The Provincetown Film Society and the Center for Coastal Studies present an environmental film series on Earth Day weekend (April 21, 22 & 23) that offers both feature-length and short films related to the ocean, climate change, and citizen science. Called “Planet Ptown: An Outermost Coast Film Series,” the movies will be shown at the Water’s Edge Cinema, 237 Commercial Street, Provincetown.
The series begins Friday, April 21 at 7 p.m. with the 2023 documentary DEEP RISING. Narrated by Jason Momoa, the film is a tale of geopolitical, scientific, and corporate intrigue that exposes the machinations of a secretive organization empowered to greenlight massive extraction of metals from the deep seafloor that are deemed essential to the electric battery revolution. The film premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January and illuminates the vital relationship between the deep ocean and sustaining life on Earth.
Vibrant and award-winning short films will be featured on Saturday, April 22 at 11 a.m. SPINNAKER, made by Provincetown filmmaker Nadine Licostie (Red Thread Productions), is the story of the film’s namesake humpback whale and the Center for Coastal Studies’ efforts to disentangle her from rope and fishing gear. CCS tracked Spinnaker from her birth to her death and across multiple entanglement events. Her experience offered marine biologists a rare chance to see how entanglement impacts the lives of whales. SPINNAKER has won 18 awards, including this year’s Anthem Awards.
Two films directed by Morgan Heim – CORMIE: THE PICKPOCKET CORMORANT and THE END OF SNOW (Days Edge Productions) – are also included in the short film lineup on April 22. Heim is a wildlife photojournalist, filmmaker, and adventurer focusing on wildlife-human coexistence. Her charming CORMIE… is part mockumentary, part true-life tale, and reveals the heart of a rescue center working hard to save wildlife in the small coastal town of Astoria, Oregon. CORMIE… illustrates the emotional bonds and intelligence that can be found between humans and cormorants, an oft-maligned “pest” species. THE END OF SNOW follows Dr Jane Zelikova, a climate scientist and skier, who investigates why the Western snowpack is dwindling and how people can adapt to a future without snow.
Turn Around Films, of Norwell, MA., has two offerings in the lineup: KAREN AND THE RIVER and LOOKING FOR MICROPLASTICS. Turnaround documents climate change and introduces the people who are finding innovative ways to mitigate or adapt to it. KAREN AND THE RIVER follows Karen Buck, a mom and kayaker who started a community movement when she began picking up trash along the Malden River. LOOKING FOR MICROPLASTICS examines how microplastics get into water systems.
The April 22 screening will be followed by a discussion with filmmakers and CCS staff.
The series concludes Sunday, April 23 at 11 a.m. with LAST OF THE RIGHT WALES, a 2021 documentary by Canadian director Nadine Pequeneza. LAST OF THE RIGHT WALES showcases the people who research and protect the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, currently dying faster than it can reproduce, from extinction. With climate change affecting how they feed and migrate, the whales are now on a collision course with ships and fishing gear. LAST OF THE RIGHT WHALES features the CCS Right Whale Ecology Program team and includes stunning footage of whales in Cape Cod Bay. The screening will be followed by a discussion.
Admission to individual films is $20 for the general public and $15 for PFS and CCS members. Series passes, including admission to all programs and opening reception are $45 for the general public and $35 for PFS and CCS members.
The Center for Coastal Studies (coastalstudies.org) is a non-profit organization dedicated to understanding, preserving and protecting marine ecosystems and the coastal environment through applied research, education and public policy initiatives.
The Provincetown Film Society (provincetownfilm.org) is a non-profit arts organization dedicated to showcasing new achievements in independent film and honoring the work of emerging, as well as acclaimed directors, producers, and actors.
For information and ticket sales please visit https://www.provincetownfilm.org/cinema/planet-ptown/.