Whole Foods announces green film festival

Supermarket chain will screen environmentally themed films in more than 70 cities starting in April.

Mon, Mar 14 2011 at 11:49 AM EST

In an effort to spread environmentalism beyond the grocery aisle, Whole Foods Market recently announced that it will sponsor a national film festival.

The Do Something Reel Film Festival is scheduled to run from April 1 to mid-May and will involve commercial theaters in more than 70 cities.

"Through our Whole Foods Market Do Something Reel Film Festival, we want to raise awareness of environmental and food issues, and support filmmakers who are creating films that inspire people to question the impact our choices have on our health, body and environment," said Walter Robb, co-CEO of Whole Foods Market. "We see film as an inspirational medium that can spark an active dialogue and encourage people to take action locally."

Six documentaries, including PLANEAT," "Bag It!" and "Urban Roots" are slated to be shown. On Earth Day, which falls on April 22, Whole Foods will also stream the documentary "Dig It!," which features members of the band Pearl Jam as they participate in tree-planting actions and beautification efforts in New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Check out some summaries of the films to be shown below:

"Bag It!" – In this highly entertaining and eye-opening film, filmmaker Suzan Beraza follows Jeb Berrier as he navigates our plastic-reliant world. Berrier is not a radical environmentalist but an average American who decides to take a closer look at our cultural love affair with plastics. www.bagitmovie.com

"Lunch Line" – This deeply affecting film from filmmakers Mike Graziano and Ernie Park follows six kids from one of the toughest neighborhoods in Chicago as they set out to fix school lunch — and wind up at the White House.Their unlikely journey parallels the dramatic transformation of school lunch from a patchwork of local anti-hunger efforts to a robust national feeding program. www.lunchlinefilm.com

"On Coal River" – A compelling and transcendent narrative on the human costs of coal and strip-mining, this provocative film from filmmakers Francine Cavanaugh and Adams Woods follows the journey of a former coal miner and his neighbors, residents of Coal River Valley in West Virginia, as they transform from so-called victims to fearless and informed experts on mountaintop removal mining. www.oncoalriver.com

"PLANEAT" – This visually stunning film from filmmakers Shelley Lee Davis and Or Shlomi tells the story of the scientists, farmers and chefs tackling one of the greatest problems of our age: Western culture's love affair with meat and dairy. Through an extraordinary personal and mouthwatering culinary journey, we discover the wide range of medical and environmental benefits of eating our veggies. www.planeat.tv

"Urban Roots" – Filmmaker Mark MacInnis tells the powerful story of a group of dedicated Detroiters working tirelessly to fulfill their vision for locally grown, sustainably farmed food in a city cut off from real food and limited to processed fast food. This group has taken on the enormous task of changing this reality. www.urbanrootsamerica.com

"Vanishing of the Bees" – Narrated by Oscar-nominated actress Ellen Page, this cautionary tale from filmmakers George Langworthy and Maryam Heinen reveals the mystery of the disappearing bees, and the links to industrial farming and our attitude toward the natural world. Starring in this real-life drama is a commercial bee farmer who sounded the alarm when his bee colonies collapsed and his business was decimated. www.vanishingbees.com

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