34th Film Independent Spirit Awards

Urban Gastronomy is the way the city of Curitiba, in south Brazil, is seen worldwide. Urbanism for consumption, like fast-food. Its been decades since its peak as a model city and ecological capital, and Curitiba now has to face the consequences of its excessive marketing. From the former mayor, to the owner of a bankrupt wheat mill, to an eloquent beggar, distinguished characters show us how the city was once considered nearly perfect, is now rotting before our very eyes.

A dog captures the world's attention by performing a death-defying and heroic act. The incident, caught on surveillance camera in Santiago, uncovers the epidemic of strays numbering two and a half million in Chile. When Oregon filmmaker, Vanessa Schulz, sees the video on YouTube, she sets out to honor the hero dog by making a film about street dogs. A story of betrayal and redemption, failure and ultimate triumph, 'Lost Dogs' proves that courage is contagious, and one dog can make a difference.

Grasp the Nettle follows the exploits of a ragtag band of land rights activists in London as they struggle against corporations, government, police - and themselves - in their efforts to create alternative communities outside the framework of consumer society. When an eco-village pops up on a piece of disused land in West London , film-maker Dean Puckett (The Crisis of Civilization) gives up everything - his flat, job and normal life - to live among its eclectic inhabitants in an effort to understand what makes them tick. Before he knows it, he is pulled into an epic, Inspiring and at times harrowing journey of discovery, as he follows the villagers from the suburbs to the heart of London outside the Palace of Westminster, where they occupy Parliament Square. Their ranks swelled by the homeless, the visionaries and eccentrics of the new-found Democracy Village clash with authority, and each other, as they grapple with how to balance their ideals of freedom with the increasing chaos around them. Shot over three years in the aftermath of the 2008 banking collapse, Grasp the Nettle is an intimate exploration of the rise and fall of two radical social experiments, pioneered by the loved and the lost of a city reeling from the impact of economic and ecological crisis. In the process, it asks hard questions about the nature of freedom and the meaning of activism in 'interesting times'.

A family in Oxford, Mississippi hires contractor Bill Lilly to re-build their guest house after a fire. Bill plans and builds an energy-efficient three-bedroom home out of three recycled shipping containers, and powers it with solar and geo-thermal energy. To compete in the Mississippi Home Corporation's Growing a Greener Mississippi contest, Lilly has just four months to start and complete the building process.

Uncertain Ice is a stylized, unique character driven story about dedication, observation, and a passion for place. Set in the rugged peaks of the Pacific Northwest, it uses striking cinematography to tell the story of Mauri Pelto and his team of researchers as they travel on the melting glaciers of the North Cascades. For twenty-seven years Mauri, a world-renowned glaciologist, has hiked high into the mountains to measure the health of the glaciers and forecast their future. The inspired original soundtrack and thoughtful pace transport the viewer to glaciers cover mountainsides, hanging on to the edge of survival. Uncertain Ice is not an alarmist climate change movie, but a thoughtful story about the commitment of one man and a beautiful, changing part of our world.