers: Sophie Guerra, Clement Guerra
This film is playing in the OMNIMAX Theatre.
Guardians of the Grasslands
Canada 3:30pm | 13 min
Canada’s native grasslands are disappearing at an alarming rate. In fact, they are one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world. Replacing bison as the keystone species in this ecosystem, cattle create hope for the plant and animal species that call the prairies home.
Filmmakers: Sarah Wray, Ben Wilson
Pimachiowin Aki
Canada 3:30pm | 12 min
Along the eastern edge of Manitoba, extending north to Hudson Bay, lies one of the last untouched wilderness areas in the world, home to one of Canada’s most iconic and endangered animals. Ojibwe for “the land that gives life,” Pimachiowin Aki is a Unesco World Heritage site, a vast wilderness area preserved by the conservation efforts of four surrounding First Nations.
Filmmaker: Karsten Wall
Wapusk National Park
Germany 3:30pm | 52 min
In Cree, wapusk means white bear. In Manitoba’s Wapusk National Park and the adjacent town of Churchill, almost everything revolves around the polar bear. The coast of Hudson Bay is home to the largest polar bear population in the world. Long-term studies on climate change undertaken here provide an indicator of imminent change across the globe.
Filmmaker: Viktor Apfelbacher
Edge of Existence
South Africa 4pm | 87 min
Human-wildlife conflict in the Serengeti region of Africa is reaching crisis proportions. Told from the perspective of people living along the border between farming communities and wildlife conservancies, humans and wildlife struggle to survive while rangers struggle to find a balance in order to avoid catastrophic effects on the environment.
Filmmakers: James Suter, Charlie Luckock
This film is playing in the OMNIMAX Theatre.
Bring Your Own
USA 5pm | 3 min
Inspired by the popular OMI song “Cheerleader,” this musical parody set to a student-written song, highlights the importance of bringing your own in the fight against plastic pollution.
An infomercial parody, Green Gone pokes fun at the overuse of pesticides and herbicides and the psychology used to market them.
Student Filmmakers: Keanu Frith, Tess Moretti-Hill, Gabriel Jeffers, Mahea Dunn
Kids Speak on Plastic Pollution
USA 5pm | 5 min
What do kids think about the growing problem of plastic pollution? Students explore young perspectives on plastic pollution causes, impacts and solutions through interviews with Maui kids ages five through 10.
In this short theatrical film, three generations of women reflect on the beauty of their island home and the changes they see taking place in their natural environment.
Featuring direct interviews with sea creatures about the current state of our oceans, this claymation film details their problems including pollution, noise from ocean vessels and climate change impacts.
Student Filmmakers: Dane Ottman, Matt Golin
Tides
Vancouver 5pm | 9 min
Filmed on the beautiful Pacific Northwest coast of Canada, Tides is an experimental short documentary that plunges us into the forms, colours and sounds of the ocean. The film is amplified by a deep and meditative soundtrack which provides the viewer with an immersive look at water.
Student Filmmaker: Justine Beaulieu Poudrier
Washing Ashore
USA 5pm | 9 min
Featuring interviews with local experts, this short student film documents a study of marine plastics being conducted in remote areas of Maui's northeast coast, and what it may tell us about the sources of plastic pollution, and potential solutions.
Student Filmmakers: Kiana Liu, Taylor Redman
Evening Programming
7:30pm | Ticket purchase required.
To attend evening screenings and events you must be 19+ years of age
Youth from different backgrounds come together to paddle Yukon’s Beaver River near a proposed mining road that the Na-Cho Nyak Dun Nation opposes, and which would negatively affect the region’s untouched environment.
Filmmakers: Calder Cheverie and Genevieve Pare
Out of Bounds Mountain Adventure
Australia 43 min
Follow Olympian Torah Bright as she journeys through the world’s longest chain of mountain ranges extending from Antarctica all the way to Alaska, with backcountry legend Jeremy Jones and free-skiing superstar Sammy Carlson. They encounter penguins, polar bears and other wildlife, and meet with scientists to uncover a deeper understanding of mountain ecosystems.
