Transition Town Totnes Film Festival

We’re thrilled to announce that the 6th Transition Town Totnes Film Festival will take place in collaboration with Totnes Cinema on November 19th, from 10am until closing. Tickets are now SOLD OUT!!

Join us for a day of inspirational talks, workshops and film screenings that deal with some of the global issues affecting us all in relation to food, farming, fishing and the health of our waters, while highlighting local solutions. The event aims to bring people together through the shared love of film and storytelling, to explore ways in which we can live more sustainably and become more resilient.

In the morning the café will be open as usual from 10am when there will also be an opportunity to join filmmakers and animators Emilio Mula and Edson Acero for a FREE workshop in stop motion animation. Numbers are limited so to ensure that you can attend the workshop it is advised to pre-register to secure your spot.

The afternoon will be a ticketed event from 2pm for the screening of two documentary films by Cornwall Climate Care including, Food for Thought and Under the Surface, both of which will be introduced by the filmmaker Claire Wallerstein. 

Food for Thought asks the question, should we all be giving up meat and dairy if we’re to have a hope of avoiding dangerous climate breakdown?

This is what the headlines seem to tell us. But is this too simplistic a picture – and what would this mean for Devon and Cornwall, where the majority of our farmland is used to raise livestock or to grow crops for these animals to eat? The film looks at the undeniable impacts of modern animal agriculture as well as some of the incredible Cornish initiatives underway to mitigate them – and also the role that regenerative farming could play in actually combating climate change while producing nutritious food.

Presented by organic beef farmer Lisa Guy, this film will inspire much-needed conversation about a crucial subject that has become one of the most contentious within the climate debate.

Joining Clare for the discussion around Food for Thought is Colum Pawson, previously Head Gardener and lecturer on the Horticulture course at Schumacher College, Dartington. He now teaches gardening at the nearby Steiner School attended by his children and is passionate about regenerative agriculture in providing localised solutions to the growing global food and biodiversity crises.

Under the Surface is packed full of fascinating stories about our marine environment and how – without most of us noticing – climate change is already affecting species that depend on the sea for their survival.

Claire says: “People may not think of climate change being much of a problem in Cornish seas. But what I found while making this film was that dramatic and surprising changes are happening right under our noses here too.”

The third documentary film is Drinkable Rivers, which follows Li An Phoa as she sets out to walk the length of the River Meuse from source to sea. Her mission is clear. What if we could drink the water straight out of our rivers? That would tick all the boxes in terms of sustainability, health and restore biodiversity.

Over the past ten years Li An has walked over 18.000km for her project, Drinkable Rivers and last month, completed a walk along the length of the River Thames. As with all her previous river walks (Meuse, IJssel, Vecht), her aim was to establish a coalition of local parties in the watershed who are enthusiastic about the vision of Drinkable Rivers and continue to take actions to work in that direction. Along the way, citizen science hubs were established to measure the water quality every day during the walk to create a baseline study of the water quality of the Thames. 

Prior to the final documentary film screening, we'll hear from Ana Simons, representing Friends of the Dart, a grassroots community group on a mission to establish safe bathing water quality for the River Dart. They collaborate with various organisations and individuals working in close proximity to the river, striving for positive change.

Ana says: "The deteriorating health of UK rivers has become an increasingly pressing concern, particularly since the expiration of EU protections. Friends of the Dart is advocating for enhanced safeguards to rejuvenate our water bodies, benefiting both our river-loving communities and the river's ecological well-being. Our aim is to make it feasible for local residents and visitors to enjoy safe bathing without health concerns."

A very special evening will commence from 7pm with guest speaker Rob Hopkins introducing the film of the night, King Coal. The film commences at 8pm and Film Festival attendees can purchase tickets at the same discounted rate as members of Totnes Cinema: bit.ly/TotnesCinemaKingCoal

The full running order for the day is scheduled as follows:

10am-1pm: Animation workshop for all ages

An animation workshop (2 hours) to make your own short film facilitated by filmmakers Emilio Mula and Edson Acero - everyone is welcome. A presentation of the films created will be shown on the big screen at the end of the workshop.

1.30pm: Orinoco FIlm presentation (7 minutes)

The Orinoco project is a short film and a digital magazine created by Edson Acero focused on critical issues related to our planet and sustainability. This platform delves into the complexity of ecosystems, the interconnectedness of life, and offers practical solutions for a sustainable future.

2-5.30pm: Documentaries and discussion

Three Documentary films with talks and Q&As provided by Cornwall Climate Care, Schumacher College and Friends of the River Dart.

Films include:

2pm: Food for Thought (30 minutes)

2.30pm: Under the Sea (30 minutes)

4pm: Drinkable Rivers (90 minutes)

5.30pm: Closed as cinema prepares for the evening film.

7pm: Feature film introduced by guest speaker Rob Hopkins.

8pm: King Coal 

Bar and Cafe open throughout the day.representing