On every continent, women are taking the lead to protect and restore the natural environment, and are empowering others to respect the earth. Arise presents the stories of a diverse group of 13 women in five countries who have initiated solution-oriented environmental projects in their communities, towns and villages.
These women are engaged in a variety of innovative efforts profiled in the film: replanting trees in Kenya, conserving biodiversity in India, preserving sacred Native lands, protecting the rainforest in Ecuador, building more sustainable local communities, transforming food through urban agriculture, creating safe outdoor places to play, training women to build and install solar lights, and organizing to combat climate change, among others.
Arise gives voice to these powerful women, and weaves together their inspiring stories with stunning images, poetry and music by well-known writers and musicians, including Alice Walker and Michael Franti. Through these hopeful examples and new models, the women in the film challenge our current way of thinking about the environment, and encourage a shift in values to find a different, healthier way to view our relationship to the earth.
"Celebrates women around the world leading movements in environmental protection....Arise presents inspiring segments featuring diverse saviors and locales (and) honors women as protectors, nurturers and activists. [A] genuinely felt and executed womanist letter to the world." — New York Times
"With its vibrant and artistic cinematography....Arise balances evidence with emotion, yielding a film suitable for teaching, exposing, and gently informing." — Austin Chronicle
“The film captures the stories of women around the globe, who are leading the way to a sustainable future to rebuild their families, their neighborhoods and their communities. The film highlights a new generation of women who have acknowledged that the natural environment has become disconnected from our lives, our hearts and our beings. The featured women… speak with passion and conviction about their communities, their families and their connection with the natural world that surrounds them.” — Susan Greene, President, American Solar Energy Society
“Is a feminine approach to leadership, stewardship, and commerce the answer? Idanha filmmakers Lori Joyce and Candice Orlando make a powerful case that this is so. Arise is both a documentary and an ethnographic study of women from around the world who share a profound intellectual and spiritual understanding of what it takes to live in harmony with the environment.” — Georgianne Nienabar, Huffington Post
“Thoughtful, beautiful ARISE inspired me to consider how I might contribute to the Earth’s health.” — Josephine Jones, Colorado Humanities
“Exquisite cinematography and music are enhanced by Daryl Hannah’s evocative narration.” — Martine Joseph, MovieSpirit
"Recommended. Documents a key aspect of the environmental justice movement – the linkage of environmental protection to the advancement of women’s rights." — Educational Media Reviews Online
Citation
Main credits
Joyce, Lori (film producer)
Joyce, Lori (film director)
Orlando, Candice (film producer)
Orlando, Candice (film director)
Hannah, Daryl (narrator)
Other credits
Cinematography, Aaron Kopp, Mark Birnbaum; editing, Hanneh Rudkilde, Michael Banowitz.
