Press release:
The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council (a.k.a. GO ART!) is proud to present "COMFORT ZONE," a new feature-length documentary exploring the effects of climate change on Upstate New York, to be shown at 3 p.m. on on Saturday, April 12, in the Conable Technology Building at Genesee Community College.
This will be following the Kids ECO-fest, which runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. that day at GCC.
The film was produced and directed by Upstate New York residents Kate Kressmann-Kehoe, Sean P. Donnelly and Batavia native David S. Danesh. The screening (67 mins.) will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers.
GO ART! is delighted to be partnering with Genesee Community College on this special screening. Tickets are $10 for members and $15 for non-members and will be available for sale at GO ART! and online at www.goart.org <http://www.goart.org>. For more information, contact GO ART! at 585-343-9313 or info@goart.org.
"COMFORT ZONE" takes an in-depth look at what happens when global climate issues come to our backyard. It candidly examines the pragmatic reality of climate change’s effect on everyday life in a Northeastern setting.
“There are a lot of things here we take for granted that could be gone, and it would be a very different place,” said co-producer Kressmann-Kehoe.
The film highlights how New York residents' daily lives will be affected, from winter sports to apple picking to gardening.
“If we take New York and we warm it up four degrees that’s like moving it to almost Virginia,” said Art DeGaetano, professor of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell University.
John Tarduno, professor of Geophysics, University of Rochester, said: “I used to teach my students in introductory classes that when we had climate change issues, that these were things that could take hundreds of thousands of years. We now know from the ice core records that decade time scales can be involved, which changes everything.”
Arming the community with the right information was a goal for the filmmakers.
“I want to see us do the right thing as a society and we are not going to do the right thing if we don’t have the right information,” said co-producer Donnelly.
The film doesn’t shy away from the difficulty of changing course.
“The threat to our way of life is huge," said Rochester-based author Bob Siegel. "Everything we do is completely dominated by the use of fossil fuels. It’s pulling the rug out from under all of us."
Despite the serious topic, the film has a light touch. Viewers are coming along on a journey of discovery with the filmmakers, not being lectured at or told what to do. Humorous animated sequences provide both information and relief.
The film also explores deeper spiritual and psychological dimensions of our responses to the issue. “If the people on this planet need to change the way they live, how will they? I believe this is the burning question of our time,” said co-producer Danesh.
"Comfort Zone" is an independently produced documentary. It was funded by the three filmmakers and a crowd-sourcing campaign via Indiegogo. No organization or outside funder had input on the content or message.
