Blog posting written by Chloe Wilson, Television-Radio ’14, FLEFF Intern, Ashland, Massachusetts.

With all of the programming updates and excitement around the March 3^rd Kickoff Screening, it’s easy to get lost in this year’s festival.  And it hasn’t even started yet!

As a blogger who also documented last year’s festival, I think there are an equal amount of differences and similarities between this FLEFF and the last. Both themes are engaging (though in different ways) and encourage you to explore beyond the basic definitions we already know.

Last year’s theme of microtopias encouraged participants to discover what their personal environments are like, while this year’s theme of mobilities inspires us to travel through different microtopias to discover new worlds, perspectives, and art.

I didn’t realize the link between the FLEFF themes until recently, and I’d kick myself for being slow if I didn’t think that the link between the two themes was something to discover organically as opposed to it being thrust in your face. 

If you give yourself the time to sit and reflect about the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival, I’m willing to bet that there’s a lot you’re going to discover.

Have you given yourself time to reflect on FLEFF? What have you discovered?

Blog post written by Amber Thibault, Cinema and Photography ’15, FLEFF Intern, Lewiston, Maine.

Let me take you on a blast into my past for a minute. Last year, I was a freshman and very new to the cinema world. It was spring semester and I had heard about FLEFF but I wasn't really sure what it was. When I thought about the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival I thought it was going to be a bunch of films about conservation and being environmentally friendly. Plus the theme that year, Microtopias, unsettled me because I didn't know what it meant. I now find it an intriguing concept but last year I had no idea what it was or what it had to do with the environment.

Then, the week of FLEFF, my Architecture of Health class screened a FLEFF film. It was definitely nothing like I expected and made me feel vulnerable. I was confused, for reasons I couldn't explain, and was curious as to why it fell under the category of microtopias and how my professor had managed to get it screened in our class.

I now know that in class screenings are common with FLEFF. They create a smaller environment that allows for more engaging with the films and discussion with others.

Towards the end of that week in April 2012, I was told by my friend (who was an intern at the time) that there was a FLEFF workshop in the Park School and I could meet filmmakers from around the world. However, I was intimidated and thought I would have nothing to say so I did not go. 

I regret that, knowing what I know now. Filmmakers are just people who want to share their films and ideas with someone. They would've have been happy if I had just shown up, but I didn't, and I'll never know the magnitude those once-in-a-lifetime discussions would have had on my life. Please don't make the same mistake I did. Come to the festival, even if you have no idea what you are talking about. Just listen. One of my favorite quotes is by Woody Allen, and most of you are probably familiar with it. He said, "Eighty percent of success is showing up." How true is that?

This year, I was determined not to let fear get in my way again. So I threw myself completely into the festival by becoming a FLEFF blogger and I'm so glad I did. In just four weeks I've learned more about FLEFF and the world around me than I ever could have imagined.

So come one, come all and talk to me! Who are you and what do you know about FLEFF? Better yet, what do you want to know?
 

Blog posting written by Kacey Deamer, Journalism and Environmental Studies '13, FLEFF Intern, Binghamton, NY

I hope you all were able to make it to Hockett Hall last night for the Concert for Microtopias. If not, you should also read intern blogger Meagan McGinnes' post about the concert as a whole. She delves into the concert's connection to FLEFF's theme of microtopias.

The following is a list of my top five moments — though there were many more than five — from last night's concert. I've allowed myself some poetic license in the descriptions.

1. Pianos. Dueling pianos can be found in jazz bars across the country. I have experienced a few of them. But piano duets, now that is something special. Jairo Geronymo and Deborah Martin were perfectly in tune as their fingers danced across the keys creating an beautiful harmony. "Two Step" was one of my favorites, a more lively duet that conjured the image of swing dancers in 1950s garb smiling as they moved around stage.

2. Fabric. How do you dress a stage for such an integrative performance as the Concert for Microtopias? You use fabric, hanging from the walls. But, one sheer pink/purple piece of fabric lay across the stage, available for use by the performers. Which brings me to number 3.

3. "Lullaby." Brad Hougham has the voice of an angel, and as he sang to the piece of fabric (bundled and held like a baby) I had tears well up in my eyes. There was such a tenderness to his performance, a tangible love he displayed. It was powerful.

4. Farewell. The closing piece, a reading of the "Microtopias Benediction," brilliantly summarized the FLEFF theme. But Cynthia Henderson stole the show when she found a young boy in the audience just as she came to the line: "Microtopias never stay the same." The boy's father visibly had a 'knowing' reaction and the entire interaction was simply beautiful.

5. Water. Dr. Hougham had mentioned his apprehension to perform "Wade in the Water," an African-American spiritual song connected to the suffering of slaves. During the intern session in February, Hougham had said it is incredibly difficult to perform a song such as this without having a connection to those experiences. I must say, his apprehension was needless. I could hear a desperation in his voice, but there was hopefulness as well. The vibrato he held on the last "r" of "water" before he started to move on stage was incredible. 

The concert as a whole was beautifully executed, but those were a few of the elements that I am still thinking about today. What stuck with you from the concert?

Blog posting written by Andrew Ronald, Film, Photography & Visual Arts '15, FLEFF Intern, Mahopac, NY

The art of film is a dynamic fusion between a stimulating image and a moving soundtrack, and Patrick Winters is no stranger to proving his mastery of this balance as he specialized in sound design. In this interview, his passion vividly came alive when he told me that "...eventually I found sound editing and designing, or should I say it found me."

Background

Not only has he used his career teaching sound design in the Department of Television & Radio at Ithaca College as a form of stewardship, but Winters developed this fascination for visual storytelling at the age of 16 when he created his first dramatic 8mm film. He goes on to say that "I believe it's important for those of who have acquired a body of knowledge and experiences to pass those along to the next generation," and as an eager film student, I can't object to this.

What Are Microtopias?

"I see microtopias as communities of individuals who recognize their connections and work together to enhance each others lives. These communities are not limited by cultural, ideological, political or geographic boundaries. These communities share in the joy of life that comes from seeing the world as being engaging and limitless."

Advice For Students

One thing: create. "Follow your heart and do what calls to you, because that's what will be the most rewarding thing for you to do."

FLEFF 2012

Patrick Winters comments on his excitement over FLEFF 2012 because of the principle of the festival itself. It is very intellectual, complex, and mind-opening towards an interdisciplinary audience when it comes to creating and simply being.

Check out his workshop about sound designing on motion pictures and motion sound on Saturday, March 31 at Cinemapolis!

Blog posting written by Kacey Deamer, Journalism and Environmental Studies '13, FLEFF Intern, Binghamton, NY

If you missed the official unveiling of the Microtopias art installation on the academic quad of Ithaca College yesterday, don't fret. The wind has died down and the art piece still stands, in all of its glory, on the quad until deconstruction this weekend.

As has been mentioned in pervious posts, the interns have been working for the past few weeks on this art project. A collection of recyclable/reusable materials molded into the word microtopias, the art installation is a visual representation of our consumerist society. Materials range from plastic water bottles, to wooden pallets and shipping crates, to old electronics.

Make sure you make the time to walk by the college's academic quad to see the installation, then come back here and tell us what you think.

Blog posting written by Chloe Wilson, Television-Radio ’14, FLEFF Intern, Ashland, Massachusetts.

On Friday, March 30^th in Room 220 in the Park School of Communications, a “day of dialogue,” FLEFF Lab Friday, will occur. Multiple conversations are scheduled throughout the day, but one you don’t want to miss is the How to Get Your Break panel.

I spoke with Steve Gordon, the facilitator of the panel.  He is a current Ithaca College professor in the Department of Television-Radio and was previously the Executive Vice President of Creative Affairs for Viacom Productions.

We covered a range of topics in our discussion, but one major point that stuck out to me was how relevant FLEFF was.  Gordon talked about his experiences at multiple festivals, including Cannes and Sundance, but said that FLEFF was one of the most unique and intellectual.

