S3.E12 ∙ Emotions Are Such A Burden

In the Philippines in Tondo, Manila, in a post-apocalyptic moonscape of a place affectionately known as 'Helping Land' Smiles are as contagious as poverty but what many don't realize is that in the communities Project Pearls serves like HELPING LAND in Tondo Manilla, the two: POVERTY and SMILES are almost ubiquitous, That is to say they go hand in hand in HELPING LAND... This is simply a FACT, a shockingly counter-intuitive truism that many foreigners and even a large number of Filipinos who's lives are fortunately more comfortable find almost incomprehensible. I was no exception, it was in fact one of the characteristics that leaped out at me when Sidney and his team first led my film crew and I into HELPING LAND on that stiflingly hot day in June of 2016. As much as we found ourselves swallowed by an otherworldly broken landscape of carcasses of half collapsed massive government buildings strewn for miles amidst mountains of debris we were met by a parade of smiling faces of seemingly happy children riding bikes, playing tag, braiding each others hair, eating, jumping rope, amidst an ocean of every imaginable type of refuse, In Helping Land, there are more smiles than teeth, and food, but there is no shortage of HOPE. One of the big reasons for this is PROJECT PEARLS. PROJECT PEARLS and the words that PEARLS is an abbreviation of: Peace, Education, Aspiration, Respect, Love, Smiles is a MOLECULAR MACROSCOPIC FORMULA FOR HOPE that is as human as DNA

The Drill Project is a conservation initiative focused primarily on producing a wildlife documentary on an endangered species of primate, The Drill. These animals are in critical danger of extinction due to the increasing bushmeat trade in West Africa. The film is to be used for a conservation campaign to educate, inform and generate awareness in West Africa about the drill in addition to an international wildlife documentary. The drills have never been filmed in their natural habitat and very little scientific research has been undertaken, contributing to the lack of knowledge and protection. By increasing awareness and providing protection for these animals, subsequent protection will be granted to many other species of endangered and endemic primates found on Bioko Island and in West Africa.

The Colorado Department of Natural Resources is proposing to rewrite one of the most significant environmental laws in U.S. history. At stake in Colorado: a way of life, a $4 billion annual recreation economy, and some of the most epic outdoor experiences in the country. For the rest of us, these changes could affect the management of nearly 1/3 of all U.S. Forest lands and potentially open millions of acres to industrial development, impacting some of the largest intact ecosystems in the United States, which provide millions of people with clean air, drinking water and some of the best hiking, climbing, paddling, skiing, and mountain biking anywhere on the planet.

The impact of global warming on a once-thriving culture now struggling to survive on our world's northernmost frontier is examined. The Inuit find their traditional way of life quickly slipping away along with the melting of the Arctic ice.

A Brotherhood Reforged follows the non-profit Xsports4vets during their first summer on the river. The group uses extreme sports to help combat veterans re-adjust to society after returning from war, and has proven remarkably effective in a short time. The film examines what the program is, why it's so effective and what benefits can come from such an approach. It does so by examining the social aspects of the activities, the adrenaline-fueled sports' effects and the effects on PTSD. Bringing in voices of not only veterans helped by the program, but also neuroscientists, mental health professionals and a pulitzer prize-winning author, A Brotherhood Reforged takes a hard look at how to help Veterans.

7 Days is Venice is a film about the artists, musicians and some of the laws that effect the boardwalk.