Winter can feel endless sometimes, even if temperatures are mild and there is barely any snow to shovel. Daylight hours are shorter, the weather is often less pleasant and we generally spend more time indoors and being less active. For many people seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a very real issue during the cold months and if you’ve ever felt the pains associated with it, you’re certainly not alone.
As told by Julia Barnes, a documentary filmmaker, volunteer with Water Docs, and friend of the late Rob Stewart. This speech was given as part of our Water Warrior Award presentation at our 11th annual Water Docs Film Festival in Toronto on Nov. 17, 2023. Rob’s parents, Brian and Sandy Stewart, accepted the award on Rob’s behalf.
Here is a breakdown of the 2023 Water Docs Film Festival in-person screening blocks that can help you decide which programs you absolutely “must-see”… and they’re all FREE! See you at the movies…
Across the country, wetlands are being destroyed by industry and agriculture. They are drained and filled so people can construct buildings, farm the land, or install infrastructure. Wetlands also face threats from pollution and climate change. As droughts intensify, wetlands can dry up.
Worldwide, 60% of wetlands have been lost. Wetlands are disappearing faster than any other natural community.
Fog lingers in the cool dawn air. With each step I take, the boardwalk sinks and water rises through the slats. All around, there are plants – clumps of sedges, sphagnum moss, leatherleaf, and sweet gale shrubs. Spider webs that would normally be invisible in the branches shine with the dew they have collected overnight – tiny droplets like glass beads strung across complex architecture.
World Oceans Day is just around the corner - and so is the Canada G7 Leaders Summit held in Montreal this June where world leaders will be meeting to discuss the global plastic epidemic and what to do about it. After Justin Trudeau's lukewarm response to the UK's call for all Commonwealth countries to join them in banning certain single-use plastic items, we figure the Canadian Government could use a little push.
We already know that waste - and specifically waste generated by the single-use plastics industry - will be a major agenda item during the G7 summit hosted by Canada in June of this year. After Justin Trudeau's politically neutral response to UK Prime Minister Theresa May's call for other commonwealth countries to join the UK in implementing strict single-use plastic bans, it is now more important than ever to make our voices heard loud and clear on this issue
This year, Water Docs Film Festival is asking Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema to put the bottled water away at all #WaterDocs2018 screenings and events. The Water Docs team is asking that all festival attendees BYOB - bring your own bottle! - and refill them at the water fountains in the lobby of the cinema. We are also providing all of our guest speakers and panelists with reusable cups during discussions and talks. This is one way we are using the 7th Annual Water Docs Film Festival as a platform to take #ActionForWater. We hope you'll join us (a full festival pass is only $35!!) and take action for water with us.
