It’s been a Thanksgiving tradition for as long as we can remember: Great family fare on TV, from The Wizard of Oz to The Sound of Music to Harry Potter.
While nothing tops those classics, we hope you will kick back and enjoy some wonderful home-grown short films (below) from our Fourth Annual MorristownGreen.com Film & Music Festival.
Tropical Storm Irene tried her best to dampen the whole thing, but we eventually prevailed on Sept. 17. Included above is a highlight reel from that day of music and movies. The soundtrack is from the winning films, as voted by the audience.
Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who made the Festival and its Green Off the Green environmental expo so much fun. Paul Miller of Sustainable Morristown was a tireless partner. The generosity of sponsors BASF and Covanta Energy, and of our program advertisers and prize donors, made the day possible. The good folks at Headquarters Plaza were gracious hosts, and Marty Epstein and his Gran Fondo team were true friends. An enthusiastic audience braved chilly weather to cheer for its favorite films.
Of course, none of this could have happened without the dedicated volunteers of our MG family, and the talented local filmmakers and musicians who make us feel so lucky to live in Morristown.
Who knows… the next holiday classic could come from one of these budding cinéastes.
Happy Thanksgiving!
***FROM THE 2011 MORRISTOWNGREEN.COM FILM FESTIVAL***
You can link to all the films, or watch them individually below.
This year’s THEME: Sustainability.
The MOVIES (in the order they were screened at the Festival):
1. Jim and I, Bill Ivie. The inspiring story of a blind bicyclist underscores how “nonprofits such as the Seeing Eye are vital to healthy, sustainable communities.”
2. Unity Charter Recycles Smarter, Amy Maturin & Savannah Byrne. First- and second-graders learn that sustainable means “doing our part to make sure that all the natural wonders of the world stay the way they are.”
3. Sustainability, The 5 Shahs Way, Nikky Shah. A Morristown family tests itself, and its notions of sustainability, on Mount Kilimanjaro.
4. Domino Tracks, Crosby Ruhalter. A nine-year-old from Morris Plains proves you don’t need energy-hungry video games to have fun, in this display of sustained momentum. Crosby on sustainability: “Something that keeps on repeating over and over again.” WINNER, SECOND PLACE.
5. The Classics Academy, Ben Donnellon. Sustainable communities study the past to chart the future, according to a Morristown High grad documenting a bold new program that immerses students in Antiquity.
6. Ben Hur Revisited, Kevin Coughlin. A sustainable education should be fun–and use recycled junk from the garage. (Not eligible for prizes.)
7. An Introduction to Special Effects, Tracey Landau. While this comedic short celebrates the wonders of animation, it also explores how we are inextricably interwoven with our environment. Even animated humans must live sustainably!
8. West Palm Beach, Elliott Ruga. Smart planning turned around a Florida city by addressing its environmental, social and economic needs. Could the same “Context Sensitive Design” make the historic Morristown Green an even greater civic resource than it is today?
9. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Joey Gatto. Sustainability sometimes gets a bad rap. But not in this catchy production by Morristown High’s incoming senior class president. WINNER, FIRST PLACE
10. Homeless Solutions, Jason Koontz. Affordable housing can be good for the environment, as well as for people.
11. The Bells of St. Peter’s, Kevin Coughlin & Leslie Raff. Sustainable communities honor their sacred traditions. (Not eligible for prizes.)
12. ARTS! By The People, Gustav Gauntlett & James French. Sustaining the arts enriches the life of a community; Morristown’s youngest and oldest citizens are the focus of one grassroots movement.
13. Nine Matches, Eric Ruhalter. A dark comedy from our 2010 winner about one couple’s efforts to sustain life, civility and sanity while trapped in desolate circumstances. WINNER, TIED FOR THIRD PLACE.
14. Sustainable Sam, Joey Viola & Danny Sobol. Sustainable Sam uses salesmanship to spread the gospel of sustainability in this short comedy, directed by “The People’s Reporter” of Morristown High’s Colonial Corner.
15. The Last Ride of Sustainable Man, Zaji Zabalerio, director. The Morristown Green is under siege; where is Sustainable Man? From the producer of Morristown High’s Colonial Corner. WINNER, TIED FOR THIRD PLACE.
READ MORE ABOUT THE 2011 MG FILM & MUSIC FEST
STORIES, VIDEOS FROM 2010 MG FILM FEST
