 
 
From Film to Action
October 23, 2018
2018 Festival Highlights
January 15, 2019
The 19th annual Planet in Focus Film Festival might be over, but that doesn’t mean our work is done! This was a very moving year at PiF and we found a common thread running through all the events this year, brought up by so many of our special guests and filmmakers: that it is up to each and every one of us to take action and work together to make a difference. As Brian and Sandra Stewart – Rob Stewart’s parents – emphasized at the screening of SHARKWATER: EXTINCTION, we don’t have to accept the world we’ve been handed – we need to fight for the world we want
Did you see a film that really moved you? Was there an issue covered that you felt compelled to learn more about? This year for #PiF2018, we included action items in the schedule with each film. To make it easier for you, we’ve put all the feature films from the fest this year in a list below accompanied by their action items. Find a film, fall in love with an issue – take action with us! Together we will fight for the just, healthy, sustainable world we all deserve.
How can you make a difference?
If you would like to get involved in saving the giraffe, consider supporting one or more of the following research and conservation organizations:
*Save The Giraffes
*The Reticulated Giraffe Project
*The Wild Nature Institute
How can you make a difference?
- Reduce your own footprint: use public transport instead of taking the car or flying, reduce your meat consumption, use less plastic.
- Donate to the 3% Project to support climate change education projects in schools, empowering youth to take action.
- Get inspired by reading the book ‘How I Resist: Activism and Hope for a New Generation‘ by Maureen Johnson.
How can you make a difference?
- Explore the Climate Atlas of Canada, which combines climate science, mapping and storytelling to bring the global issue of climate change closer to home.
- Make polluters pay for their contribution to climate change: tweet the Canadian environment and climate change minister to put a price on carbon here.
- Stand up against the banks that keep funding pipelines that threaten Indigenous Rights, by signing this Greenpeace petition.
How can you make a difference?
- Join a local action group like 350Toronto.
- Say no to the $4.5 billion Kinder Morgan buyout, by writing to members of parliament here.
- Sign up for the ‘The Reluctant Radical’ newsletter, to receive updates on the valve turner trial and if the film will be released online.
- Get involved with Climate Action Network
How can you make a difference?
How can you make a difference?
- Stand with oil, gas and coal workers calling for upskilling in renewable energy by signing this petition.
- Donate to the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society of Canada, to support equity for First Nations children and young people, and reconciliation-based activities for all children in Canada.
- Follow MiningWatch Canada
- Volunteer for or support the canadian LGBT Youthline
How can you make a difference?
- Prevent the Siberian permafrost from melting by taking action against climate change: use public transport, waste less, recycle, and make your voice heard.
- Go on a sustainable fossil hunt yourself in Ontario, learn more about it here.
- Learn more about the Age of Mammals at the Royal Gallery of Ontario
How can you make a difference?
- Become a volunteer for Canadian elephant advocacy organization Elephanatics.
- Support the Big Life Foundation, which collaborates closely with local communities in East-Africa to protect wildlife, e.g. by providing employment and education.
- Help protect wildlife in Canada, by donating to or volunteering at Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary.
- Get involved with the Wildlife Preservation Canada
How can you make a difference?
- Read up on Canadian retailers’ seafood sustainability commitments and how they are performing against them here, to make a more sustainable choice when buying seafood.
- Sign the petition to protect BC’s old-growth rainforests
- Order a free shoreline clean-up kit here.
- Get involved with Blue Fish Canada and The Council of Canadians
How can you make a difference?
- Demand clean air and energy in your community by signing this petition.
- Go solar and put solar panels on your house or invest in solar energy at SolarShare.
- Explore the option to purchase renewable energy from your electricity provider or alternative providers like Bullfrog.
- Follow Ontario Clean Air Alliance
How can you make a difference?
- Bike instead of taking the car, and go to a Cycle Toronto workshop.
- Participate in a Sidewalk Toronto ‘public roundtable’, to brainstorm and discuss the future of the new Torontonian neighbourhoods that will combine forward-thinking urban design and new digital technology.