Regarding the theme of microtopias, Gordon discussed the idea that it was about expanding already existing environments.  It was a different view that made complete sense to me, and I recommend going to visit Gordon during  FLEFF Lab Friday and asking him about it!

Regarding the How to Get Your Break panel, Gordon said that the members of this panel are “the best the panel has ever had.”   With filmmakers Laura Kissel, Jim Miller, and Shelly Niro, along with industry pros Kevin Lee, Carlos Guttierrez, and Rodrigo Brandao, I have to say I agree.

You can see a more extensive schedule of FLEFF events here, FLEFFers.  Happy FLEFF to all!

Blog post written by Sarah Lockwood, Cinema & Photography '15, FLEFF Intern, Blairstown, NJ

 What is a VJ?

"What does a DJ do?" Art Jones asks in response to my question.

A DJ at an event pools music from multiple sources, mixes and edits them through spontaneous editing to suit the audience, creating a mixture of songs and moods that is eventually "greater than the sum." 

A VJ executes the same remixing and audience reading, except visually. 

And what do you need to VJ? "A place with a projector."

A first-time FLEFF visitor this year, Art Jones is excited at the prospects of what may come - in fact, he isn't even sure how his own remixing class will proceed!

With this comment, Art laughs. That may be exaggerating to a degree, but mystery and spontaneity is what truly creates an authentic remixing experience. Most of what his class entails depends on the audience, the mood, how he choses to remix at that point in time.

This element of surprises mean one thing - the only way to truly understand DJ/VJ-ing lies in the experience.

Come see for yourself just what possibilities Art may unfold here during FLEFF week.

During FLEFF week, Art Jones will host a master class titled Live Remix Revisited (Monday 3:00pm, Park Auditorium, Ithaca College) and contribute his DJ/VJ skills to the Concert for Microtopias (Tuesday 8:15pm, Hockett Hall, Ithaca College) 

Blog posting written by Chloe Wilson, Television-Radio ’14, FLEFF Intern, Ashland, Massachusetts.

Sorayya Khan is a world-renowned author.  Not only was she the recipient of a Fulbright Award, but she has written two novels (including Noor) and has previously worked with FLEFF in writing the essay for a previous year.

Because I’m incredibly lucky, I got the opportunity to talk to Khan about her work, her role with FLEFF 2012, and her definition of microtopias. It was hard to narrow it down, but here are some choice quotes from our discussion!

On FLEFF: “I’m so happy to return to work with FLEFF this year.  I’ve previously worked with FLEFF writing the festival essay and am really excited for the theme microtopias.”

On her reading this Sunday: “I will be reading my essay from Autobiographic International Relations: I, IR.  Most of the papers written are by academics so mine stands out in that sense. It talks about how and why I write.”

On microtopias: “I think the theme being microtopias, it means sharing worlds.  Collaborating worlds as well.  I just think about the world coming together.”

Be sure to listen to Khan’s reading at Buffalo Street Books this Sunday at 3 PM!  You can find more information about the event here.

Are you excited, FLEFFers?  What other events are you interested in attending?

Blog post written by Colleen Ryan, Television-Radio '12, Anthropology Minor, Lansing, NY

This year, the interns will be constructing, to be said in my own words, something "super awesome" outside of the Gannett Center on the Ithaca College campus for the entirety of FLEFF week.

The installation will read "Microtopias" and will be constructed entirely of recyclable materials.

I love art, and I'm pleased to say that that I've never been a part of such a large art installation.  I'm thrilled to be a part of something that's larger than life, literally!

Some of the letters will stand almost 6 feet tall.

Each of the five teams was given two letters to design, and last night the intern teams presented their letter ideas to each other.  I can't express enough how amazing it is to be working with such talented, creative people!

The construction begins the weekend before FLEFF.

Stay tuned for pictures and updates.  This is something you don't want to miss!

Blog posting written by Chloe Wilson, Television-Radio ’14, FLEFF Intern, Ashland, Massachusetts.

I love movies.  Seriously, I am absolutely crazy about them.  So when FLEFF posted the FLEFF 2012 Film Descriptions and Trailers, I geeked out. 

I recommend checking out the entire list, but here are five FLEFF 2012 films that are giving me that warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

1. Nanook of the North

I know I already talked about this in an earlier post, but Robby Aceto, Peter Dodge, and Chris White will be improvising live music to the film.  Nanook of the North is considered the world's first documentary and it was also one of the first 25 films to be selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.  It's considered to be one of the most culturally and historically relevant films of all time.  I can't wait to see it!

2. Art and Copy

A film from 2009, this film discusses the history of the advertising industry and its relationship to inspiration.  Art Copy introduces audiences to some of the most influential creative minds of our time, which I'm especially excited for because the geniuses behind advertising campaigns are hardly ever publicly praised.  As somebody who doesn't know much about advertising but loves Mad Men, I'm stoked.

3. Gay Games

To be honest, I'm immediately a fan of anything that promotes equality, and Gay Games is no exception.  The film documents a sports competition that lacks customary rules, encouraging all participants to focus on respecting each other for their differences.  The film highlights the coming together over over ten thousand people in Köln, Germany, known to Americans as Cologne, Germany. (Sidenote: Germany is a beautiful country and Cologne is a beautiful city. I hope there's some great scenic shots!)

4. One Water

You know what's crazy about this film?  It was filmed in fourteen different countries.  That's so many!  One Water addresses the global freshwater crisis and is a result of collaboration between individual schools within the University of Miami.  Having clean drinking water is a serious global issue, but I'm excited to see the results of a project that was the result of college students!

5.Truck Farm.

Documentarian Ian Cheney filmed his adventure that started with him planting a garden in his grandfather's old pickup truck and that follows his discovery of some of the world's coolest urban gardens.  Personally, my family and I tried gardening once and I got food poisoning from one of the few edible products (which wasn't so edible, I guess) so I'm jealous of Cheney's gardening skills.  I can't wait to learn about urban gardening though!  Maybe I'll get some pointers.

What about you, FLEFFers?  Anything you're excited to see at FLEFF?

Blog Post by Sarah Lockwood, Cinema & Photography '15, FLEFF Intern, Blairstown, NJ

I have chosen to continue the journey to FLEFF week with a 'virtual tour' of some of the hottest places in Ithaca, NY to be during the week of March 25th, 2012!

This is a photo-journey, with all original photography taken myself. Shall we begin?

1. The Commons

Just down the hill from Ithaca College, where TCAT's and bicyclists and artists and shoppers can convene, lies the downtown area - "a wide variety of shops, restaurants, theaters, and historic architecture" that is not to be missed any day of the year, but especially not during FLEFF.

2. Cinemapolis

Cinemapolis is an independent, not-for-profit art theatre in operation since 1986. It is located at 120 East Green Street in the Commons of Ithaca, NY. It will host many of FLEFF's screenings, and is an active partner that has ensured the success of FLEFF for many years.

3. Ithaca College Campus

The Ithaca College campus is not only beautiful when not being dumped upon by Ithaca's often-nasty weather, but also is the site for two very important aspects of FLEFF: a host large portion of the festival's film screenings, home of Ford Hall (hosting the Concert for Microtopias), as well as the site of a three-dimensional, all-recyclable display of the letters "Microtopias" in front of the library. 

4. The Finger Lakes Wine Center

The Wine Center is a gorgeous tasting bar, wine store, tourism, and event center which will be hosting FLEFF's after-parties, a location for intellectual debates and creative folk to mingle about, post-screenings.

5. Your own private MICROTOPIA

No matter where you find yourself FLEFF week, the importance is that you are in your own Microtopia. Will you find it in in the dark community of a movie theatre, the lawns of a college campus, or perhaps the solace of your own mind? That is up to you.

The best things in life are messy. Sloppy Joes. Finger Paint. Food Fights. Muddy Rain Puddles. Tye-dye.

