Ukiah >> The 9th Annual International Wildlife Film Festival Tour continues into the second week of its six-week run on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Ukiah Civic Center at 300 Seminary Ave. with two films centered on marine life. The evening begins at 6:15 p.m. with traditional and contemporary vocal and guitar music by Sheridan Malone.
Commissioned by the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History, “Ocean Odyssey” (57 min.) takes viewers on an undersea journey to remote and unique places as it explores an array of marine ecosystems. These include tiny damselfish in their splendid coral reef habitat, sperm whales viewed up close and the graceful ballet of giant manta rays. Viewers also discover the marine iguanas of the Galàpagos, the huge “mola mola,” the heaviest known bony fish in the world, and an ocean sunfish that reaches 14 feet. This stunning film reveals some of the most amazing underwater footage ever seen and offers reflections by Feodor Pitcairn and Bob Cranston, two of the most prominent cinematographers at work today.
Also playing: “The Water Brothers—Plastic Ocean” (25 min.). The Brothers embark on a sailing adventure to the middle of the Pacific Ocean to the remote “Great Pacific Garbage Patch,” a massive collection of plastic waste congregated together by swirling ocean currents known as gyres. What does the patch look like? How does it affect wildlife and the seafood we eat? Where in the world did this inconceivably massive amount of plastic come from and what can be done about it? The Water Brothers bring us some answers to this strange and disturbing phenomenon.
The Wildlife Film Festival will play on consecutive Fridays through March 27. Tickets are available at the Mendocino Book Company and at the door for a suggested donation of $10 for adults and $5 for children. A series ticket for all evenings is $50. Films are appropriate for older children, but parental discretion is recommended.
Proceeds from the film festival are an important funding source for the Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Project (RVOEP), a special program of the Ukiah Unified School District that provides outdoor environmental education program to over 2,000 students a year. For a full program of the film series and more information about the RVOEP visit its website, www.rvoep.org. To find out more about RVOEP, contact Maureen Taylor, Education Coordinator, at 489-0227.
