| Save Mother Earth |
| May 30, 2009 |
New Documentaries to Watch A great chance to learn more, new documentaries featuring the plight of our beautiful planet will be airing in the month of June to coincide with World Environment Day (June 5). Stakes are high and scientists tell us we have approximately 10 years to change the way we live to avert the depletion of natural resources and the catastrophic evolution of our climate. If you haven't already visited National Geographic Channel's baby whale exhibition at ifc mall - Sunday, May 31, will be your last chance before it moves on to Shanghai (June 18 - 28) and Taiwan (July 10 - August 10). The nine meter-long exact replica of a two-month-old female blue whale calf was meticulously crafted over six months by a team of experts in Australia and celebrates the HD premiere of Big Blue, a tale and journey of the world's biggest mammal, the blue whale. The documentary will continue to air on these dates: May 31 at 8pm, June 6 at 1pm, June 14 at 2pm and June 27 at 7pm on National Geographic Channel, June 9 at 11pm and June 25 at 6pm on Nat Geo Wild. www.natgeotv.com
The odds of survival for many animals have been greatly reduced due to recent erratic and changing climate conditions. Animal Planet's The Animals' Guide to Survival, premiering June 5 at 10pm, is a new series looking at how global warming and drastic climate change is affecting animals all over the world. For bear lovers, filmmaker Thomas Behrend and his team faced harsh conditions to track two polar bear families for over a year in Polar Bears: Living On Thin Ice - a moving account of the polar bear's struggle for survival starting June 14 at 8pm. www.animalplanetasia.com
Taking nearly three years and shot entirely on HD from a helicopter, Home has one clear and simple message - we as human beings have a greater impact on Mother Earth than it can bear. Not only is the breathtaking footage impressive, this film is revolutionary in the way it's being distributed. Never done before, Home is mostly free on all media formats (theatres, TV, DVD and Internet) and will be accessible in over 100 countries, all on the same day. June 5 was chosen to symbolically match World Environment Day, first established by the UN General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment, and the theme for 2009 - 'Your Planet Needs You - UNite to Combat Climate Change' reflects the urgency for nations to agree on a new deal at the crucial climate convention meeting in Copenhagen at the end of the year. The director, Yann Arthus-Bertrand made it possible with the help and sponsorship of Francois-Henri Pinault, the Chairman and CEO of PPR and the distributor, Luc Besson's EuropaCorp, whom has pledged not to make any profit. Together they aim to reach the widest audience possible and to convince us all of our individual and collective responsibility towards our planet. In addition, Home is carbon offset, meaning that the CO2 emission created by the making of the film are calculated and offset by sums of money that are used to provide clean energy. The financed project encourages the diffusion of anaerobic digesters to recycle kitchen waste and animal manure to improve living conditions of farmers and their families in the Hassan district of India.
Arthus-Bertrand said in an interview for Home, "Besides changing their way of life, I'd like people to want to help, to share. There's a magnificent quote from Théodore Monod: "We've tried everything, except love". I hope this movie will be synonymous with a lot of love." I completely agree. Esther Ng
Home will be aired on TVB Pearl at 8:30pm with English and Chinese narration and Chinese subtitles, otherwise watch it on www.youtube.com/homeproject. Related links:
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