Parks Are Free Film Festival

The first-ever Parks Are Free Film Festival brings four park-themed films to the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts on March 25-27, 2010.  These films celebrate the role of parks and nature in the fabric of urban life.  The films are brought to you by the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and Pittsburgh Filmmakers.  Films will screen at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Marshall Building, on the new Center Stage in Simmons Hall.  PCA is located in Mellon Park at the corner of Fifth and Shady Avenues.

March 25 UPDATE: By all accounts, the first annual Parks are Free film festival is going to be a huge success. Thanks to very positive public response, our venue is at capacity for each film and we can no longer take reservations.

The GardenThe Garden

Thursday, March 25, 7:00pm

Filmmaker Scott Hamilton Kennedy's politically charged, Oscar-nominated documentary follows a group of low-income families struggling to protect a 14-acre urban farm in the middle of South Central Los Angeles from bureaucratic real estate developers.  Runtime: 80 minutes

The GatesThe Gates

Friday, March 26, 7:30pm

The Gates chronicles the decades-long struggle of Christo and Jeanne-Claude to bring their most ambitious work of art to life, and reveals the intricate process of completing the 7,503 saffron-colored gates and fabric panels used in "The Gates, Central Park, New York City, 1979-2005."  Runtime: 98 minutes

Join us before this screening at 6:30pm for a tour of the restored Mellon Park Walled Garden.

Pale MalePale Male

Saturday, March 27, 3:00pm

A red-tailed hawk's astounding arrival in 1991 made Manhattan history.  No other red-tailed hawk had ever attempted to make Manhattan his territory.  Affectionately dubbed Pale Male, he made an exclusive Fifth Avenue apartment building his home.  Runtime: 56 minutes

Join us after this screening at 4:00pm for a presentation by the National Aviary and Rachel Carson Homestead.

A Sense of WonderA Sense of Wonder

Saturday, March 27, 5:00pm

Depicting pioneering environmentalist Rachel Carson (Silent Spring, 1962) in the final year of her life, this film was made at Carson's cottage on the Maine coast.  Runtime: 54 minutes

Conservancy Facts and Figures

Year Founded: 1996
Amount Raised: Nearly $50 million
Acres Stewarded: 1,700 +
Capital Projects Completed: 10


2009 By the Numbers

Trees planted in the parks: 555
Volunteer hours in the parks: 2,939
Awards won: 9
Visits to the regional parks: 5 million