Their greatness comes from the fact you have to work for the end result. You have to get down and dirty, completely exposing yourself and being vulnerable to something that may not be routine in your daily life.

The same goes for “messy” ideas. The best thoughts are those that are out-of-the-norm. The best conversations are those with debate, connections, brainstorming and enlightenments. They aren’t clean and nicely packaged, ready-to-go nuggets of information for willing people to digest without question. To digest this you have to put in a little elbow grease—or brainpower if you will.

Microtopias. MESSY. Everyone has a different definition, especially for how it applies to one on an individual level. But lets talk community. In this setting, I view a microtopia to be a complex, efficient working system.

By stating FLEFF itself is a microtopia, I have two options. I could just think of this on a neat and superficial level, accepting that FLEFF sparks communication about environmental ideals. Done.

Or we can dig deeper. We can evaluate the system in all of its little parts (the movies, music, parties, interns, networking, conversation, education) and realize how they relate to each other. It is the big snapshot picture of all of these parts working together that builds community.

And to join the community you have to not be afraid to jump outside your comfort zone. Because nature, the environment and it’s systems are never simple. Everything is interconnected and messy. And creating this utopia within FLEFF is about embracing that naturalness and goodness of messiness.

So ground your feet in mother earth. Let her mud seep between your toes and revel in the mess that is innately beautiful in its systematic complexity.

What is the best mess you have ever taken part in? Why was it fun? 

Blog posting written by Chloe Wilson, Television-Radio ’14, FLEFF Intern, Ashland, Massachusetts.

1.     It’s interdisciplinary.  FLEFF brings people of all mediums together.  You can be an Environmental Studies major learning about new media, an electronic musician watching a silent film, or an aspiring novelist immersing him/herself in The Concert For Microtopias, Every FLEFF attendee brings something to the table.

2.     It’s inter-generational.  Whether you’re a student, a media professional, or an Ithaca resident, FLEFF has something for all ages.  The welcoming environment and endless opportunities for FLEFFers to mingle leads to inter-generational conversation.  Who knows what you’ll learn from another FLEFFer?

3.     It’s intellectual.  This is one of the many goals that FLEFF accomplishes each year.  FLEFF inspires attendees to learn from media and its creators, as well as from other attendees.  Everyone has a story and lesson to share, and FLEFF celebrates that by providing countless opportunities for FLEFFers to do so.

4.     It’s a great opportunity for professionals and students. For students, there is no better professional opportunity. You learn directly from industry professionals about working with all forms of media.  Students learn about media (as well as film festival protocol) through their experiences with the festival.  And for professionals?  They get to show and talk about their work to an incredibly eager audience!  What could be better?

5.     It is not static. FLEFF is always changing.  While some professionals come back and give presentations year after year (like Robby Aceto), FLEFF always brings something new to the table.  This is why FLEFF has themes: to allow each festival to explore new technologies and ideas, and this is what makes FLEFF so stellar.

It was hard to narrow the list down to five, but what do you think, FLEFFers? What do you think makes FLEFF unique?

Blog posting written by Jennifer Barish, Communication Management & Design ‘14, FLEFF intern, Skokie, IL

In my first definition of microtopia, I left out a vital part of the story.

I had only scratched the surface; you can have an individual experience within a microtopia, but it’s cooperation, collaboration, and organized chaos that creates a “different environment.”

With each improvised performance paired with silent film, Robby Aceto creates a singular microptopia from a diverse coagulation of sound. It’s all made up on the spot. Toy instruments. Mandolins. Cellos. Textured electronic audio.

The musicians in Aceto’s ensemble don’t have to compromise on creating one sound. Starting with a baseline of “respect” and trust among the artists, they’re equally a part of the process and collectively in control of their environment.

The exciting part, Robby expressed, is waiting for disaster.

As I watched clips from pieces of expressionist German film set to Aceto’s improvised melodies, my viewing experience created a profoundly “different environment.” Without an established soundtrack to comment on the film, I felt involved and emotionally invested. The musicians were not just “recreating” the notation of another artist’s vision, but interpreting the film—and welcoming the audience to talk about it, too.

It’s a beautiful, utopic thought—the idea that a group of talented musicians can successfully share an art-form while including a community of engaged onlookers.

But the moment is fleeting. The credits roll, and at the next performance, there will be new sounds, fresh reactions, and a different environment.

Blog posting written by Chloe Wilson, Television-Radio ’14, FLEFF Intern, Ashland, Massachusetts.

Back for his fourth year, Robby Aceto is at FLEFF once again!

I got the chance to listen to Acteo speak about his work.  This year, he'll be performing live music to accompany the silent, 90-year-old documentary film Nanook of the North (he's part of an improvisational trio, how cool is that?).

Here are some choice quotes from Aceto's talk, ranging from live music to film festivals itself to contributing to the microtopia of FLEFF.  Hopefully this helps you become a part of the moment, FLEFFers!

"A big part of FLEFF has always been the pairing of live music with silent film.  Why do we do that?  It's a tradition that's just as much a part of film history as anything."

"There's a tendency to feel superior to people who created things hundreds of years ago... These guys were making films and they were making it up as they go along. They didn't have a lexicon of technology to choose from.  They had to figure out as they went along how they were gonna do this.  In a way, they had to work and think more creatively than a filmmaker does now.  I think that, as an improviser, that really speaks to me."

"First time at FLEFF, I was hired to be a guitar player for an ensemble that was playing a commissioned work.  There was some spoken word and it was a great experience, it was great fun, and then Patty said 'We want to do something again.' So get involved in as many things as you can.  It's a crapshoot, being a musician, but it's worth it."

"Not making a sound is just as much action as making a sound."

That last quote was my personal favorite; it held a lot of weight to me.  It really reminded me about how the difference that each person can make, no matter if it's intentional or not.  Every person's action (or lack of action) contributes to something, whether we notice it directly or not.

Aceto played some of his clips for us, and I can't wait to hear more!  Aceto calls himself a "color guitarist," but his music has clearly been influenced by his previous collaborations with musicians who specialize in other instruments.  You can check out some of his work here.

Lean back, pop on some headphones, close your eyes, and listen to Aceto's work.  Do you have a favorite piece?  Are you looking forward to hearing him perform at FLEFF?

Blog posting written by Isabel Galupo, Cinema and Photography '14, FLEFF Intern, Towson, MD

A woman strides on stage.

She is tall, with big, diva-like hair, and she is brimming with confidence and attitude. She stares at us, the audience, before shouting; "my vagina is angry!"

I feel the man sitting to my left shift uncomfortably in his seat. 

On Sunday, February 26, I attended the IC Players performance of "The Vagina Monologues." Written by Eve Ensler and performed for the first time in 1996, "The Vagina Monologues" is a play based off of interviews with over 200 women about their sexualities and memories. 

Over the years, "The Vagina Monologues" has inspired the creation of "V-Day," a movement aiming to end violence against women and girls around the globe. 

As I sat and listened to the performer on stage denounce tampons and detail the horror of gynecologist appointments, I also listened to the sounds of the audience around me. 

We women were laughing, clutching our sides, howling at the absurdities being described on stage. We cocked our heads in sympathy and understanding during the more serious parts of the monologue.

We turned to each other to mouth, "that's so true!" or, "that's totally happened to me!" 

In that moment, I found a microtopia among the other engaged women of the audience. 

And it struck me that creating an environment of mutual understanding, empathy, and connection is exactly what FLEFF aims to do for its audience. 

By coming to FLEFF and committing to being active and engaged audience members, women, men, artists, observers, seasoned and new environmentalists, students, professionals, musicians, and everyone in between can enter into a safe space-- a microtopia-- in which sharing ideas, connecting to each other, growing, evolving, and empathizing with each other becomes possible.

How will you be an engaged audience member during FLEFF week 2012?

“So I have named this tree out in the natural lands called grandfather oak—don’t make me sound crazy,” said sophomore environmental studies major, Elly Linares. “And I go visit it frequently. It really grounds me. I mean it’s just this huge tree that I go sit under and all of the sudden I am rooted with it.”

