Movie Review Friday: Ice Bears of the Beaufort

Escape to the movies with one of our Movie Review Friday selections. Each week we review a film with an environmental theme that’s currently in theaters or available on DVD. Seen a good eco-flick lately? Send us a review of 100 or fewer words and look for it in the next Movie Review Friday.

Ice Bears of the Beaufort (2009)

Playing at the San Francisco Ocean Film Festival (Feb.19-22).

 

See the breathtaking trailer here.

Stunning, unrushed cinematography and editing; natural sound with no narration; and a spare music score by Patrick O'Hearn transform this film into a meditative plea to protect one of the most awesomely powerful—and comically playful—animals on earth. Can this magnificent bear and its largely unknown world of snow-capped mountains and magnificent skyscapes cope with ill-considered oil development, marine pollution, and global warming? It's a question perhaps only we can answer. Filmmaker Arthur C. Smith III will be onstage at the festival to answer questions and provide additional insight.

Now in its sixth year, the San Francisco Ocean Film Festival celebrates the sea with inspirational films that increase our appreciation of the oceans that surround us. View the beauty and mysteries of the ocean, experience the thrill of saltwater sports, explore coastal cultures, and pause to reflect on the importance of this vital ecosystem.

Cowell Theater at Fort Mason Center, San Francisco
$10 individual program
$60 festival pass (eight film programs)
$60 opening-night party at Aquarium of the Bay
$110 VIP pass (opening-night party and eight film programs)