The Festival continues tomorrow night at the Music Hall Loft starting at 6:30pm. Jump to the Whaleback Festival website here for more details, film previews and Festival schedule.

Listen to Festival organizer, Dyanna Smith, on WSCA radio’s Environmental Show earlier this week and hear more about the films presented this weekend.

Whaleback Environmental Film & Art Festival announces its open call for film submissions for its event, taking place in Portsmouth NH, May 11-13. With the excellent response to last year’s inaugural event, the Whaleback Festival returns for its second annual weekend of environmental films.

“We welcome films from new and upcoming filmmakers,” invites Dyanna Smith, festival organizer and President of the Red Eft Project, host of the event. Whaleback was designed to encourage people to translate their environmental messages and actions into film. “People are accomplishing great things for sustainability and conservation,” says Smith, “and some of the most exciting, thought-provoking films telling these stories are coming from first-time filmmakers.”

Films invited for submission can address any environmental subject, and range in length from short to full-length feature. Submissions are now being accepted online at the festival website: www.whaleback.org, and the early bird submission deadline has been extended until February 17. Visit the “submissions” page for more details.

Lancaster Community Garden

The garden started as a new project during early 2011, spearheaded by one of Red Eft’s founding board members. The garden is successfully launched in the community of Lancaster, New Hampshire and gardeners are busy putting together their first full growing season! See the garden’s project page for all the great details!

Contoocook Valley Food Security and Farming

Red Eft President, Dyanna Smith, started working with a group of farmers, growers and citizens of the Peterborough area in New Hampshire this fall, to capture their innovative ideas in a short film. This is a group who is already making strides towards their goal of increasing food security for their region, and the film documents their inspired vision. In 2012, Dyanna will continue her project by looking more deeply into their agricultural lifestyles and how they might be featured as models of a new style of farming for the future. View the 10-minute short here.

Living Landscapes Institute

Our third project is a continuation of last year’s Living Landscapes Institute. Look for a project update from Steven Alexander in the next few weeks by checking our news page.

Contoocook Valley Film Short

In 2012, this short film will be expanded into a longer documentary as part of a new Red Eft Project! Stay tuned to our news page as the project unfolds.

For more details, visit our website dedicated to the festival.

The garden is located at the site of Lancaster’s former Elm’s Hotel, offered for the garden’s use by landowners David and Linda Rexford. After a spring garden raising in May, the site continues to transform with ongoing efforts of community volunteers, partnering organizations and participating gardeners.

The Lancaster Community Garden’s mission is to nurture a caring community by providing space, offering support and creating opportunities for the residents of Lancaster and neighboring communities to learn about and experience the rewards of growing their own food and sharing their bounty with those in need. Their goal is to offer access to a garden for those who do not have green space available, while encouraging individuals to help themselves become more self reliant.  It is a “sharing garden” – meaning in lieu of rental fees, gardeners are required to share their crops with an individual, family, or organization in need.

Also in the works, and supported through the first-year grant, is a short documentary film being produced by Red Eft. The film combines video shot by the gardeners themselves and footage taken during different stages of the garden’s development. This gives a gardeners’-eye-view as the project unfolds, begins producing food, and gives back to the community. Completion of the film project is anticipated by spring 2013. It is hoped that the film inspires other communities to start their own gardens.

After a year of start-up collaboration with Red Eft, the Lancaster Community Garden is reorganizing, using the solid network of local support it has developed to transition into its next phase of operation. The garden committee – turned board of directors – envision the garden becoming a landmark within the community. Together, they will continue to build a place where different generations can come together to relish all the benefits that come with gardening – from eating fresh, local produce to the simple pleasure of digging your hands into the earth.

We wish them continued success and are proud to have been an early part of this wonderful community project!