Sustainable Wallingford is screening a Canadian documentary, Shattered Ground, about fracking and the effect it has already had in Canada and the USA – a timely warning as the UK government tries to introduce it over here. Tickets are £5. It’s happening at the Corn Exchange, 7:30pm.
film screenings
UK Green Film Festival: two screenings in Oxford
The UK Green Film Festival is the UK’s annual environmental film festival. Taking place each year over a single week, up and down the country, the festival screens some of the very best films from around the world, exploring some of the big environmental issues of the day. Two films will be shown in Oxford as part of the festival, both at the Ultimate Picture Palace.
Good Things Await (Sat 9th May) Documentary about a Danish farmer threatened by authorities who don’t like his biodynamic approach.
Bikes vs Cars (Sun 10th May) Documentary following individuals around the world fighting to challenge the dominance of the car.
Film screening: A Dangerous Game
A Dangerous Game is the follow up to the award-winning You’ve Been Trumped. It’s about how golf is being used as an excuse to build huge luxury resorts that damage the environment of local areas. There will be a screening at the Phoenix Picturehouse (Walton Street) at 6:15pm on Friday 17th October. There will be a panel discussion afterwards which may be chaired by a member of Oxford WDM (to be confirmed).
Collective solutions to the food crisis
How do we escape the grip of the supermarkets on our food-buying habits? How can communities gain control of the food they eat? Most of our January meeting was dedicated to a screening of the film Best Before: the London Food Revolution. The film touched on topics such as the global impact of our consumption habits, the power of supermarkets and the advantages of small-scale, organic farming.
The film depicted three projects in London which aim to point the way towards a healthier, more sustainable, and socially just food system.
After the film, we watched part of an interview with a speaker from the NGO Focus on the Global South, and then we discussed some of the questions raised by the film in small groups.
The screening was part of WDM’s broader campaigning work on the issue of food sovereignty – the concept of communities taking greater control over the food they grow and consume.
Whose food? Our food!
What’s the connection between food banks and horsemeat lasagne? Two of the biggest UK news stories of 2013 were about people not having control of their food supply. Factors such as poverty, rising food prices and complex supply chains are reducing people’s control over what they eat.
It’s time to take that control back. Whose food? Our food! is an inspiring look at alternatives to the “shut up and eat what you’re given” model. This WDM film explores both the reasons behind the current dire situation and ways in which people are reclaiming power over their food supply.
Date: Tuesday 14th January
Venue: The Long Room, Oxford Town Hall (wheelchair-accessible)
Time: 8pm
Free entry
The fracking threat: public meeting in Bicester
A large expanse of north Oxfordshire has been identified as a possible site for fracking (drilling for shale gas). It won’t be long before companies begin applying for licences to drill in this part of Oxfordshire.
There will be a public meeting about the fracking threat on Friday, jointly organised by Oxon Against Fracking and Banbury & Cherwell Green Party. It will be chaired by Green MEP Keith Taylor.
The meeting will include a couple of short films about fracking, information about Keith’s personal experience of witnessing what it’s like to live near a fracking site and details of the areas in Oxfordshire where fracking could take place. There will also be a question and answer session.
Date & Time: Friday 10th January 2014, 7.30pm
Venue: Bicester Methodist Church, Bell Lane, Bicester (Sheep Street end)
This event is not organised by WDM.