Filmmaker: Caspar Mazzotti
Back from the Brink: Saved from Extinction
USA 32 min
The remarkable true story of three animal species in distant locations rescued from the brink of extinction by researchers and conservationists. By the end of this century, half of all species could be pushed to the brink of extinction. Positive change is possible, and problems created by humans can be solved by humans.
Filmmaker: Sean Casey
This film is formatted for the OMNIMAX screen.
Daytime films
Included with admission to Science World.
The Hunt for Medals Not Lions
South Africa 11am | 8 min
In the past, in order to become a Maasai warrior, young men had to kill a lion to prove their bravery. Working together with Big Life Foundation, eight Maasai elders found a way to honour this important tradition, yet ensure the long-term survival of lions in the region.
Filmmaker: James Suter
Down the River Wild
USA 11am | 52 min
The Yellowstone River is the longest undammed river in the contiguous 48 states. From Yellowstone Lake to the Missouri River, follow its nearly 700-mile journey, over falls and through canyons, as bison, otters, coyotes and thrill-seekers adapt to—and thrive in—these wild, untamed waters.
Filmmakers: Thomas Winston, Tria Thalman
The Butterfly Trees
USA 11:30am | 82 min
Follow the transcontinental journey of eastern monarch butterflies on their epic migration from the forested shores of southern Canada to central Mexico. The monarch butterfly is emblematic of our fragile and complex ecology. But the monarch is also a potent symbol for our individual life journey and finding our place in this world.
Filmmaker: Kay Milam
This film is playing in the OMNIMAX Theatre.
Return of the Humpbacks
Vancouver 12:30pm | 12 min
One man’s search for humpback whales in Howe Sound, near Vancouver. After decades of industrial pollution and an absence of 100 years, humpback whales return to these waters, inspiring hope that the marine health of Howe Sound is in recovery.
Filmmaker: Bob Turner
One World Sawalmem
USA 12:30pm | 17 min
To Michael Preston, a student of environmental studies and a member of the Winnemem Wintu Band, the word sawalmem (sacred water) represents a vital vision for healing the world. Since the 1940s, the Shasta River Dam has harmed the salmon, the Sacramento River, his home territory and the Winnemem Wintu people.
Filmmakers: Natasha Deganello Giraudie, Michael “Pom” Preston
Sound Water
Vancouver 12:30pm | 13 min
Adventurers find their way along the Squamish River to the Squamish Estuary and into Howe Sound to Bowen Island, seeking a deeper connection to the natural world. Squamish Nation Councillor Deanna Lewis, and author and playwright Pauline Le Bel provide their perspectives on our connection with nature.
Filmmaker: Jonathan Chiang
For the Love of Salmon
Vancouver 12:30pm | 8 min
Under a haze of wildfire smoke and with her ancestors watching from above, Keely Weget-Whitney steps into the frigid and fast-moving waters of the Fraser River with one goal in mind: to make people care. Join this 25-year-old member of the St’át’imc First Nation, as she embarks on a 60km swim to bring awareness to the depleting number of salmon and its impacts on her culture and the environment.
Filmmaker: Jan Vozenilek
Dukas
USA 12:30pm | 9 min
Two members of the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians discuss the environmental crisis facing the red abalone population in California and its impact on tribal culture.
Student Filmmaker: Catherine Trainor
Oceans Without Limits: A Journey of Discovery
South Africa 1pm | 55 min
Embark on a voyage of discovery into the Western Indian Ocean and find out how plastic pollution is impacting this tropical paradise. From South Africa to Madagascar, the Seychelles, Maldives and a distant archipelago called Chagos, the discoveries are both unexpected and shocking.
Filmmaker: Mark van Wijk
This film is playing in the OMNIMAX Theatre.
The Seal
Vancouver 2pm | 5 min
One man’s remarkable encounter with a young seal while snorkelling in a wild corner of Howe Sound.
Filmmaker: Bob Turner
Swimming with Gentle Giants
Australia 2pm | 10 min
Wildlife photographer Scott Portelli swims with humpback whales in Tonga, showcasing a fascinating variety of unique behaviours such as competitive “heat runs” and curious calves experiencing their world for the very first time.