Linares, a California native, loves the outdoors and the environment. It is these loves that first made her drawn to FLEFF. Linhares attends the Wild and Scenic Film Festival when home, so she recognized this internship as an opportunity to have that same sort of connection and experience while at school. Not being a communications student, she is enjoying learning about the skills it takes to run a festival of this kind. However, her true passion is still with the environmental advocacy behind FLEFF- this year focusing on the theme of microtopias.

“I think it is something the world is shifting to right now which is think locally, act globally. And I feel like microtopias and the fact if we were able to form really strong local environments, we would form a huge utopia based off that,” said Linares. “Will it be perfect? No, because the world is not, but its something really important to be local. And what a great place for FLEFF to be because Ithaca is such a locally conscious town.”

Linares’s mission of environmental advocacy will not end with FLEFF, either. Currently, Linares tries to live a sustainable life style. While at home in northern California, she lives on a farm run on solar energy. She finds being as environmentally conscious is more difficult while at school.

“I do what it takes to be at balance with the world, be it emotionally or physically, and sustain myself that way. So, like an example I don’t use modern medicine. I use herbs and then I eat organic. Of course recycling factors into that too." 

But, as is being discussed in many of the previous blogs, sustainability is not solely about actions, but also education and mindsets. It relates closely to how we relate to each other as a community—on a small and large scale. Linares plans on promoting this aspect of sustainability through work with the Peace Corps. 

“The Peace Corps is a great organization to represent the though that I was raised with,” said Linares. “My mom was in the nonprofit world all her life and she said ‘I’d rather be paid in love than money’.”

Currently, the Peace Corps work is only seven percent environmentally based, but Linares hopes to change this. After working with the Peace Corps, she plans on living off the grid in a primitive area of the world.

“In ten years, I will probably be coming back to the world, hopefully with a little better understanding of it and myself,” said Linares.

And what does Linares say to skeptics of the environmental crisis?

“You don’t have to agree with it, but you have to understand that humans are the only species that have the power to change it. And that is an extreme amount of power to have, and we are just sitting there and not doing anything with it.”

So here’s my question for all of you: Recognizing we have the power of change, what should we do with it?

*Also, here are some fun facts about Elly—in case you were wondering, because I was!

Favorite movie- Food Inc.

Favorite food- Any raw prepared food, and Mexican food

Favorite color- Purple, for now anyways

Favorite musical artist- Ingrid Michaelson

Blog post written by Sarah Lockwood, Cinema & Photography '15, FLEFF Intern, Blairstown, NJ

In order to define microtopias, I believe we must divide the word into two logical halves, toss in a little bit of etymology, then piece it back together again. With a little help from the Online Etymology Dictionary, of course.

Micro

Sounds like - microscope, microphone, microchip, microeconomics.

What it derives from - Greek, form of micros, meaning small.

Topia

Sounds like - dystopia, utopia, digitopia, topiary.

What it derives from - Greek, topia is plural of topian, meaning a field, which is diminutive of topos, meaning place.

Micro + topia = Small place.

Small places, small worlds, small moments. How and where they exist.

Microtopias are different for each person, which partly embodies their brilliance. True to their etymological origin, the small places human beings create when they express themselves and connect with one another, create microtopias.

However I do pose a question as to the choice of microtopias for FLEFF 2012: the word is not, may I note, microUTOPIAS.

I fear that many who encounter the word microtopias will assume one end of the topia bias, in favor of divine perfection and ephemeral beauty, over the other topia with which intellectuals are familiar - dystopia, which embodies the abnormal, the difficult, the imperfect. 

Rather, topos or topia simply indicates a place - for good or for evil. 

Do you believe this neutral choice was deliberate?

Blog posting written by Andrew Ronald, Film, Photography & Visual Arts '15, FLEFF Intern, Mahopac, New York

"There are so many brilliant people on this campus. They are extraordinary musicians, fantastic friends, wonderful colleagues, and what I've learned from them is to have the guts to push the envelope and go artistically and emotionally where you never thought you would go."

7:05 PM - Dr. Patricia Zimmerman buoyantly informs us interns about the pianist, Dr. Martin, and baritone singer, Dr. Hougham.

7:12 PM - Musical decisions are announced! In order to promote the interdisciplinary culture behind FLEFF, synthesis of spiritual, ethnic and emotional music is declared.

7:14 PM - The audience rises! Clapping in rhythm, we get to preview the piano accompaniment, filling the room with energy and joy.

7:15 PM - Technical problems! Luckily us interns are technological people and know what to do!

7:19 PM - Beautiful opera music fills the room, lulling us into a daze as we hear Ice Habe Genug, meaning "I've had enough," addressing the state of human morality. As to why the selection was picked, Dr. Hougham comments: "I picked it because it's a piece that I love, love, love and wanted to sing." He continued to declare that it's heart-wrenching and I couldn't agree more.

7:25 PM - Dr. Martin blissfully plays gorgeous harmonies on the piano with a smile on her face. And yes, she's about as sweet and humble as her joyful music. 

7:30 PM - Dr. Hougham just said the word "microtopia." All the interns just got so happy on the inside. I could tell.

7:33 PM - "You'll hear a lot of harp, you'll hear strings and there's woodwinds, but there's some really nice places for the harp," Dr. Martin says. Live blogging does not give justice to the fantastic music we are listening to right now.

7:35 PM - "Children wade, in the water. God's gonna trouble the water." The familiar tune to Wade In the Water ripples throughout the room, and even after hearing three different versions, the message still remains the same. Dr. Hougham struggles internally, however, by questioning "What business do I have singing this music? However, one of the things that occurred to me about microtopias is that they exist all over the campus." Upon hearing that an African American student said, "Honey, I sing gospel music, I gotta help that guy," the theme of microtopias becomes definitive. Students teaching teachers and teachers teaching students. Either way, it's a microtopia.

7:45 PM - Anytime by William Finn comes on. I've never heard it before, but trust me, it's good. What a voice. 

7:49 PM - "When I go to a movie, I listen to the music. I notice if it's bad." As a film student, I'm loving this right now.

7:52 PM - "Personally I feel like FLEFF has opened my own creative parameters. This is Ithaca. It's a really tremendous place to try new things." I couldn't agree more, Dr. Hougham. I couldn't agree more...

7:54 PM - "When you try and describe music and creative art to someone, you never have enough ways because you never know what message will get through." Dr. Martin compares music to art, dance, and literature, and truly understands the fusion music plays in everyday life.

8:00 PM - "Why is it important to perform in a packed theater, and what does it mean to musicians? What does it feel like? Why does it matter?' Dr. Zimmerman makes the audience ponder the meaning of community and how often we can forget that the performer is actually aware of us. It reminds me a lot about the same question I asked myself when I wrote this blog post. We all come to the conclusion that the audience is really not that removed from the performance in the concert hall. It's more than mere entertainment. It's alive. It makes you feel different. After all, it's FLEFF: A Different Environment. 

Blog posting written by Chloe Wilson, Television-Radio ’14, FLEFF Intern, Ashland, Massachusetts.

Hey FLEFFers! 

So I'm going to liveblog a FLEFF session that is for the interns, but I figured all you interested FLEFFers will get a kick out of this info too.  This session is focused on The Concert for Microtopias and is hosted by two of the musicians performing in the concert.

Here goes!

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6:58 PM- Patty Zimmerman (FLEFF Festival Coordinator and Ithaca College professor) is introducing "The Concert for Microtopias" and it sounds fantastic!  Turns out we're using the Whelan School of Music for a concert location.

6:59 PM- Ann and Phil get a shout-out from Patty!  #Awesome

7:01 PM- The actresses involved in the performance are loving the microtopia theme!  The concert has been commissioned by FLEFF and is free!

7:05 PM- Patty Zimmerman is introducing pianist Debbie Martin and baritone Brad Hougham.

