Enlightening Entertainment
 
From “An Inconvenient Truth” to “Meat the Truth”: Timely Messages from Environmental Filmmakers      
Greetings caring viewers, and welcome to Enlightening Entertainment. From the silent spread of drought, to the dramatic loss of ice in the Arctic and Antarctic lairs, the perils of climate change are accelerating, catching all too many of us unaware.

Fortunately, they have been brought to light before our eyes through informative and creative media, including films. They shed light on how these complex situations affect our lives and call us to bold action. Please join us as we come to know some of these films and their creators who have made it a mission to help save this planet we called home.

We’re doing what no wild animal will do; we’re fouling our own nest.

The 2006 documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth,” produced by former US Vice President and Nobel Laureate Al Gore, has been credited for raising real global awareness on climate change.

In 2007, “The 11th Hour,” was released as made by the famous American actor Leonardo DiCaprio. From political leaders to celebrities, voices of concern were speaking ever louder, especially through film.

In 2007 and 2009, Disneynature made two spectacular documentaries. “Earth” showed the beauty of wildlife and the harsh ways their habitats are threatened. “Oceans” dived into the mysterious depths to see the amazing creatures that inhabit most of the planet’s surface. But the life force of the Earth’s flora and fauna are becoming more fragile each day. And as their co-inhabitants, human lives are precarious as well.

Award-winning Irish American filmmaker Michael Nash traveled around the world to collect first-hand testimonies from climate victims who are being uprooted due to the unlivable conditions. His heart-wrenching documentary, “Climate Refugees,” was released in 2010.

As climate change issues made us see ourselves as connected with a greater environment, some filmmakers made it a point to broaden our viewpoint even further: we are connected with the environment and all the lives in it as well. In 2005, US director Shaun Monson presented his multi-award-winning documentary “Earthlings,” which explores the interspecies relationship between humans and other species on Earth. Mr. Monson discussed the film’s title, which is also its central concept.

I kept thinking, “Well what would be a good title that encompassed everything?” What term, what definition could there be no division among? What word encompassed the animal-human-tree? You know, “Earthlings,” that seems to be the most fitting. If you look at the cover of the DVD as well, it has a leaf and it has this cow and it has a human in it. It says, “Nature . . . make the connection” between the three Earthlings, and so that was the idea for the title.

American photographer and director Louie Psihoyos, also illustrates the human-animal relationship in his documentary “The Cove,” which won the 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary Film. Both “Earthlings” and “The Cove” send a powerful message that our disregard for the planet and for our co-inhabitants must be stopped if humanity is to be redeemed.

One of the tragic ironies of this movie is that the dolphin is the only wild animal throughout history to save the life of a human being.

The only way that we can save the life of a dolphin now is to prove that we made his environment so toxic, that we can no longer eat them. It shows you the amount of respect that we lost for the animal and the amount of respect that we lost for ourselves.

As the Executive Director of the Oceanic Preservation Society, Mr. Psihoyos also talks about the dire situation of our oceans which is endangering all the marine species.

The dead zones are increasing in number and they’re increasing in size. We’re trying to solve the problem in one little cove, but it’s really a microcosm of what’s going on in the oceans. With all the fertilizers and run-offs and pesticides, it’s killing the oceans.

If the global temperature rise exceeds 2 degrees Celsius, many islands and coastal regions will be among the first to face increased disasters on a most frightening scale. In 2010, a Formosan (Taiwanese) documentary to bring this reality closer to home. The film, produced by the famed Formosan (Taiwanese) media personality Sisy Chen, is called “±2 Degrees C.”

On a global scale, the first group of people who might be wiped out the most vulnerable are those on the islands in the Pacific Ocean and Africa. Next, it affects the Asian countries like Formosa.

I’m so much concerned about climate change, because I don’t want our future generations to question us, just as I’m questioning the need for more concrete action on climate change today.

If the situation doesn’t change, any one of us can become the next climate refugee. So, what is the best way to stop global warming? More respected filmmakers respond, when we return. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television.

The central driving issue behind the show is one of the most important issues facing all of us today, and that is the desecration of the planet, and global warming, and how we can reverse the horrible trend of what can happen to this planet. If you look at a planet like Venus, Venus is suffering from global warming; and the Earth can easily go that way.

Welcome back to Enlightening Entertainment and our program featuring environmental films and filmmakers and their timely messages.

Through appealing storylines and state-of-the-art special effects, eco-dramas and science fiction movies such as “The Day After Tomorrow,” “2012,” and “Avatar” remind people of the importance of preventing irreversible harm or loss of our one and only planet. Eminent US filmmaker James Cameron wrote and directed “Avatar.”

There is an interesting thing that is happening with “Avatar,” that a lot of environmental people who represent various causes are coming to me and saying, ‘Can we do something in connection with Avatar?’

To celebrate Earth Day and its DVD release, the box-office hit “Avatar” teamed up with Earth Day Network to plant one million trees by the end of 2010.

Maybe this film can do more than just sort of be a movie that kind of makes people think about something. Maybe it can actually be a way to focus energy on certain specific causes and specific places where people can take action.

