• Local, State and Nat'l News

CineVegas to Host New Green Film Series at The Springs Preserve

CineVegas will host the new CineVegas Green Film Series at the Springs Preserve every other Saturday for four weeks, beginning Saturday, January 24. Featuring environmentally themed films, the screenings will be held at 7:30 pm in the Big Springs Theater.

“This is the perfect partnership between CineVegas and the Springs Preserve. The new green series allows CineVegas to have a presence in Las Vegas throughout the year, and it also reflects the Springs Preserve’s dedication to sustainability,” said CineVegas Artistic Director Trevor Groth. “The series will give Las Vegas locals a unique opportunity to come together to watch films about some of the most important issues affecting our environment, and start discussions on resolutions.”

General admission tickets are $10 each, and the “Food and a Flick” package is also available for $25 per person, which includes a pre-movie dinner at the Springs Preserve Café by Wolfgang Puck. Dinner seatings will be held at 5 pm, 5:30 pm, 6 pm and 6:30 pm. A 10% discount will be given to all Springs Preserve members, and a film four-pack is also available, where filmgoers receive 10% off when they purchase the package to all four screenings. Concessions will be available for purchase inside the theater, however outside food and beverages are not permitted. Tickets can be purchased at the Springs Preserve box office or by calling (702) 822-7705. For more information, log-on to www.cinevegas.com/green.

Kicking off the series on Saturday, January 24 is FLOW: FOR THE LOVE OF WATER, director Irena Salina’s award-winning documentary investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st century – the world water crisis. Salina builds a case against the growing privatization of the world’s dwindling fresh water supply with an unflinching focus on politics, pollution, human rights, and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel. Beyond identifying the problem, FLOW also gives viewers a look at the people and institutions providing practical solutions to the water crisis and those developing new technologies, which are fast becoming blueprints for a successful global and economic turnaround. FLOW was a selection at last year’s Sundance Film Festival and also won the International Jury Prize at the Mumbai International Film Festival and Best Documentary at the Vail International Film Festival.

The series continues on Saturday, February 7 with STILL LIFE, from Chinese director Jia Zhang-ke, which recently won the LA Film Critics Award for Best Foreign Film and Best Cinematography. STILL LIFE tells the story of two people searching for their spouses in Fengjie, a small village on the Yangtze River, which some state is slowly being destroyed by the building of the highly debated Three Gorges Dam. While it is the largest hydro-electric power station in the world, there are concerns over the dam’s potential negative effects, including the relocation of people, siltation, loss of archaeological and cultural sites and the impact on the regional ecosystem. STILL LIFE had a successful film festival run, with screenings at the Toronto Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival, where it won the prestigious Golden Lion award.

On Saturday, February 21, the series will feature MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES, the striking documentary from director Jennifer Baichwal on the world and work of renowned artist Edward Burtynsky. Internationally acclaimed for his large-scale photographs of “manufactured landscapes”—quarries, recycling yards, factories, mines and dams—Burtynsky creates stunningly beautiful art from civilization’s materials and debris. The film follows him through China, as he shoots the evidence and effects of that country’s massive industrial revolution. With breathtaking sequences, such as the opening tracking shot through an almost endless factory, the filmmakers also extend the narratives of Burtynsky’s photographs, allowing us to meditate on our impact on the planet and witness both the epicenters of industrial endeavor and the dumping grounds of its waste. MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES played at a number of film festivals around the world, including Toronto, Sundance and Cannes.

The series concludes on Saturday, March 7 with a special sneak preview of a new green film, to be announced at a later date.

About CineVegas
The 11th Annual CineVegas Film Festival will be held in June 10 – 15, 2009 at the Palms Casino Resort and Brenden Theatres in Las Vegas. The CineVegas Film Festival is a platform for artists and art lovers who are drawn to the edge. Held amidst the unique, unpredictable and intoxicating environment that is Las Vegas, the CineVegas Film Festival pushes the boundaries of cinema. The Festival annually presents work by innovative, uninhibited, and renegade artists to an audience of local and national film lovers, journalists, and film industry representatives. Robin Greenspun serves as the festival’s President, Trevor Groth serves as Artistic Director and Dennis Hopper serves as the Chairman of the Creative Advisory Board. For more information on the CineVegas Film Festival, please call 888-8VEGAS8 or visit www.cinevegas.com

About the Springs Preserve
The Springs Preserve is a 180-acre national historic site that is the original oasis of Las Vegas and a beacon for a sustainable future. This cultural and historic attraction is located three miles from the Strip and offers many indoor and outdoor experiences to create a fun and educational visit for all ages. Outdoor experiences at the Preserve include 8-acres of botanical gardens, a series of walking trails leading to historical structures and a restored wetlands, live desert wildlife exhibits, a child’s play area, and a 2,000-seat amphitheater. Indoor experiences include a technologically advanced learning center, over 300 state-of-the art interactive museum exhibits and an immersive theater experience. Award winning Platinum LEED architecture and water smart desert landscaping highlight the Preserve’s dedication to sustainability.