- Take a tour of Evergreen Brick Works, where a collection of deteriorating heritage buildings have been transformed into a global showcase for green design and an award-winning public space.
- Get involved with the Toronto Tool Library & The Sharing Depot, circular economy initiatives that aim to reduce waste by encouraging people to share, upcycle and make.
- Follow TAS DesignBuild
How can you make a difference?
- Listen to these podcasts about Brexit: Brexitcast and Remaniacs
- Get involved with Canadian organization Solidarity Across Borders, to fight unjust immigration and refugee systems.
- Read more about ‘invisible refugees’ in Saskia Sassen’s book ‘Expulsions: Brutality and Complexity in the Global Economy’.
How can you make a difference?
- Participate in an Young Urban Farmers Toronto farming workshop.
- Become a member of a local food cooperative.
- Garden in your own backyard, learn how at BUFCO.
How can you make a difference?
- Recycle your electronic waste at Shift Recycling.
- Learn more about e-waste recycling in Toronto in this blog from Toronto Tool Library.
- Donate electronics to Free Geek Toronto
- Invest in products that last longer, instead of buying products with a short life-span over and over again, and read up on other tips on how to start a zero waste lifestyle.
- Have a household item that’s broken? Don’t toss it! Bring it to Repair Cafe Toronto where you can get help fixing it for free.
For The Birds
How can you make a difference?
- Volunteer at the Carroll Organics farm sanctuary.
- Read up on what steps you can take if you suspect somebody is hoarding animals here.
- Donate to the Animal Welfare Foundation of Canada.
How can you make a difference?
- Go to a Canadian Organic Growers workshop.
- Shop for organic seeds at Hawthorn Farm.
- Donate to USC Canada to support 30,000 small-scale farmers around the world, and subscribe to their newsletter.
How can I make a difference?
- Call on the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to support a generous and robust resettlement program for refugees in Canada.
- Volunteer at, or donate to, Matthew House Toronto or become a mentor for newcomers in Canada at the Peer Project (or the Together Project)
- Protest against australian off-shore detention of refugees by signing this petition.
- Attend then JAYU Human Rights Film Festival
How can you make a difference?
- Donate to the Philippine Eagle Foundation to help save the Philippine Eagless
- Buy and taste coffee that is produced without harming bird habitats at Birds and Beans in Etobicoke.
- Take action against deforestation: avoid palm-oil and eat less meat
How can you make a difference?
- Read David Abram’s book ‘Becoming Animal: An Earthly Cosmology‘.
- For children: join one of the outdoor immersion programs at the Guelph Outdoor School or a program through The p.i.n.e Project.
- Take part in a nature healing yoga retreat, like this one.
How can you make a difference?
- Buy fair trade products when you can, and pay attention to certification and labels, learn more here.
- Become an urban farming and garden volunteer at Evergreen Brick Works.
- Volunteer at Black Creek Community Farm, to learn and teach others about organic farming, and sustainable food.
How can you make a difference?
- Make a donation in memory of Rob Stewart, in order for his conservation work to be continued.
- Sign this petition to ban shark fin trade in Canada.
- Pick up garbage and litter near beaches, or join a Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup event to clean up your local beach with others.
- Tell friends and family to go see Sharkwater:Extinction while it is in theatres.
How can you make a difference?
- Join the Toronto-based action group ‘No One Is Illegal‘
- Call on Canada to help refugees fleeing Trump by signing this petition.
- Learn more about the experiences of Central American Immigrants in the US, by reading one of these books, all set at the Mexican-American border.
How can you make a difference?
- Explore the ESRI Ground War Story Map to learn more about pesticides and regulations in North America.
- Sign up for the Prevent Cancer Now newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest cancer prevention news, research and events
- Learn how to make your own organic pesticides here
Sign up for the Planet in Focus Film Festival newsletter to stay up-to-date on the environmental film scene and to receive updates about our year round programming. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to continue the conversation.