The mesmerizing beauty of our planet and the shocking impacts humans have had on it are depicted vividly via aerial-only view in the 2008 documentary, “Home.” This film was the result of the hard work of renowned French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand to present the large scale of the human impact on the environment.

“HOME,” produced by distinguished filmmaker Luc Besson, was simultaneously released in dozens of countries, via theaters, television, and the internet, free of charge. This was the wish of director and 2009 United Nations Environment Program Goodwill Ambassador Yann Arthus-Bertrand, who ceded his author’s rights in order to reach as many people as possible.

I made this film for you. Please share it. People told me that “HOME” is an impossible initiative. So I would like to tell you tonight: Let’s believe together in impossible initiatives. Let’s believe in it.

The film also addresses the environmental damage caused by the livestock raising.

Nowadays Eating less meat is certainly a healthier way of living. Eating less meat is to send less CO2 and methane in the atmosphere. Because meat is unfortunately responsible for huge deforestation.

We know that the solutions are there today. We all have the power to change.

Conscientious French filmmakers, Mr. Pierre Barougier and Mr. Olivier Bourgeois, produced an eco-documentary, “Nous resterons sur terre,” or “Here to Stay,” released in 2009. It was chosen by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to be screened ahead of the 2009 Copenhagen Climate Change Conference. In this film, the directors address humans’ exploitative relationship toward the planet, including factory farming.

This system of intensive livestock farming and the massive production of meat, has already disastrous effects on the environment. If all agricultural land occupied by those livestock farms, by soy cultivation necessary to feed the livestock, would be used to produce grain and vegetables and fruit to feed the entire population of this planet, we could reduce hunger in the world to a large extent.

As early as 1995, a succinct documentary “Devour the Earth” clearly illustrated the environmental consequences of human activities and the effects of the meat-based diet. Fifteen years later, the film’s ultimate message remains true.

Taking off where “An Inconvenient Truth” leaves off, “Meat the Truth,” a 2008 Dutch documentary, shows how the livestock industry worldwide emits more greenhouse gases than all the transportation sources combined.

What are your hopes for the movie?

I hope that a lot, a lot of people will see this movie and it will change their way of thinking, and they in the end are going to eat less meat.

“Meat the Truth” was presented by Dutch Parliament Member Ms. Marianne Thieme.

We are here surrounded by people who are interested in the number one cause of global warming and that is the meat industry. Well, it's great to see that the movie is well received. It's just the start of a world tour on compassion.

The severe drought in Australia in 2003 motivated the young filmmaker Aaron Scheibner to produce his remarkable documentary, “A Delicate Balance – the Truth,” released in 2008.

It’s a feature-length documentary. The two main themes of the film are health and the environment. Health details how the over-consumption of animal protein, specifically meat and dairy, is contributing to ill health in the world. The rise of cancer, diabetes, and obesity are linked to this and also how animal agriculture contributes to global warming more than cars combined.

I’ve spoken to a lot of people about that, and some people think it’s too simple to switch to a vegetarian or vegan diet and that will solve a lot of problems. It may be simple but I think it is the answer.

Preserving this precious planet is everyone’s responsibility and a privilege. This is the message that Emmy-Award-winning producer, director, writer, and cinematographer Lionel Friedberg, who is also a vegan, conveyed in the powerful 2007 documentary, “A Sacred Duty: Applying Jewish Values to Help Heal the World.”

That’s what “A Sacred Duty” is about. Global warming is here. What are we doing about it? Well, you've got to change your diet, and what does that do? It stops the desecration and destruction of rainforests. It stops the destruction of all the land that we’re giving over to growing crops to feed animals. It stops the amount of methane that comes from cows.

You can make a difference! By changing your diet and by being peace-loving and by living a peaceful, compassionate lifestyle. And all it’s about is what you put on that plate for breakfast, for lunch, and for dinner. That’s where you make a difference.

Our gratitude, all the esteemed environmental filmmakers, for delivering such important messages to the millions with your keen perception, profound knowledge, and deep commitment to saving the planet. May such engaging presentations prompt us to do our part, starting with the Earth-saving veg diet.

Hi, my name is Shaun Monson and I am the director of the film “Earthlings” and I'm here to say, please be veg, go green and save the planet! Thank you.

I am Sisy Chen. “±2 Degrees C.” Be veg, go green, save the planet.

Be veg, go green, save the planet.

Thoughtful viewers, thank you for joining us today. Coming up next is Words of Wisdom, after Noteworthy News, here on Supreme Master Television. Blessed be your noble endeavors.

In the book, “Dead Mars, Dying Earth,” US theoretical plasma physicist John E. Brandenburg explains some of the latest developments in the study of Mars and their implications for the future of our own planet.

It’s a wonderful thing to be living in this age where we’re finally getting the answers to all these mysteries we used to wonder about. They used to think there were canals on Mars. Well, there weren’t any canals but there are water channels. There’s everything on Mars that they actually imagined there was but it isn’t quite the same as they imagined it.

Join us for Part 2 of our intriguing interview with Dr. John Brandenburg, Monday, April 26 on Science and Spirituality.

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