Filmmaker: Stefan Andrews
Rockabill
Ireland 2pm | 50 min
A tiny island off Dublin’s coast, Rockabill is where the European population of rare Roseate Terns breed. A two-man conservation team continues a 30-year project to tend the island and thousands of bird nests during the summer.
Filmmaker: Andrew Power
Dammed to Extinction
USA 2:30pm | 51 min
For eons, killer whales have hunted Chinook salmon along the Pacific Coast of the US. For the last 40 years, renowned whale scientist Ken Balcomb has closely observed them. As salmon numbers plummet, orcas starve. Balcomb’s solution is to get rid of four fish-killing dams on the largest tributary to what was once the largest Chinook-producing river on Earth.
Filmmaker: Michael Peterson
This film is playing in the OMNIMAX Theatre.
Socksiety
Germany 3:30pm | 2 min
In a world moved by uniformity and mindless consumerism, symbolized by a sock that adults wear over their head, a young girl decides to start changing the world.
Filmmaker: Johanna Ort
The Birds
Vancouver 3:30pm | 4 min
An experimental, animated short blends bird calls and forest sounds with an artistic vision of birds in a robotic world.
Filmmaker: Joe Chang
Life on the Wing
USA 3:30pm | 49 min
It’s a bird’s-eye view of iconic Yellowstone National Park. Soaring above Old Faithful and the Lower Falls, winged creatures survey an extraordinary landscape. But a bird’s life in the extremes of the world’s first national park isn’t an easy glide. See how the birds of Yellowstone survive and thrive.
Filmmaker: Jeff Reed
Under Thin Ice
Canada 4pm | 88 min
Each spring, the open edges of the Arctic icecap teem with life, as all living species gather for a feeding frenzy. But global warming is melting the perennial polar ice at an alarming rate. Canadian extreme divers and cinematographers, Jill Heinerth and Mario Cyr, combine their formidable skills to experience the repercussions of rapid climate change.
The first glaciers to disappear aren't where you'd expect -- they're on the equator. East Africa's rivers of ice have existed for tens of thousands of years, but they won't survive the next 25. Follow polar explorer and environmental scientist, Tim Jarvis, as he searches for the region's mysterious and vulnerable glaciers.
Filmmaker: Miles Roland
Ancient Giants
Vancouver Saturday, April 4 | 12:30pm | 15 min
Included with admission to Science World.
After an ill-fated expedition to northern Patagonia, in search of one of the oldest living trees on Earth, three explorers reflect on their discoveries and what it means for the future of rainforests. Ancient Giants provokes the questions, is sustainable forestry really sustainable? What can we do to change the future?
The remarkable true story of three animal species in distant locations rescued from the brink of extinction by researchers and conservationists. By the end of this century, half of all species could be pushed to the brink of extinction. Positive change is possible, and problems created by humans can be solved by humans.
Filmmaker: Sean Casey
This film is formatted for the OMNIMAX screen.
Be a Better Roommate
USA Saturday, April 4 | 2pm | 3 min
Included with admission to Science World.
A comedy of role reversal and environmental errors as a sperm whale damages the habitat of its human roommate.
Filmmaker: Paul North
Bring Your Own
USA Saturday, April 4 | 5pm | 3 min
Included with admission to Science World.
Inspired by the popular OMI song “Cheerleader,” this musical parody set to a student-written song, highlights the importance of bringing your own in the fight against plastic pollution.
Visionary scientist and acclaimed author, Diana Beresford-Kroeger journeys from Japan to California, from Ireland to Germany to Vancouver Island and across to the great Boreal Forest, exploring our profound biological and spiritual connection to trees. The Call of the Forest film and movement is a call for massive, global reforestation to reverse climate change.
Filmmaker: Jeffrey McKay
This film is playing in the OMNIMAX Theatre.
Clatter
France Saturday, April 4 | 12:30pm | 6 min
Included with admission to Science World.
Isolated on the Salvation Islands, a troop of monkeys and a couple of peacocks are living a mysterious epic. The fauna and flora are slowly erasing the vestiges of the past, an area known for being home to one of the toughest penal colonies in French Guiana.
Filmmaker: Rémi Rappe
Dammed to Extinction
USA Sunday, April 5 | 2:30pm | 51 min
Included with admission to Science World.