7:07 PM- Brad has the floor!  (He loves FLEFF because he gets to pick what he sings.)

7:09 PM- Debbie says that she loves working with dead people (musicians, I hope/am pretty sure of).  Debbie shares a story about a man and his fabric collection (and Brad bought the guy's house and it's full of fabric) and his fabric room.

7:11 PM- Debbie:  "We thought we'd start off my choosing some of our favorite things to play.  Different things that make you happy or inspired or feeling feelings at the most extreme levels.  That's what you'll find here.  You'll find everything from different countries to different takes on spiritual things to ethnic things.  Old, old-old music, new music, it's really a lot of different things."

7:14 PM- Debbie made us stand up and clap/dance along to music! It was hard to liveblog...

7:15 PM- Brad is playing us a German song with lyrics from a sacred text.  As somebody who has sung in German, it's really hard!  Gotta give the singer props.

7:16 PM- Recording isn't working... bummer.

7:17 PM- FLEFF Team Leader springs into action!  She saves the day!

7:18 PM- Discovering a love for German opera right now.

7:20 PM- The title of the song (when translated) is "I Have Enough," as it "I have enough knowing that I'll go to heaven."  What a great aria!  (Guess my older brother's interest in Gilbert and Sullivan is rubbing off on me!  Even though this particular opera is from Bach...)

7:21 PM- Brad gets to sing this piece? He mus be so excited!  (He is.  He also just said so.)

7:24 PM- Debbie is playing the piano for us.  It's such a soft melody.  Makes me wish I was that talented...

7:27 PM- Brad is playing a recording of the piece that Debbie just played.  The soprano is amazing and its such a soft lullaby!

7:30 PM- This soft opera lullaby is going to be followed up by Maurice Ravel's "Pavane pour une infante defunte."  I recognize this!  (I used to study at the New England Conservatory.  It was all music all the time!)

7:34 PM- Debbie says that the challenge will be to take these orchestral pieces and adapt them fully to piano.  It's going to be hard to adapt harp for two pianos!

7:35 PM- Next on the program?!  "Wade in the Water!!!!"  I'm so excited!  I performed to this in high school and am obsessed with this song. 

7:36 PM- Listening to Big Mama Thornton's cover!

7:38 PM- I always get chills listening to this song!  This cover is by the African American Choral Ensemble.  Loving the alto line in this!

7:40 PM- Brad says that microtopias occur all over the IC campus... when professors teach in their classroom, in organizations, etc.

7:42 PM- From Debbie: The word "tarantella" comes from "tarantula." Ew...

7:43 PM- Listening to "Anytime" by William Finn.

7:45 PM- Somebody is asking a great question about how to collaborate over long distances!  Brad is saying that they owe a lot to Patty and that she helps bring everyone together.

7:47 PM- Debbie is going to Berlin to practice with her fellow pianist!  I'm jealous, it's such a beautiful city and there's so much history. 

7:50 PM- Debbie:  "If you really sit and think about it... these small moments of every aspect of who we are and what we are and it's fragmented and yet it can come together... That's what we're aiming for.  This should be a new experience!  Something that you don't do all the time."

7:51 PM- Brad: "I feel that FLEFF has opened my boundaries greatly... Just knowing that this is Ithaca, it's a really tremendous and wonderful safe place where you can expand yourself as an artist."

7:52 PM- Brad: "I love music and I love pushing the limit.  I love having the music speak to people."

7:55 PM- Art Jones is the VJ for the concert!  According to Patty, he has never worked with classical musicians.  This will be a cool experience for everyone!

8:00 PM- Brad:  "It's interesting to wonder what brings people to the concert.  I think it's great that people are there because of music and their appreciation and love of music.  I think that having a response is also really important.  Not applause at the end, it's about the sense of something being given and something being received."

8:03 PM- And that's a wrap!  Brava!  Thank you!  Encore!  Many other words to express the thanks of the FLEFF interns.

What music would you want to hear at a FLEFF concert?  What if it could be anything (Britney Spears, Sutton Foster, Jarhand... literally, anyone!)? Sound off below!

Colleen Ryan
Television-Radio, Scriptwriting ‘12
Anthropology minor
FLEFF Intern
Lansing, NY
 

I’ve struggled for several days trying to come up with a succinct definition for “microtopia.”

Don’t ever ask me to write a dictionary, because boy do I like my verbose run-on sentences.

Language seems arbitrary at times.

A soon to be college graduate, and I still confuse the words “utopia” and “oasis.” I see both as a place to flourish. A place of seemingly untouched, uncontaminated beauty, that although possibly surrounded by arid dessert, still has the ability to adapt and prosper.

I’m not good at putting labels on things, and as a screenwriter, I battle with words that would be better expressed as images and emotions.

I think I’ll be better at describing how microtopias makes me feel.

Microtopias makes me excited to be alive. Graduating college ranks highly on the list of “Most Terrifying Things,” yet the idea of microtopias sparks excitement.

Parts of capitalism and corporate America have in a way “incepted” us all, subliminally telling us that the way to live after college is to immediately get a “career.” We’re thriving if we have a job. We’re happy if we have money.

But is that what life’s about? I want a sustainable lifestyle. Not just by contributions to inhabit the world in a better way, but personal sustainability as well. This does not mean spending forty hours a week at an entry-level job that I hate just because I think I should.

Happiness and well-being can also be sustained.

As a constant collector of passions and inspirations, microtopias make me feel at ease and zealous towards not being exactly sure what it is I want to do…yet.

It’s okay that I don’t know.

There are endless ways I can contribute and flourish, and places where I don’t need the label of a job title to make me feel like I’m contributing to society. FLEFF allows me to celebrate myself, and the idea of microtopias: A desire to use our dissimilar yet beautiful strengths to make the world a better place.

I want to know: How do microtopias make you feel?  What about them excites you?  What do you think of them?
 

Blog posting written by Isabel Galupo, Cinema and Photography '14, FLEFF Intern, Towson, MD

I hesitate to open this blog post with a quote.

I admit it; in attempting to formulate my very-own-super-personal definition of “microtopias,” I turned to someone else’s words.

Specifically, I turned to the words of writer Anaïs Nin. Nin was a fantastic writer and thinker. She is most famous for her published diary (which inspired the movie “Henry and June,” starring Uma Thurman).

 She wrote:

“From the backstabbing co-worker to the meddling sister-in-law, you are in charge of how you react to the people and events in your life. You can either give negativity power over your life or you can choose happiness instead. Take control and choose to focus on what is important in your life. Those who cannot live fully often become destroyers of life.”

I discovered this quote about two years ago, while casually scrolling down my tumblr dashboard. It struck me then, so I saved it in a document on my computer…then quickly forgot about it.

However, I found myself coming back to it after reading Gretchen Rubin’s enthralling book “The Happiness Project” this past Winter Break (follow her blog about happiness here!) Rubin’s insights, along with Nin’s quote, informed my conscious decision to actively pursue positivity in an effort to control happiness in my life.

After becoming inspired by the words and ideas of these two women, I knew that I needed to test my new perspective.

Enter: my little sister, Lucia.

Lucia is an extremely creative, bright, compassionate, and outspoken five-year-old. She, like any five-year-old, can be also insolent, stubborn, and dramatic.

Before I committed myself to intentional positive thinking, I would get easily frustrated with Lucia when she refused to listen to me. Occasionally, I would raise my voice at her—and she raised hers right back. I began to think that the situation was hopeless, that she would never calm down and that things would continue to escalate.

And guess what? Because I thought that things were going to escalate, I panicked and got more upset. And the more upset that I got, the louder I raised my voice. So things, naturally, escalated!

When I thought negative thoughts, the situation would continue to produce negative results.

However, when I took a deep breath and spoke to Lucia calmly—the whole time thinking, knowing that she would calm down and everything was fine—she started to listen to me!

Positive thinking = positive action = positive situation.

