The OJAI FILM FESTIVAL in association with the CARSEY-WOLF CENTER at UCSB is proud to present a new addition to the festival this year: FOCUS EARTH--films and speaker panels that will address humanity and the environment at the 13th Annual Ojai Film Festival to October 25-28. Since thought-provoking films about humanitarianism and the environment have always been included in the Festival's screen offerings, Ojai Film Festival Executive Director, Jamie Fleming thought it might be a good idea to expand the screenings to include a forum that would include speakers and presentations by organizations that advocate social change.

Celebrate the Moving Image Festival with screenings and discussions with filmmakers--designed to ignite dialogue and inspire action on the current issues that matter most. The 2012 Moving Image Festival features award-winning films that offer eye-opening glimpses of devastating destructionand optimistic solutions.

Harmony  Showcase Theater, at the Exhibit Hall | 6:30pm, Sat

For the better part of three decades, The Prince of Wales has worked side by side with a surprising and dynamic array of environmental activists, business leaders, artists, architects and government leaders, including former Bioneers’ presenters Janine Benyus and Jay Harman. They are working to transform the world, address the global environmental crisis and find ways toward a more sustainable, spiritual and harmonious relationship with the planet.

A celebration of the best in independent and world cinema, MVFF brings together a community of filmmakers and film lovers in Mill Valley, San Rafael and beyond to experience amazing new films in the beautiful environment of San Francisco's Bay Area. With its reputation as a filmmakers' festival, this prestigious noncompetitive event showcases international features, documentaries, shorts and children's films—something for every filmgoer.

We are delighted to announce the 15th UNAFF (United Nations Association Film Festival), which was originally conceived to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It was founded by Stanford educator and film critic Jasmina Bojic with the participation of the Stanford Film Society and the UNA Midpeninsula Chapter, a community-based nonprofit organization. The 15th UNAFF will be held from October 18-28, 2012 in Palo Alto, Stanford University, East Palo Alto and San Francisco. The theme for this year is HUMAN DIGNITY.

For many people the summer ends on Labor Day, while I have always been one of those people who hold on until the Fall Equinox to declare that summer is over. This year its not been a summer vacation, but we have been quiet and in a reconstruction mode with the AwareGuide and I am very excited to start this new season with some of the new people and technologies. Stay tuned for exciting announcements over the next few weeks, both about the AwareGuide and many exciting new films that are launching!

Samsara, the new visual music masterpiece from the makers of Baraka, is doing exceptionally well at the box office and is opening in 15 cities this weekend including; San Francisco, Portland, Philadelphia, San Diego, Atlanta, Boston and more.

Next week the WestDoc Conference features Big Boys Gone Bananas and Off Label, while looking forward to a panel on Documentaries as the New Journalism. For more information check out their website at WestDoc

Coming up is the Santa Rosa Film Festival which is featuring the World Premier of Ground Operations. Also being shown are: Waking the Green Tiger, Pipe Dreams, Greenhorns, Urban Roots and Who Bombed Judi Bari.

Mark your calendars for:

• Sept 19th - Hollywood Health & Society Sentinel of Health Awards
• Sept 22nd – Center for Conscious Creativity State of the Arts Symposium
• Sept 29th - Environmental Media Associations Annual EMA Awards

This unique event is a canvas for instigating and inspiring change. This innovative Festival showcases films that inspire, educate, raise awareness and motivate, so that audiences may open their minds and their hearts to creating a better world. Filmmakers selected to participate in this pioneering event vie for "The Torch Awards," and the opportunity to support their favorite charity.

With half a dozen LA premieres and half a dozen world premieres, the third annual Awareness Film Festival will showcase films that are rarely presented in one place. A dynamic festival that promotes the awareness of world issues. Combining a fusion of filmmakers, artists, environmentalists, educators, alternative health practitioners and other industry professionals, the Awareness Film Festival aims to inspire the public through this engaging, entertaining and unique annual event in the film capital of the world. 

The Artfully Green Film Series showcases environmental films as part of Earth Day Dallas, an annual, outdoor festival seeking to elevate environmental awareness and influence the way North Texans think, live and work. The family-friendly and free-admission event allows leaders in the corporate, academic and non-profit worlds to unite and show North Texans how green lifestyle choices can lower their cost of living, improve their health, and help save the environment.

This year the Environmental Film Festival celebrates a major milestone: 20 years of advancing environmental understanding through the power of film. As the first film festival devoted to the full range of environmental topics, the Environmental Film Festival was a novel idea when Flo Stone founded it in 1993. While 1,200 people attended the inaugural Festival, today the Festival has expanded to become the nation’s largest showcase of environmental film, attracting an audience of over 30,000.

The San Francisco Green Film Festival (SFGFF) returns March 1-7, 2012 as the Bay Area’s only event dedicated to film and media that explore green issues and sustainable living. SFGFF brings critical and contemporary environmental issues to local audiences and, in the process, highlights the vital work of our many partners. The 2,000 attendees at our first festival in March 2011 enjoyed a broad array of new films in carefully curated sessions that challenged, provoked, and entertained as well as provided abundant material for hours of discussion.