For eons, killer whales have hunted Chinook salmon along the Pacific Coast of the US. For the last 40 years, renowned whale scientist Ken Balcomb has closely observed them. As salmon numbers plummet, orcas starve. Balcomb’s solution is to get rid of four fish-killing dams on the largest tributary to what was once the largest Chinook-producing river on Earth.
Filmmaker: Michael Peterson
This film is playing in the OMNIMAX Theatre.
Down the River Wild
USA Sunday, April 5 | 11am | 52 min
Included with admission to Science World.
The Yellowstone River is the longest undammed river in the contiguous 48 states. From Yellowstone Lake to the Missouri River, follow its nearly 700-mile journey, over falls and through canyons, as bison, otters, coyotes and thrill-seekers adapt to—and thrive in—these wild, untamed waters.
Filmmakers: Thomas Winston, Tria Thalman
Dukas
USA Sunday, April 5 | 12:30pm | 9 min
Included with admission to Science World.
Two members of the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians discuss the environmental crisis facing the red abalone population in California and its impact on tribal culture.
Student Filmmaker: Catherine Trainor
Finding Solitude
Vancouver Saturday, April 4 | 12:30pm | 22 min
Included with admission to Science World.
The stunningly beautiful alpine, glacier and forest ecosystems of Vancouver Island are explored by scientific, environmental and Indigenous cultural leaders. The current state of the region and the critically important steps necessary to obtain a sustainable future are featured.
Filmmakers: Tristan Hinder-Hohlweg, Jaiden George
For the Love of Salmon
Vancouver Sunday, April 5 | 12:30pm | 8 min
Included with admission to Science World.
Under a haze of wildfire smoke and with her ancestors watching from above, Keely Weget-Whitney steps into the frigid and fast-moving waters of the Fraser River with one goal in mind: to make people care. Join this 25-year-old member of the St’át’imc First Nation, as she embarks on a 60km swim to bring awareness to the depleting number of salmon and its impacts on her culture and the environment.
Filmmaker: Jan Vozenilek
Goldene Acht
Germany Saturday, April 4 | 12:30pm | 9 min
Included with admission to Science World.
Music video featuring the latest song from German DJ Dominik Eulberg. For him, nature is the greatest artist of all and his main inspirational source for creative activity. Now a veteran of more than ten years, Dominik is still as compelling as ever, much like the natural world in which he so passionately surrounds himself with.
Filmmaker: Jan Haft
Green Gone
USA Saturday, April 4 | 5pm | 3 min
Included with admission to Science World.
An infomercial parody, Green Gone pokes fun at the overuse of pesticides and herbicides and the psychology used to market them.
Student Filmmakers: Keanu Frith, Tess Moretti-Hill, Gabriel Jeffers, Mahea Dunn
Guardians of the Grasslands
Canada Saturday, April 4 | 3:30pm | 13 min
Included with admission to Science World.
Canada’s native grasslands are disappearing at an alarming rate. In fact, they are one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world. Replacing bison as the keystone species in this ecosystem, cattle create hope for the plant and animal species that call the prairies home.
Filmmakers: Sarah Wray, Ben Wilson
Guidance
USA Saturday, April 4 | 12:30pm | 3 min
Included with admission to Science World.
A father's shared passion for nature and exploration guides a young man to his own passion for wildlife and the outdoors.
Filmmaker: John Matriano
Inside the Fence
Australia Saturday, April 4 | 2pm | 29 min
Included with admission to Science World.
Self-proclaimed maverick of the conservation movement, Dr John Wamsley, built Australia’s first predator-proof fence, a unique ecosystem known as Warrawong Wildlife Sanctuary, that challenged conventional thinking about zoos.
Filmmakers: Daniel Clarke, Amy Pysden
Keynote Speaker: Samual Mutisya, Head of Wildlife Conservation, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenya
Samual is an environmental scientist and biologist and is uniquely qualified to share the inspiring story of this incredible conservancy, the tragic loss of Sudan, the last male Northern white rhino, and international efforts to save these endangered species. Samual specializes in habitat and wildlife conservation with particular emphasis on rhino and elephant. He holds a BSc. in environmental science, Endangered Species Management from Durrell Conservation Academy in Jersey, and a MSc. in Conservation Biology from the University of Kent, UK.