I find solace in knowing that I, and I alone, have the power to control my emotions, and subsequently my life. My mind has the potential to become an escape from frustration, sadness, anger, and guilt— if I only choose to recall the hub of good feelings that are always accessible to me. If I can turn negative thoughts and emotions into positive ones, I can transform negative situations into positive ones.

I have come to learn that I can create my own microtopia simply through intentional positive thinking.

But, hey, this is just my personal experience!

I am sure that many people have denounced positive psychology, finding that it simply does not work for them. So I am interested in your opinions!

Do you believe the human mind has the potential to become a microtopia? Are different perspectives and outlooks on life, in essence, just different microtopias?

 Blog posting written by Kaley Belval, Documentary Studies and Production '15, FLEFF Intern, Woodbury, CT

Most people think of utopias as these grand, beautiful places where everyone is filled with happiness and bliss. Other than maybe a vacation to Hawaii or some other island with clear blue waters, white sands, and palm trees, that does not seem very attainable. 

In New York City this past summer, there was a microtopia on Governor's Island as a project for the Figment NYC 2011 Festival. It was a small area created for children and the community, created by those who lived nearby. From May until September, it provided a place for the community to gather, learn, and have fun. 

This is the type of impact that I believe FLEFF will have on the Ithaca community, and on everyone who attends the festival. 

My idea of a microtopia is a place that is small, intimate, and a personal haven amidst the stress of everyday life. Personally, I found that when I went to Block Island last summer. Without much television, internet, or entertainment, the things that I normally did to keep myself occupied became extremely limited. Because of the lack of constant intellectual and visual stimulation, I actually began to lose track of time, read books, and spend quality time with the people I love-all without the interruption of technology. 

The point of microtopias, I believe, is to give everyone their own personal place to relax and find themselves. Each one is different, and specific to each individual, but it can do a lot. So what does your microtopia do for you? I would love to hear about it. 

 In 1516, Thomas More wrote a book called "Utopia." In the book there is an island that is described as the absolute perfect place with: no private ownership, no locks on doors, free hospitals and communal meals. Of course many features of this imaginary society are a little outdated, like having two slaves per household or punishing premarital sex with compulsory celibacy, but the idea is the same.

But Thomas More meant to suggest that utopias only exist in fiction books. The word "utopia" comes from the Greek words ou 'no' and topos 'place.' So the word in-itself suggests that a utopia is unachievable. 

But let's not despair; while this utopia we are told to aim for, is actually a joke at our expense, microtopias (or small utopias) surround us. Microtopias are often temporary and dynamic, like art installations, but can also be more permanent without being forever. They bring people together in conversation, in laughter, in common purpose. Microtopias are about looking at our communities, building community by creating third spaces, and improving our immediate environment. Just because a Utopia doesn't exist, doesn't mean we can't work towards a more perfect society. 

I feel like often times we are so overwhelmed by feeling insignificant and as helpless as small fish in a big sea, that we fail to recognize the importance of the micro in influencing the macro. We want to enact big change, but sometimes we need to start local and start small. 

That being said, although sustainability is a global responsibility, microtopias play a pivotal role. Instead of waiting passively for national and global laws/regulations that will protect and conserve our resources for future generations, it's up to us to create sustainable microtopias.

According to environmentalist and author Bill Mckibben, "people everywhere are excited by the treasures of the whole planet, but we crave, too, the security of belonging in some place whose scale makes sense. Anyway, in the end, it's only those vital local communities that can generate the music, the recipes, the solutions that are worth sharing around the world."

Even though the ideal society exists "no place," microtopias are everywhere. Let's not underestimate the power of micro. 

Blog posting written by Jennifer Barish, Communication Management & Design ‘14, FLEFF intern, Skokie, IL

Last summer, while interning in downtown Chicago, I attempted to be an adult. Pencil skirts. Train tickets from the suburbs to the city. Newspapers. Lattes.

My days were long, and after my unpaid commitment to a small consulting firm, I would take the red line home, throw my heels in the closet, and don a navy hat and gray park district t-shirt. I was a working stiff that hot summer—a corporate drone by day and a concession stand dish-washer by night.

This type of lifestyle was a culture shock, and my first taste of the “real world” was influential, but brutal.

Miles away from the dynamic Ithaca College campus where you can find impromptu string quartets on the quad, my life felt flat—a lit too stable, a bit too busy, and just uninspired.

But the train station made life deliciously more noisy and volatile.

Men and women singing the blues. Public displays of affection. Domestic disputes and heartfelt apologies. Bucket boys. Sports rivalries.

I put down the paper and started to listen, and the hot summer was soothed by these micro moments of chaos, music, and voyeurism.

The train was my microtopia—where my world could be dynamic, but safe, impulsive, yet calculated.

Blog post written by Sarah Lockwood, Cinema & Photography '15, FLEFF Intern, Blairstown, New Jersey

The crowd swells in anticipation. Whispers, conversations, coats rustling, the uncertain glances around the theatre. When will the film start?

I settle further into my chair, and then freeze. I blink. I take a breath.

The director, Lavinia Currier, stands five feet to my right. Her film, Oka!, mere minutes away from screening.

She glides past me on the way to center stage - I am but one of hundreds of faces in that packed theatre tonight. Yet simultaneously, I feel a sense of individualism. Of importance. Of connection.

The film screens, and once again Currier breezes past me, this time on the way to one of two wooden stools set up in front of the stage. The crowd buzzes with pleased admiration, of anticipation of the question-and-answer session that will follow.

My mind buzzes at the closeness. My first encounter with a director, an artist, the creator of a work of art whose screening occupied the last ninety minutes of my life, that stole it and transported it to the forests of Africa and the passions of a man for whom oka - a word meaning listen - was a command.

The creator of such a vision stood only moments ago, a foot from me. A pleasantly nervous fidgeting overcomes my muscles, a vaguely intimidating sense washes over me.

However.

Lavinia Currier is just a woman. An artist. A filmmaker.

An ordinary person.

An ordinary person, however, from whom we are able to learn so much.

Blog posting written by Andrew Ronald, Film, Photography & Visual Arts '15, FLEFF Intern, Mahopac, New York

The theme of FLEFF this year explores the concept of microtpias, and because this definition varies on a number of levels,  I figured I would tackle my own definition of the term. And you can put the dictionary down because the idea behind microtopias is too abstract to be defined in a single sentence (and isn't even in the dictionary in the first place).

Alright, here's the English lesson for all you language aficionados out there. Microtopias is coined from the prefix micro, meaning small, and suffix topos, meaning a place. Microtopias therefore, are essentially small places. Logical, right? But is that really where the definition ends?

Microtopias are portmanteaus of reality and unification. The reality is that one singular, harmonious utopia cannot be achieved. In fact, to distinguish utopia from communism may call for a very interesting conversation. But microtopias are still unifying nonetheless, and this accounts for why they can be found on such a global scale. Utopias preach for a marriage between perfection and peace. But realistically, we must divorce ourselves from this idealistic society and strive to achieve unison in compartmentalized divisions - divisions we would call microtopias. 

FLEFF understands this notion. It's a microtopia of its own and leads to interminable conversations revolving around complicated situations. It makes us strive to perfect sustainability, mesmerizes us through music, gain insight through international films and disrupts the premise of a utopia. Microtopias are now and they are here to stay.

How would you define microtopias? Do you think the foundation behind building a utopia is unrealistic? 

In every academic paper I have written, I am always told to define my terms. But with a term as complex as microtopias, declaring a definition becomes daunting. The meaning of the complex concept of microtopias depends on personal perspective. But the same is true when defining utopias in general because perfection or the characteristics of a perfect society differs from person to person. So here are my terms. 

A utopia is an ideal, perfect society. We imagine this society without limits or constraints, reminding me of the inspirational quote, “What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?” For me, that means creating a sustainable community with a systems thinking mindset that utilizes nonviolent communication.

