Join the MAC Department, Obama Scholars Program, Office of Sustainability, FEAST, and the Womxn of Cinema and Television Club (WCTV) for a screening of "Making a Mini-Forest" with film creator Angelina Lee '22.
Old growth, native forests are disappearing, pulling the rug out from under local biodiversity and releasing noxious carbon dioxide that compounds climate change. To restore those native forests, people around the world are embracing the Miyawaki Method to plant "mini-forests." Narrated by Hannah Lewis, author of Mini-Forest Revolution, the film zigzags across land and sea to meet ten different organizations in four languages in France, Belgium, Germany, and United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. The film observes in real time the brainstorming, planning, planting, and maintenance that goes into making a mini-forest. The film also covers the 50-year history of the mini-forest approach in Japan. Each story contributes to a bigger picture, that of compassionate individuals taking civic action to regreen their cities. One person sparks the imagination of another, and another, and a robust network of foresters emerges. This is the first feature-length documentary that takes a deep dive into how mini-forests are being adapted in Western Europe. View the film's trailer here.
Angelina Lee (Class of 2022) is a filmmaker who focuses on the natural world. She was named an Obama Fellow at Occidental College’s Barack Obama Scholars Program to produce a documentary about regenerative agriculture, "The Big Raise," which screened at film festivals in Washington, DC., Canada, New York, and the Grauman's TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. She worked as the writer, director, cinematographer, and editor for short fiction film "Thread," which was selected for the 2024 California Women's Film Festival. Her most recent work, the feature-length documentary "Making a Mini-Forest," covers the international movement to plant mini-forests in cities to address climate change and support local biodiversity. The film premiered at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification’s COP16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Join us on Tuesday, April 15th at Choi Auditorium on the Occidental College campus at 7:00pm for refreshments, with the film starting shortly after. Following the screening, students from the Food, Energy, and Sustainability Team (FEAST) and the Womxn of Cinema and Television Club (WCTV) will join Angelina for a live Q&A.