About Oj Pejeta
Ol Pejeta Conservatory in Laikipia, Kenya is home to 2 very special individuals. Najin and her daughter Fatu are the last two Northern White rhinoceroses on the planet.
In 1970, Kenya was home to 20,000 rhinos. But civil war in neighbouring countries provided a tragic window of opportunity for poachers to capitalize on the market in Asia for rhino horns. Rhinos were killed at an alarming rate. By 1983, there were only 350 left.
Today, there are 800 rhinos in Kenya, most in protected conservancies such as Ol Pejeta, which is home to 150 rhinos. Under continuous armed protection in the 3602km conservancy, black rhinos, which are critically endangered, and southern white rhinos, which are threatened, live and breed in peace. Poaching has been almost entirely thwarted by the bravery and efforts of elite rangers and biologists who dedicate their lives to these animals.
Ol Pejeta's conservation efforts extend beyond simply providing a safe space for rhinos. Climate change is altering the landscape and compounds the issue of human-wildlife conflict. The conservancy includes tourism and ranching, while supporting endangered species such as the Grevy's zebra, Jackson's hartebeest, spotted hyenas, cheetahs, elephants, wild dogs, lions and giraffes.
Kids Speak on Plastic Pollution
USA Saturday, April 4 | 5pm | 5 min
Included with admission to Science World.
What do kids think about the growing problem of plastic pollution? Students explore young perspectives on plastic pollution causes, impacts and solutions through interviews with Maui kids ages five through 10.
Sudan was the last male northern white rhino on the planet. With the death of this gentle giant, the world lost a part of its heart and soul. Kifaru explores the painful emptiness of extinction through the eyes of Sudan's three primary caregivers. Teetering on borrowed time and with his health in decline, Sudan's looming death and the uncertainty that it will bring hangs over the heads of the people who consider the rhinos as family. Their only hope to save the species that they love—and perhaps their livelihood—rests fully in the success of a last resort, an in vitro fertilization experiment.
Hunting competitions in North America are decimating populations of some of nature's most important predators, coyotes and wolves. Follow filmmaker Filipe DeAndrade's journey to illuminate this devastating "sport".
Filmmaker: Filipe DeAndrade
Life on the Wing
USA Sunday, April 5 | 3:30pm | 49 min
Included with admission to Science World.
It’s a bird’s-eye view of iconic Yellowstone National Park. Soaring above Old Faithful and the Lower Falls, winged creatures survey an extraordinary landscape. But a bird’s life in the extremes of the world’s first national park isn’t an easy glide. See how the birds of Yellowstone survive and thrive.
Filmmaker: Jeff Reed
Million Dollar Mouse
New Zealand Saturday, April 4 | 2pm | 20 min
Included with admission to Science World.
An eradication team in New Zealand eliminates invasive mice on Antiipodes Island, who threaten the local seabird population.
Filmmaker: James Reardon
Oceans Without Limits: A Journey of Discovery
South Africa Sunday, April 5 | 1pm | 55 min
Included with admission to Science World.
Embark on a voyage of discovery into the Western Indian Ocean and find out how plastic pollution is impacting this tropical paradise. From South Africa to Madagascar, the Seychelles, Maldives and a distant archipelago called Chagos, the discoveries are both unexpected and shocking.
Filmmaker: Mark van Wijk
This film is playing in the OMNIMAX Theatre.
One World Sawalmem
USA Sunday, April 5 | 12:30pm | 17 min
Included with admission to Science World.
To Michael Preston, a student of environmental studies and a member of the Winnemem Wintu Band, the word sawalmem (sacred water) represents a vital vision for healing the world. Since the 1940s, the Shasta River Dam has harmed the salmon, the Sacramento River, his home territory and the Winnemem Wintu people.
Filmmakers: Natasha Deganello Giraudie, Michael “Pom” Preston
Follow Olympian Torah Bright as she journeys through the world’s longest chain of mountain ranges extending from Antarctica all the way to Alaska, with backcountry legend Jeremy Jones and free-skiing superstar Sammy Carlson. They encounter penguins, polar bears and other wildlife, and meet with scientists to uncover a deeper understanding of mountain ecosystems.
