March 25, 1997

Press contact: Helen Dalrymple (202) 707-1940
Public contact: Ron Wilkinson (202) 707-1187

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Library of Congress Film Festival Celebrates Earth Day 1997

The Library of Congress will observe Earth Day 1997 with a free film festival in the Mary Pickford Theater, third floor of the James Madison Memorial Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E.

Films on environmental topics will be shown from noon to 5 p.m. on April 21 and 22. The films are free with no tickets required.

The Library's commemoration of Earth Day began in 1990, on the 20th anniversary of the First Earth Day, with the aim of initiating a new decade of environmental awareness and action comparable to that of the 1970s. The Library's Science and Technology Division is working to support the ideal of a new Earth Decade by providing information on the environment and on environmental awareness.

All films have been provided through the courtesy of the Public Broadcasting System, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314. The complete listing of films follows.

EARTH DAY FILM FESTIVAL

Monday, April 21

Noon- "Wolves," 60 minutes. Controversial efforts to revive populations of wolves in the wild.

1:05 p.m.- "Dolphins with Robin Williams," 60 minutes. A perceptive and sometimes amusing film about these intelligent marine mammals.

2:05 p.m.- "Greed and Wildlife: Poaching in America," 60 minutes. The problem of illegal hunting for profit and sport.

3:05 p.m.- "Wood Stork, Barometer of the Everglades," 60 minutes. The serious predicament of this bird, an "indicator species" which reflects the health of its environment, illustrates the devastated ecosystem of Florida's Everglades.

4:05 p.m.- "Grizzly and Man: Uneasy Truce," 60 minutes. A look at the bitter controversy between landowners and environmentalists over preserving this species. Hosted by Robert Redford.

Tuesday, April 22

Noon- "The Death of the Dinosaur," 60 minutes. Did an asteroid cause extinction of the dinosaurs?

1:05 p.m.- "Denali, Alaska's Great Wilderness," 60 minutes. A superb film that chronicles a year of wildlife in Alaska's Mt. McKinley region.

2:05 p.m.- "Pandas with Debra Winger," 60 minutes. The actress journeys in China, following in the footsteps of Ruth Harkness, who in 1936 led an expedition to study pandas.

3:05 p.m.- "Messages from the Birds," 60 minutes. How a tanker oil spill affected a Delaware Bay ecosystem.

4:05 p.m.- "Whales!" 60 minutes. The resurgence of whale populations and the decline of hunting them. Hosted by Johnny Carson.

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PR 97-49
3/25/97
ISSN 0731-3527