That being said, I define microtopias as a society that recognizes one cannot create a utopia for the entire world. Instead we strive to bring this concept to the little piece of world surrounding us. What makes up my entire world may not even be on someone else’s radar. It doesn’t make it any less important; it just makes it mine. Through this concept we localize, which is a vital characteristic to my utopian sustainable society that I defined above.

FLEFF itself can be defined as its own microtopian society. It’s here. It builds community. It sparks conversation about limitless solutions to local struggles.

How do you define microtopias? Is it possible to turn ideal into actuality? What would you do if you knew you could not fail? 

Blog posting written by Chloe Wilson, Television-Radio ’14, FLEFF Intern, Ashland, Massachusetts.

What's up, FLEFFers?

FLEFF 2012 is still a ways away, but last Sunday (unofficially) kicked things off with a screening of OKA!.  We had a full house and a great talkback with the director, Lavinia Currier.  Not only was it awesome to hear about the true story behind the film, but learning about the global issues the film shows was a great experience.

Us interns, meanwhile, have been busy learning about and planning FLEFF events!  I caught up with Gautam Singhani, Team Leader, and asked him about his FLEFF experiences and why he chose to work at FLEFF 2012.

Chloe Wilson: So you were a FLEFF 2011 intern.  Why did you choose to be a FLEFF 2012 Team Leader?

Gautam Singhani: Last year, I had a suberb time helping organize the film festival and publicizing events as a FLEFF intern.  I felt that there was much more that could be done to enrich the film festival experience, which is what drove me to apply as a Team Leader.  I have many ideas on how to promote FLEFF, and I hope to implement them in order to help the festival grow.

CW: What was one of your more memorable experiences from FLEFF 2011?

GS:  Meeting with the directors of some of the films last year was really valuable.  I was able to interact, ask questions, and hold very intellectual conversations with them.  I learned a lot about film making, but I was also able to network by simply holding conversations and listening to [the directors'] ideas and opinions.

CW:  Do you have any cool stories from FLEFF 2011?

GS:  Last year, I worked mainly as a projectionist.  While striking equipment and packing up gear after an event, I got to interact with some of the performers and directors.  I always found what they had to say about their own performances or films interesting.  But what I really enjoyed was being asked to escort the directors and performers to nightclubs after their performances.  There's no better sight than to see directors rocking it out on the dance floor!

CW: Are there any new changes that are coming to FLEFF 2012 that FLEFFers should look out for?

GS: FLEFF interns will be creating a huge recyclable art installation* on the Ithaca College campus to publicize FLEFF's theme this year- microtopias.  We have also modified our advertising strategy to attract a larger audience and set ourselves apart from other film festivals.

CW:  Any advice for 2012 FLEFFers?

GS:  Get involved with ALL of the events that take place and actively participate in discussions after panels and screenings.  Everyone can gain valuable information by interacting with directors and by asking questions during the event.  (I also highly recommend interns to stay after events and observe, if not help the directors and performers after events.  That interaction can help develop something further.)

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And that's one of this year's FLEFF team leaders!  Do you have anybody you want to hear from, FLEFFers?  Sound off below!

*Our art installation won't look like these pieces... but seriously how cool are these?! It's amazing what you can do with recyclable materials!

Blog posting written by Isabel Galupo, Cinema and Photography, ’14, FLEFF Intern, Towson, Maryland.

Nomenclature. Lackadaisical. Coagulation.

These are just a few of my favorite words.

To me, understanding and respecting the power of words is a crucial skill for all people living in today’s world. Words can inspire life-changing epiphanies and spark revolutions. Words have the power to affect individual people at their very cores, while simultaneously resonating with entire communities and populations. Words can create significant and extraordinary change.

My love and respect for words is what brought me from my hometown of Towson, Maryland to Ithaca College. I entered my freshman year with a brand new pack of Black Papermate Profile Retractable Ballpoint Pens (which I highly recommend!) and an eagerly declared Journalism major.

However, I quickly discovered that my true passion lay in writing for film and switched my major to Cinema and Photography, with a concentration in Screenwriting. As an avid reader (I am currently in the middle of Michael Ondaatje's poetry collection The Cinnamon Peeler and Anne E. Kornblut's work Notes from the Cracked Ceiling), I use my love for words to connect to the Ithaca community and volunteer with The Family Reading Partnership. I enjoy playing with words to craft my own creative writing, in addition to writing Draft Resolutions during Model United Nations conferences where I represent the IC Model UN Team. 

My love for words is also what prompted me to intern for the 15^th annual Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival this semester. This year, the backbone of FLEFF is one singular word: “microtopias.” Though FLEFF co-directors Thomas Shevory and Patricia Zimmermann did an excellent job breaking down the nuances surrounding the word on the festival home page, I am excited to see how FLEFF will provide moviegoers, directors, students, artists, intellectuals, writers, readers, and dreamers a space to explore the multitude of meanings and possibilities behind the word “microtopias.”

Most importantly, however, FLEFF provides us all with the opportunity to reflect on the term “film festival.” At first glance, the definition of this word may seem straightforward. However, FLEFF’s interdisciplinary nature challenges all of us to question what we think we know about the limits of film festivals and the parameters of art.

Words are all around us. We often take them for granted, never pausing to savor the complexity and possibility that lies behind each and every one of them. In the upcoming weeks, I challenge all of you to practice challenging yourself in the way that FLEFF surely will. Ask yourselves: What is your favorite word? What possibilities lie within the multiple definitions of that word? How can you widen your understanding of words in order to effectively use them in our exciting and ever-changing society? 

Blog posting written by Andrew Ronald, Film, Photography & Visual Arts '15, FLEFF Intern, Mahopac, New York

The power of cinema is important to anyone who may be in the filmmaking business or studying film theory, and it even targets viewers who simply derive enjoyment from watching films. This affinity to cinema was something that struck me at an early age, justifying my current role as an eager freshman at Ithaca College working towards earning my BFA in Film, Photography & Visual Arts. It probably also accounts for why my friends vacantly stare at me when I hold interminable conversations about the latest feature film out in theaters that they “need to go see immediately!” It also explains why I find these jokes hilarious:

• Screenwriting tip: The best place for a character to breakdown and cry is always in the shower.

• In Fight Club, half the people in the movie talked about the damn Fight Club.

• If you really want to know why horror movies no longer scare people, just watch the news.
  ...and more entertaining movie humor!

Simply put, film is moving. Is it captivating. And it is inspiring.

This power, however, is not limited to the cinematic world, and this is something that the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival understands. FLEFF manifests this energy in such a way to permeate the minds of an interdisciplinary culture, ranging from aspiring filmmakers to individuals who are ardent about exploring human nature and even those who are passionate about the planet. Appropriately, this year's theme touches upon the concept of microtopias, an environmentally relevant subject as the festival upholds values of sustainability. Microtopias is indicative of the nature of the festival, promoting a liberal view on a myriad of subjects that will be presented at the festival.

This is one of the main reasons I knew I needed to become involved with FLEFF. Of course during my experience as an intern, I know that I will be surrounded by an overwhelming (yet by no means exhausting) amount of film. After all, the first festival-related event includes a screening of OKA! taking place at Ithaca's local not-for-profit theater, Cinemapolis on February 12 with director Lavinia Currier. But I knew there was more to FLEFF than just letting the harmonious sound of the words "film festival" ring in my ears. There is so much more rewarding information to inherit by becoming involved with FLEFF (and some delicious wine to taste at the Finger Lakes Wine Center who was generous enough to host our evening celebrations!) The collision between social interaction, dynamic energy, mystifying adaptation, relatable locality, innovative technology, and rejection of utopia all seem to define FLEFF for what it promises and what it teaches.

So now I have a question for all you eager and ambitious FLEFFers out there! As a passionate film enthusiast, I am going to throw this question out there: What's your favorite film and how does it inspire you? Who knows, maybe your favorite film hasn't been discovered yet and will be screened on March 25 when FLEFF starts!

