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Division Street
| Director: Eric Bendick Canada 2008 Nominated for Best Feature Film Screening time 6pm Tuesday 19 May (57 mins) “The question is: How does a 21st century city go about planning for the future when it has invested so heavily in this kind of a past?” Roads: we take them for granted (unless they’re not working); we argue over which to build or fix and how much of our taxes they deserve; we sometimes dine out on stories about how bad they are in other countries. But how often do we consider their ecological impacts, particularly the way they fragment wild landscapes and populations of animals and plants? How often do we acknowledge they’re the largest human artefact on the planet? When did you last wonder how far you could walk from any road? Division Street addresses questions like these by taking us on a road trip that visits the engineers, ecologists, city planners, and everyday citizens who are attempting to transform the future of US roads and are shaping the emerging green transportation movement. The setting might be the US, but New Zealand has lessons to learn from this film as, under our current leadership, we seem more focused on improving our roading infrastructure than promoting and developing environmentally better options. The film matches thoughtful commentary with some striking photography, adventurous editing and a good, well-matched soundtrack to deliver an entertaining and thought-provoking experience. After viewing this film, how will you travel home? What options do you have—and what options would you like? |  |