Filmmaker: Caspar Mazzotti
Pimachiowin Aki
Canada Saturday, April 4 | 3:30pm | 12 min
Included with admission to Science World.
Along the eastern edge of Manitoba, extending north to Hudson Bay, lies one of the last untouched wilderness areas in the world, home to one of Canada’s most iconic and endangered animals. Ojibwe for “the land that gives life,” Pimachiowin Aki is a Unesco World Heritage site, a vast wilderness area preserved by the conservation efforts of four surrounding First Nations.
Youth from different backgrounds come together to paddle Yukon’s Beaver River near a proposed mining road that the Na-Cho Nyak Dun Nation opposes, and which would negatively affect the region’s untouched environment.
Filmmakers: Calder Cheverie and Genevieve Pare
Remember
USA Saturday, April 4 | 5pm | 3 min
Included with admission to Science World.
In this short theatrical film, three generations of women reflect on the beauty of their island home and the changes they see taking place in their natural environment.
One man’s search for humpback whales in Howe Sound, near Vancouver. After decades of industrial pollution and an absence of 100 years, humpback whales return to these waters, inspiring hope that the marine health of Howe Sound is in recovery.
Filmmaker: Bob Turner
Return of the Predators
USA Saturday, April 4 | 11am | 51 min
Included with admission to Science World.
The wolves have returned. The grizzly bear population is at an all-time high. The mountain lions never left. The presence of these predators touches every corner of Yellowstone Park, but many questions remain about survival in this wild wilderness.
Filmmaker: Thomas Winston, Tria Thalman
Rockabill
Ireland Sunday, April 5 | 2pm | 50 min
Included with admission to Science World.
A tiny island off Dublin’s coast, Rockabill is where the European population of rare Roseate Terns breed. A two-man conservation team continues a 30-year project to tend the island and thousands of bird nests during the summer.
Filmmaker: Andrew Power
Sea Creature Complaints
USA Saturday, April 4 | 5pm | 5 min
Included with admission to Science World.
Featuring direct interviews with sea creatures about the current state of our oceans, this claymation film details their problems including pollution, noise from ocean vessels and climate change impacts.
Student Filmmakers: Dane Ottman, Matt Golin
Socksiety
Germany Sunday, April 5 | 3:30pm | 2 min
Included with admission to Science World.
In a world moved by uniformity and mindless consumerism, symbolized by a sock that adults wear over their head, a young girl decides to start changing the world.
Filmmaker: Johanna Ort
Sound Water
Vancouver Sunday, April 5 | 12:30pm | 13 min
Included with admission to Science World.
Adventurers find their way along the Squamish River to the Squamish Estuary and into Howe Sound to Bowen Island, seeking a deeper connection to the natural world. Squamish Nation Councillor Deanna Lewis, and author and playwright Pauline Le Bel provide their perspectives on our connection with nature.
Filmmaker: Jonathan Chiang
Swimming with Gentle Giants
Australia Sunday, April 5 | 2pm | 10 min
Included with admission to Science World.
Wildlife photographer Scott Portelli swims with humpback whales in Tonga, showcasing a fascinating variety of unique behaviours such as competitive “heat runs” and curious calves experiencing their world for the very first time.
Filmmaker: Stefan Andrews
The Birds
Vancouver Sunday, April 5 | 3:30pm | 4 min
Included with admission to Science World.
An experimental, animated short blends bird calls and forest sounds with an artistic vision of birds in a robotic world.
Filmmaker: Joe Chang
The Butterfly Trees
USA Sunday, April 5 | 11:30am | 82 min
Included with admission to Science World.
Follow the transcontinental journey of eastern monarch butterflies on their epic migration from the forested shores of southern Canada to central Mexico. The monarch butterfly is emblematic of our fragile and complex ecology. But the monarch is also a potent symbol for our individual life journey and finding our place in this world.
Filmmaker: Kay Milam
This film is playing in the OMNIMAX Theatre.
The Carbon Farmer
UK Saturday, April 4 | 11am | 7 min
Included with admission to Science World.
