Highlights of Cinema Verde's 2023 Earth Day Celebration
Cinema Verde’s 2023 Three-Day Earth Day Celebration began with a clean-up of Ashley Creek on April 21st where community members came together and got their hands dirty while making a visible difference. Thank you to Keep Alachua County Beautiful and Current Problems for providing all the supplies to make this day successful! Attendees also had the opportunity to learn about waste dangers and management. Then, everyone was welcome to relax and get to know one another over dinner at the afterparty, generously hosted by Son Vo at Swamp Boil restaurant. On April 22nd, Cinema Verde partnered with #UNLITTER UF to present a Sustainable Showcase which featured local vendors with unique designs and individual missions, all with the shared goal of bettering the environment. Some of the products included handmade crochet designs by Crochizzydesigns, jewelry made from preserved plant materials by Flores de Miel, and artwork of lesser-known animal species by Colorful Creature Shop which donates to conservation institutions, to name a few. It was a blast getting to know every vendor present. Afterward, attendees got to sit back and relax at Cypress & Grove where Cinema Verde held a casual screening of the 2023 Cinema Verde award-winning festival films. One highlight of the evening was Keil Trosiri from the notorious culture-jamming collective The Yes Men, who presented documentary shorts that were comedic, surprising, and unafraid to push the boundaries in order to promote environmental justice campaigns. He discussed mischief-activism techniques, how to hack media attention, and how to undermine oppressive systems through humor, shock, and play.On April 23rd, Cinema Verde sponsors, filmmakers, and valued guests arrived at Passions Field, a lovely wildflower farm that utilizes regenerative agriculture techniques to maintain the natural beauty of the landscape, thanks to Txong Moua who generously provided the venue and taught attendees all about her landscape. The evening was a true celebration of mother earth as guests dined among the flowers and under a large oak that provided the perfect amount of shade. Louis Marks, founder of The Carnivore Connection, a carnivorous plant expert and conservation enthusiast, gave guests a talk about indigenous carnivorous plants and what makes them so unique. Then, Txong took guests on a tour of the farm grounds and gave them a more in-depth look into the diverse plant life as well as an interesting discussion on invasive species and more. Floridian landscape painter Peter Carolin provided a few of his sought-after art pieces for guests to browse on sight, as well as generously pledged half his proceeds that day to Cinema Verde as a donation. Later, renowned chef Mark Newman of the iconic Leonardo’s 706 restaurants provided a colorful, sustainable dining experience. Guests could not get enough of the unique, delectable display which included fresh fruit, Mediterranean salad, tuna tartar, baked salmon with a dill sauce, rustic homemade pita bread, a garlic hummus to die for, spanakopita, the list goes on. Once everyone was seated and the dining experience was wrapping up, Dr. Ed Kellerman, the emcee of the evening, took to the mic to emphasize the importance of environmental awareness and Cinema Verde’s role in that mission. Then, he introduced the organization’s director Trish Riley to say a few words as well as honor some of the 14th annual Cinema Verde festival filmmakers with awards. Some of the filmmakers honored included Keil Troisi in collaboration with Molly Gore for their film Total Disaster and winner of the strategic targeting award, Megan Cahill, director of Nature Nut: Wet N’ Wild and winner of the education award, Alycin Hayes for her work with Jimmy Evans on the film Wild Florida’s Vanishing Call and winner of the local award. Marin Best, only fourteen, was also honored for her role in the film Home Waters in which she trekked through Rainbow Springs State Park with a small group of conservationists to film, a 50-mile trip, and no small venture. Marin talked about her experience and hopes to inspire other young women in conservation. The evening slowly came to a close as guests continued to socialize and enjoy the atmosphere as the sun set on the beautiful, natural landscape.
Cinema Verde’s 2023 Three-Day Earth Day Celebration began with a clean-up of Ashley Creek on April 21st where community members came together and got their hands dirty while making a visible difference. Thank you to Keep Alachua County Beautiful and Current Problems for providing all the supplies to make this day successful! Attendees also had the opportunity to learn about waste dangers and management.
Cinema Verde’s 2023 Three-Day Earth Day Celebration began with a clean-up of Ashley Creek on April 21st where community members came together and got their hands dirty while making a visible difference. Thank you to Keep Alachua County Beautiful and Current Problems for providing all the supplies to make this day successful! Attendees also had the opportunity to learn about waste dangers and management. Then, everyone was welcome to relax and get to know one another over dinner at the afterparty, generously hosted by Son Vo at Swamp Boil restaurant.
On April 22nd, Cinema Verde partnered with #UNLITTER UF to present a Sustainable Showcase which featured local vendors with unique designs and individual missions, all with the shared goal of bettering the environment. Some of the products included handmade crochet designs by Crochizzydesigns, jewelry made from preserved plant materials by Flores de Miel, and artwork of lesser-known animal species by Colorful Creature Shop which donates to conservation institutions, to name a few. It was a blast getting to know every vendor present.
Afterward, attendees got to sit back and relax at Cypress & Grove where Cinema Verde held a casual screening of the 2023 Cinema Verde award-winning festival films. One highlight of the evening was Keil Trosiri from the notorious culture-jamming collective The Yes Men, who presented documentary shorts that were comedic, surprising, and unafraid to push the boundaries in order to promote environmental justice campaigns. He discussed mischief-activism techniques, how to hack media attention, and how to undermine oppressive systems through humor, shock, and play.
On April 23rd, Cinema Verde sponsors, filmmakers, and valued guests arrived at Passions Field, a lovely wildflower farm that utilizes regenerative agriculture techniques to maintain the natural beauty of the landscape, thanks to Txong Moua who generously provided the venue and taught attendees all about her landscape. The evening was a true celebration of mother earth as guests dined among the flowers and under a large oak that provided the perfect amount of shade. Louis Marks, founder of The Carnivore Connection, a carnivorous plant expert and conservation enthusiast, gave guests a talk about indigenous carnivorous plants and what makes them so unique.
Then, Txong took guests on a tour of the farm grounds and gave them a more in-depth look into the diverse plant life as well as an interesting discussion on invasive species and more. Floridian landscape painter Peter Carolin provided a few of his sought-after art pieces for guests to browse on sight, as well as generously pledged half his proceeds that day to Cinema Verde as a donation.
Later, renowned chef Mark Newman of the iconic Leonardo’s 706 restaurants provided a colorful, sustainable dining experience. Guests could not get enough of the unique, delectable display which included fresh fruit, Mediterranean salad, tuna tartar, baked salmon with a dill sauce, rustic homemade pita bread, a garlic hummus to die for, spanakopita, the list goes on.
Once everyone was seated and the dining experience was wrapping up, Dr. Ed Kellerman, the emcee of the evening, took to the mic to emphasize the importance of environmental awareness and Cinema Verde’s role in that mission. Then, he introduced the organization’s director Trish Riley to say a few words as well as honor some of the 14th annual Cinema Verde festival filmmakers with awards. Some of the filmmakers honored included Keil Troisi in collaboration with Molly Gore for their film Total Disaster and winner of the strategic targeting award, Megan Cahill, director of Nature Nut: Wet N’ Wild and winner of the education award, Alycin Hayes for her work with Jimmy Evans on the film Wild Florida’s Vanishing Call and winner of the local award. Marin Best, only fourteen, was also honored for her role in the film Home Waters in which she trekked through Rainbow Springs State Park with a small group of conservationists to film, a 50-mile trip, and no small venture. Marin talked about her experience and hopes to inspire other young women in conservation. The evening slowly came to a close as guests continued to socialize and enjoy the atmosphere as the sun set on the beautiful, natural landscape.
