Best of Fest goes to Barns of Rose Hill in Berryville
September 28, 2016.
featuring ACFF’s 2015 Broadcast Award Winner,the Smithsonian Channel’s
Islands of Creation,
and discussion with Smithsonian ecologist Dr. Bill McShea.
Doors open at 6pm/Films at 7pm
**plus previews of upcoming Festival films**
MORE INFO & REGISTRATION HERE
The American Conservation Film Festival, based in Shepherdstown, WV, is pleased to partner with the Barns of Rose Hill in Berryville, VA, to bring audience members a sampling of Festival films ahead of the 14th annual festival in Shepherdstown, October 21-23 and 28-29, 2016.
Islands of Creation was the Broadcast Award winner (Smithsonian Channel) in the 2015 American Conservation Film Festival. A beautifully filmed story set in the Solomon Islands, it follows the quest of evolutionary biologist Albert Uy to “catch evolution in the act of creating a new species.” The black monarch flycatchers live on one island, the brown-bellied ones on another. Are they in the process of becoming two separate species? The islands’ resources are being exploited, putting all local wildlife at risk. It’s a race against time to gather the evidence necessary to prove the existence of a new species before it’s lost forever.
The film will be followed by a discussion with Dr. Bill McShea, a wildlife ecologist for the Smithsonian’s Conservation Biology Institute at Front Royal, Virginia. He is currently co-chair of the IUCN Deer Specialist Group, which is responsible for setting endangerment levels for deer species worldwide, and a member of both the Bear Specialist and Bovid Specialist Groups. He has edited four volumes on wildlife management, co-authored a book on deer ecology, and coauthored over 120 scientific publications. When not in Virginia, Bill currently works in Southeast Asia, Borneo, and China. Bill’s research focuses on the management and diversity of wildlife populations and much of this work involves mammal surveys using camera traps.
In addition to the film and discussion, attendees will get a preview of some of the conservation films screening at the American Conservation Film Festival October 21-23 and 28-29 in Shepherdstown.
Cost to attend this event is only $5 and children 16 and under are admitted free.
Doors open at 6pm, the film begins at 7pm.
Beer, wine, and soft drinks will be available for purchase.
First Best of Fest of 2016 – FEBRUARY 6 IN FREDERICK, MD!
The American Conservation Film Festival’s Best of Fest returns to the Weinberg Center for the Arts in Frederick, MD, for the fourth year for an event featuring live music, beer tasting, three films, and discussion about horse rescue following the feature film, UNBRANDED. This special cinematic event coincides with Frederick’s annual Fire in Ice – February First Saturday – so much festivity all in one place!
Line-up for February 6 at The Weinberg:
6pm – Reception with music from Woven Green, an acoustic folk duo and
Beer Tasting with Flying Dog Brewery
7pm – Welcome and introduction of films and guests
7:10 – Osprey: Marine Sentinel – the first film in over 30 years starring one of the world’s most iconic and significant raptors. A beautifully shot conservation success story. (15 minutes)
7:25 – White Earth – ACFF’s 2015 Student Filmmaker Award Winner – a striking story about the oil boom in America’s Northern Plains as seen through the eyes of a child and young family. (20 minutes)
7:45 – Brief Intermission
7:55 – Unbranded – one of the world’s most popular documentary films of 2015, this exciting adventure follows four riders and 16 wild mustangs over 3,000 miles to tell a story of the plight of the west’s wild horses, land rights, and sheer determination. (106 minutes)
9:40 – Discussion with Days End Farm Horse Rescue – representatives from DEFHR in Woodbine, MD, will discuss the challenges and joys of horse rescue, rehabilitation, and educational outreach.
Tickets are just $8 for adults; $5 for seniors/students and are available on the Weinberg’s website at http://www.weinbergcenter.org/11725/best-of-american-conservation-film-festival/ or AT THE DOOR.
Best of Fest gives the American Conservation Film Festival the opportunity to take a sampling of what the annual film festival offers in Shepherdstown to other communities in the region. Best of Fests have been held in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia over the past several years.
This Best of Fest is generously sponsored by Flying Dog Brewery.
The Trail House has donated a gift certificate to be given to a lucky audience member at intermission. ACFF is very grateful to these businesses and the Weinberg Center for the Arts for their support!
DOWNLOAD PRESS RELEASE HERE
Best of Fest – Thursday, October 1, 2015
at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia.
Featuring our 2014 Green Fire Award Winner “Trash Dance”!
Stay tuned for more details!
Thanks to everyone who joined us on February 28 for our Best of Fest in Frederick! Big thanks to our sponsors Flying Dog Brewery, MOM’s Organic Market, The Orchard restaurant, The Trail House, Weis Market, and Common Market; musician Randy “Windtalker” Motx for the music, Ivan Petrov Creative Photography for the pictures, all-star volunteers Nathaniel Orr and Jim Hall, and John Healy at The Weinberg Center.
BEST of FEST – February 28, 2015 at the Weinberg Center for the Arts 20 West Patrick Street Frederick, MD 21701. Join us for our first Best of Fest of 2015, with live music and refreshments before the films, two guest speakers, and three fine films from the 2014 Festival, featuring “DamNation.”
Here are the 
evening’s offerings:
6pm – Reception with music from Randy “Windtalker” Motz, a multimedia show set to the haunting sounds of Native American Flute.
Refreshments available for sale from the Weinberg.
7pm – ACFF 2014 Audience Choice Award Winner “DamNation,” chronicling America’s history of dam construction and efforts to remove obsolete dams to allow rivers to come back to life. 94 minutes.
Discussion to follow with Jim Thompson, Fish Passage Coordinator for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Service and Serena McClain, Director of River Restoration at American Rivers.
Brief Intermission & Great Gift Certificate Give-Aways
9pm – ACFF 2014 Student Award Winner “We Are The Land.” Amidst national controversy surrounding the potential dangers of ‘fracking,” environmental activist Pauline Matt stand alone to protect her native homeland, the Blackfeet Reservation of northern Montana. 14 minutes
9:15pm – “Sticky” is a delightful animated short film that tells a positive Australian conservation success story, celebrating the persistence of life, the adventure and passion embedded in science, and the little creatures underfoot. 20 minutes.
Tickets only $7 for adults; $5 for seniors/students/military members
Available at the door or at http://www.weinbergcenter.org/8046/american-conservation-film-festival-best-of-fest-2/
Big Thanks to Our Sponsor, Flying Dog Brewery, in Frederick!
Thank you to Ivan Petrov Creative Photography for donating photography services!
And thank you to these Frederick businesses for donating gift certificates!
Photos from Best of Fest in Frederick on February 6, 2016
Over 250 people joined us for a great evening of music, beer tasting, and fine films, featuring Unbranded. Special thanks to our sponsor, Flying Dog Brewery, Woven Green music trio, Days End Farm Horse Rescue, The Trail House, Weis Market, the Catoctin Chapter of the Sierra Club, and the Weinberg Center for the Arts for your participation and support!
