"ReInventing the World"
a five-part documentary series on Vision TV in Canada.
Produced by Victoria's Asterisk Productions.
A five-part series of one-hour documentaries;distributed in Canada by Magic Lantern Communications, Ontario and Asterisk Productions, Victoria; in the U.S. by Bullfrog Films (www.bullfrogfilms.org) Vision TV in Canada.
We all have ideas on what's wrong with the world.... but many of us are at a loss about how to fix it.
"ReInventing the World" is a provocative five-part documentary series that introduces us to innovative people from B.C. to Brazil, and their ideas for practical solutions to the big problems affecting all of us.
Hosted by B.C.'s author, gardener and activist Des Kennedy, each program offers clear alternatives in an understandable way, to the questions we're all facing at the beginning of this new millennium.
"Food" - asks: how can we reinvent the food system so it's safe, fair and affordable to all? A highlight is the remarkable city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, where people asked: why can't food be a right - and then set about making it so. Featuring Frances Moore Lappe, Rod McRae, Brewster Kneen among others.
Winner: Best non-European film, Prix Leonardo, Parma, Italy, 2001
"Work and Time" - asks: why are we either overworked, under-worked or out of work and why are so many of us constantly running out of time? Featuring Stewart Brand, Paul Hawken, Matthew Fox, "El Vez" the Mexican Elvis among others.
"Cities" - looks at urban sustainability and asks: if sustainability is such a good thing why is it so hard to get there? Featuring a look at the remarkable urban policies of Curitiba, Brazil and featuring Jane Jacobs, Bill Rees, Bill McKibben and others.
"Economics" - the dismal science comes alive in the wake of the Summit of the Americas, where questions raised by protests in Quebec City, Seattle, Davos and beyond get provocative responses and bring the issues home to our own households. Featuring David Korten, Maude Barlow, Paul Hawken, Jim Green, Amory and Hunter Lovins among others.
Winner: Bronze Chris Award, Columbis Int'l. Film Festival, 2001
"Cultivating Change" - is a radical garden tour that takes us to San Francisco, Toronto and Vancouver Island to see how growing food can be a remarkable avenue to social change. Featuring Cathrine Sneed's prison garden project; Providence Farm; the Raging Spoon Café and Bruce Ericson Place's rooftop garden in Vancouver's downtown eastside.
Honourable Mention: EarthVision 2001 Film and Video Competition, Oakland, California
"ReInventing the World" was produced in association with Vision TV, the Canadian Television Fund Licence Fee Program, Telefilm Canada: Equity Investment Program, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), British Columbia Film, the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, the Province of British Columbia: Film Incentive B.C., Saskatchewan Communications Network. Produced by Asterisk Productions Ltd., Victoria, B.C.