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By Matthew Perlman
Brooklyn Daily
Most film screenings begin with an informative spoken introduction or simply a warning to turn off your cellphone. This one begins with a dance.
As part of a new festival that pairs films with live music, a Fort Greene-based theater company will show a documentary about Kenyan environmental activist Wangari Maathai, Africa’s first female Nobel Peace Prize winner, preceded by a performance by a Brooklyn dancer and choreographer.
The March 5 screening of “Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai” is just one installment of Encompass New Opera Theatre’s “Paradigm Shifts” festival. The aim of the series is to use film and music to look at different cultures, and see what they can teach us about helping our environment today.
“It’s incredibly important to take a look at the root of things,” said Oni Brown, who lives in Downtown and will be performing an original dance routine to introduce the film about Maathai. “It’s important to find the actual root of a problem so we can address it in a lasting way.”
Maathai won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her work promoting environmental and social justice causes. The 2008 documentary tells the story of how she came to found the Green Belt Movement — an environmental advocacy group that encourages woman to plant trees in order help stave off the effects of deforestation and to feel a sense of empowerment.
“Maathai emphasized that one person seems like they’re not very strong,” said Brown. “But if we work together, and work at the small things, we can make a difference.”
Brown sees dance as one small thing she can contribute. She will introduce Maathai’s story with a short routine set to African music.
“It’s a celebration of the work that she did,” said Brown. “In planting seeds for change and peace. And also community action.”
The festival’s artistic director said “Taking Root” sends exactly the type of message she hopes people will take away from the film and music series.
“Maathai realized they were dealing with the symptom and not the root cause,” said Nancy Rhodes.
The nine films in the festival, running Feb. 27–Mar. 9, cover a range of stories from different cultures and times — one is about an anti-mining activist in Utah, another about women making sustainable handicrafts in Kyrgyzstan. But their common thread is a connection to the environment, and a long-term perspective on keeping the planet healthy.
“History helps us understand how we got to where we are,” said Rhodes.
“Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai,” at the Actors Fund Arts Center [160 Schermerhorn St. between Smith and Hoyt streets in Downtown, (718) 398–4675, www.encompassopera.org]. March 5 at 7 pm. $10-$25.