Festivals: A selection of film festivals include: Full Frame Documentary FF 08, Hot Docs International Doc Festival 08, Chicago International FF 08, Global Visions FF 08, Denver Starz FF 08, Les Rencontres Internationales du Documentaire Montreal (RIDM) 08, Cinema Planeta, Cuernavaca, Mexico, Thessalonikki Documentary FF
Upcoming Festivals: Festival des Liberties, Belgium
Awards: Full Frame Women in Leadership Award, Full Frame Documentary FF 08, Nashville Women in Film & Television Award for Best Feature Length Film Directed or Co-Directed by a Woman, Best Documentary Feature, Honorable Mention, 39th Nashville FF 08, Audience Award Winner, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival 08, Audience Award Winner, Projecting Change FF 08, Green Cinema Award, Maui FF 08, Amnesty International Durban Human Rights Award, Durban International FF, The Harold & Margaret Blank Award for Storytelling, Vermont International FF, Best Documentary, Mendocino FF, 09, Audience Award, Mendocino FF, 09, Henry Hampton Award for Excellence in Film and Digital Media 09, Council on Foundations
Broadcast: Viasat (UK), MTS New Zealand
Original Language: English

Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai

USA / Kenya / 2008 / Lisa Merton and Alan Dater / 80 & 54 mins

TAKING ROOT tells the story of the Green Belt Movement of Kenya and its founder Wangari Maathai, the first environmentalist and first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. In response to rural women's problems stemming from a degraded environment, Maathai suggested they plant trees. Starting with this simple act, these women worked successively against deforestation, poverty, and violent political oppression until they became a political force that helped to bring down Kenya's 24-year dictatorship. TAKING ROOT follows Maathai's courageous thirty-year journey to safeguard the environment, democracy and peace.