Our actions today could become the traditions of tomorrow. Presently, the UK's degraded peatlands are a colossal source of greenhouse gas emissions, but if new actions are adopted now, one day "The Carbon Farmer" could proudly share stories of the positibe impact his family has made on their moor for generations.
Filmmaker: Andy Clark
The Condor & the Eagle
USA Saturday, April 4 | 2:30pm | 80 min
Included with admission to Science World.
Four indigenous environmental leaders embark on an extraordinary transcontinental adventure from the Canadian plains deep into the heart of the Amazonian jungle to unite the peoples of North and South America and deepen the meaning of climate justice. Issues surrounding oil development in the US, Canada, Ecuador and Peru are examined.
Filmmakers: Sophie Guerra, Clement Guerra
This film is playing in the OMNIMAX Theatre.
The Edge of Existence
South Africa Saturday, April 4 | 4pm | 87 min
Included with admission to Science World.
Human-wildlife conflict in the Serengeti region of Africa is reaching crisis proportions. Told from the perspective of people living along the border between farming communities and wildlife conservancies, humans and wildlife struggle to survive while rangers struggle to find a balance in order to avoid catastrophic effects on the environment.
Filmmakers: James Suter, Charlie Luckock
This film is playing in the OMNIMAX Theatre.
The Hunt for Medals Not Lions
South Africa Sunday, April 5 | 11am | 8 min
Included with admission to Science World.
In the past, in order to become a Maasai warrior, young men had to kill a lion to prove their bravery. Working together with Big Life Foundation, eight Maasai elders found a way to honour this important tradition, yet ensure the long-term survival of lions in the region.
Filmmaker: James Suter
The Mill
Canada Saturday, April 4 | 1pm | 52 min
Included with admission to Science World.
The community of Pictou County, Nova Scotia, is facing a major turning point in the 50-year-old controversy surrounding its pulp mill. Considered the dirtiest in Canada, the mill’s waste flows directly into the Northumberland Straight. The Government of Nova Scotia must make a stark choice between jobs and the lives of local and First Nations residents.
Filmmaker: David Craig
This film is playing in the OMNIMAX Theatre.
The Seal
Vancouver Sunday, April 5 | 2pm | 5 min
Included with admission to Science World.
One man’s remarkable encounter with a young seal while snorkelling in a wild corner of Howe Sound.
A personal and gripping story by filmmaker Mark Titus. Fresh into addiction recovery, an urgent threat emerges to spur Mark back to the Alaskan wilderness, where the people of Bristol Bay and the world’s largest wild salmon runs face devastation, if a massive copper mine is constructed.
Filmmaker: Mark Titus
Tides
Vancouver Saturday, April 4 | 5pm | 9 min
Included with admission to Science World.
Filmed on the beautiful Pacific Northwest coast of Canada, Tides is an experimental short documentary that plunges us into the forms, colours and sounds of the ocean. The film is amplified by a deep and meditative soundtrack which provides the viewer with an immersive look at water.
Student Filmmaker: Justine Beaulieu Poudrier
Under Thin Ice
Canada Sunday, April 4 | 4pm | 88 min
Included with admission to Science World.
Each spring, the open edges of the Arctic icecap teem with life, as all living species gather for a feeding frenzy. But global warming is melting the perennial polar ice at an alarming rate. Canadian extreme divers and cinematographers, Jill Heinerth and Mario Cyr, combine their formidable skills to experience the repercussions of rapid climate change.
Filmmaker: Denis Blaquière
This film is playing in the OMNIMAX Theatre.
Wapusk National Park
Germany Saturday, April 4 | 3:30pm | 52 min
Included with admission to Science World.
In Cree, wapusk means white bear. In Manitoba’s Wapusk National Park and the adjacent town of Churchill, almost everything revolves around the polar bear. The coast of Hudson Bay is home to the largest polar bear population in the world. Long-term studies on climate change undertaken here provide an indicator of imminent change across the globe.
Filmmaker: Viktor Apfelbacher
Washing Ashore
USA Saturday, April 4 | 5pm | 9 min
Included with admission to Science World.
Featuring interviews with local experts, this short student film documents a study of marine plastics being conducted in remote areas of Maui's northeast coast, and what it may tell us about the sources of plastic pollution, and potential solutions.