Meagan McGinnes

Class of 2014, Journalism

Minors in politics and environmental studies

Norwood, MA

Fun Facts About Me:

1.     I am a Boston girl.

2.     I have a twin sister, who also goes to Ithaca College.

3.     I am addicted to caffeine.

4.     My favorite color is yellow.

5.     I have Bieber fever, and I am not afraid to show it!

Don’t laugh. I am 100 percent serious when I say that Leonardo DiCaprio helped me discover my passion for environmental activism. My ridiculous love for DiCaprio began with the release of the movie Titanic. While casually stalking him/scrolling through his website, I stumbled upon his eco-link. I was enlightened. I was shocked. I was hooked.

Since then, I have become dedicated to environmental advocacy and the promotion of sustainable lifestyles through my love of journalism (check out my blog from the Ithacan!). I am President of Ithaca College’s chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. I am also Co-Editor for the upfront section of Buzzsaw Magazine. I love to talk and meet new people, but even more so I love to write. Sometimes, I have a hard time articulating exactly what I am feeling, but through my writing I am able to take the time to say exactly what I want to say, how I want to say it. And trust me, I have a lot to say. Words are beautiful. However, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and now it is time for me to look for beauty elsewhere.

I am so pleased to be working with FLEFF so I can explore a medium of journalism outside of my comfort zone, while still advocating for something I love: the planet. I am captivated by this art form that uses visuals to stir action, and I can’t wait to learn more. But even more so, I am thrilled to be a part of the community created around this festival. Which is what the theme of microtopias is all about: building an ideal community on a local level to explore the world without constraints. We create boundaries and limits for ourselves all of the time.  My resolution at the beginning of this New Year was to live my life by the words of Neale Donald Walsch who said, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” I believe this statement is true for the environmental movement as well. By breaking through these zones we create for ourselves, only then can we challenge existing systems, mindsets, boundaries and limits.

So here is what I want to know from you: other than participating in FLEFF 2012, what will you be doing to advocate for the environment in your own daily life? What will you do to break out of your comfort zone? How will you work to make your own utopia a reality rather than an ideal?

Blog posting written by Jennifer Barish, Communication Management & Design ‘14, FLEFF intern, Skokie, IL  (the largest village in the world)

A lot of the time, people tell me to quiet down. I talk too loudly, too often, and with too much food in my mouth. Standing proudly at five feet tall and one inch, I tend to make my presence known through quick-talking and uninhibited laughter.

I am not afraid to start conversations with strangers in the grocery checkout line (speaking of food, I highly suggest this restaurant when arriving in Ithaca for FLEFF), and I will usually give them my opinion. Loudly.

Naturally, I chose a major in the Roy H. Park School of Communications. As a Communication Management and Design Major, I wanted to develop my skills in articulating change while having the flexibility to learn about art, literature, and music. I have done an eclectic array of things on campus from working at 92 WICB to exploring Ithaca’s gorges and EcoVillage. FLEFF is a fantastic extension of my multi-faceted life on and off campus.

In the past few weeks working with the FLEFF staff, I found their approach to understanding the world incredibly powerful and effective. The interdisciplinary mergence of art, science, film, and politics is the only way to start comprehending the complex environmental crisis. This festival will start conversations through multiple lenses (pun intended) and is a multi-generational forum for discussion and debate.

There will also be a lot of wine and popcorn.

At our first meeting, Patricia Zimmerman told the blogging staff that festivals are all about conversation. She encouraged us to show up in her office early and often for face-to-face interactions. As a new writer for this massive celebration of thought, adding to the dialogue will be my most significant contribution, and I want to talk to even more strangers in grocery check out lines. I challenge you to read about this year’s theme, “microtopias” and start thinking. And talking.

In fact, I dare you to begin. How will you start the conversation?

Blog post written by Sarah Lockwood, Cinema & Photography ’15, FLEFF Intern, Blairstown, New Jersey.

Greetings fellow film connoisseurs, artists, environmentalists, and creative folk alike. My name is Sarah Lockwood. I spent my whole life up until the past few months in a small town in Northern New Jersey called Blairstown.

Blairstown’s claim to fame lies in the sole fact that decades ago, its charming campgrounds and eerie graveyards served as the setting for a film now considered a cult classic– Friday the Thirteenth. I live in smug satisfaction with the knowledge that I have driven down roads that, at one time, Kevin Bacon himself drove over, too.

My idea of a perfect evening is to spend a few hours in the cinema, only to emerge and discuss the film at length until my mind tires, or until my fellow movie-goers grow tired of me. More often than not, the latter occurs. The plight of an excitable film major, I suppose.

Not surprisingly, Friday the Thirteenth never quite inspired me. However, from the moment I was old enough to grasp that movies were not “real”, that they were created through human vision, I was hooked. From messily drawn pictures to my eventual (or shall we say irreversible) love affair with a digital camera, creativity has always been my primary outlet in life.

However, in a rapidly developing age of technology and communications, creativity no longer limits itself as solitary activity.  The internet provides the perfect medium through which human beings communicate with one another. It is with this intent that I search the web before spending money on movie tickets, have my own Vimeo account to host videos, and find myself blogging for FLEFF this 2012 season.

What drove me most to FLEFF was its appeal on many levels, though the true fun lies the amount of new information I learn with each passing day. For example, that FLEFF is one of the few festivals in the country that employs student interns. Additionally, FLEFF’s first even will be held in five days! Lavinia Currier’s Oka! will screen at Cinemopolis on Sunday, the 12^th.  

I am – as I am sure many of you are – extremely, extremely excited to ensure that this year’s festival surpasses even our own expectations.

On a final note, I invite you to answer two questions – Why do you believe humans choose to blog? And most importantly, what are you looking forward to most about FLEFF's 15th anniversary, MICROTOPIAS?

Blog posting written by Ian Carsia, Cinema & Photography '14, FLEFF Intern, Hamilton, NJ

When I first heard that the Criterion Collection was doing a release of Ishiro Honda's Gojira my excitement was indescribable. I only vaguely recall seeing the movie for the first time at the tender age of 3, but what I do remember was its irreparable impact. The metaphor flew right over my head, but there was a visceral power to the film, unparalleled by anything I had seen before or would see after.

Thus is the power of cinema, to be able to drive chills up our spines without our ability to articulate precisely why.

It was that experience which ignited my blindly stumbling journey, pursuing the allusive answer to that very "why". My majoring in Cinema & Photography, my reviewing film for The Ithacan (where my last name is oft-mispelled), and my maintenance of a personal critical/analytical blog, are all a part of that journey to quench the fires of that question.

Which is what draws me to FLEFF. With this year's theme of MICROTOPIAS, the festival once again seeks to bring together the love of cinematic art with passionate activism for human rights and the sustainability of the environment.

With this theme, FLEFF further implies a democratization of art made possible by the ubiquity of technology in our everyday lives.

For many, movies represent passivity and a detachment from the kinds of critical theories and ethical dilemmas that FLEFF seeks to address. (I believe Fran Lebowitz's fifth bullet-point offers a fairly humorous and welcome criticism of the 'art' of cinema.)

Unfortunately, this attitude has not been helped by a critical and analytical community that has emphasized more 'traditional' modes of making, exhibiting, and engaging with the cinematic art-form, and in such a way that mirrors the exact kinds of anti-democratic and elitist attitudes that defined cinema in its earliest incarnation as the un-godly entertainment of illiterate new immigrants.

FLEFF rejects these biases and its unarticulated pessimism. All individuals have the ability to make and engage with art and to effect profound change in the public perception of global affairs.

If you are passionate about FLEFF, then that means you too believe in and are a part of the Microtopia in which critical theory about art and activism collide into a techno-democracy above and beyond the prescribed notions of how one engages art and media.

It means you too are on a journey to find the answer to that "why". Far from pessimistic, you take profound pleasure in engaging the questions.

I do, as well. Will you enjoy this limited engagement with me?