Environmentalism has become much more mainstream over the last decade.  How much of that do you feel is thanks to the increasing prominence of environmental themes in blockbuster films like Avatar and Wall-E as well as documentaries like An Inconvenient Truth?

David Suzuki said, "Nothing could be more important than the potential educational value of environmental film." The films you mentioned have become household names and reference points in popular culture. Younger generations especially are open to the environmental message and are greatly influenced by popular culture.

The documentaries selected represent a fairly broad range of issues, but there are two dedicated to issues surrounding where we get our food from (Food Fight and The End of the Line).  Why have food issues become so important in recent years?

People are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental impact of food choices, in part because organic foods are more readily available in supermarkets, and because corporations see value in mass marketing organic labels. And each time there is a widespread illness that results from eating tainted meat or vegetables, people pay closer attention to the source of their food. As well, there's an increasing awareness that fish stocks and other food supplies will not last forever if we continue to deplete the supply. Consumers are more aware of sustainability than they were five years ago.

Of the nine films being screened, only two (The Horse Boy and Avatar) are narrative films.  Do you feel that environmental themes are better suited towards documentaries?

Environmental documentaries are often exposés of environmental neglect or abuse and the potentially catastrophic consquences to our planet and to human health. Documentarians become the investigative journalists that reveal these injustices to the world. It's exciting to see student filmmakers take on the role of documentarian; filmmaking opens their eyes to the lasting impact that our actions have on our environment and allows them to share their work with a global audience through the Internet.

Why is it important for Hamilton in particular to be home to an Environmental Film and Arts festival?

Hamilton has a strong arts movement that is seeing a great resurgance. And we also have some of the most beautiful natural environments anywhere. The escarpment, countless hiking trails and more than 100 waterfalls have given us a great appreciation for the natural beauty that is so much a part of our community. One of the festival's goals is to encourage people to see Hamilton as the centre for 'green filmmaking' - the arts and environment communities working together to inspire change.

When it comes to the selection of films, speakers and events, what criteria comes into play?

Regarding the films, there are so many important environmental topics that need to be addressed - food, water, wildlife, conservation - so we have tried to be as diverse as we could. The ECO Expo allows people to attend workshops on some of the most important environmental topics, including the impact of food choices, clean energy, sustainable design and ethical investing. We're trying to appeal to a broad audience; students are a huge part of this year's festival, but we're trying to reach people of every age.

What sorts of challenges has the festival faced in the last three years as far as keeping the festival as green as possible?  What breakthroughs have been made?

The festival has always tried to keep things as green as possible throughout the last three years. Perhaps our number one challenge is how to promote the festival throughout the entire community and use as little paper as possible to achieve this. We do as much email, online and word-of-mouth promotion as possible, but we still need to do some printing. I think the ECO Expo may be our biggest breakthrough. To do a large community event that promotes eco-friendly eating (vegan, local, organic, raw food, slow food) and produces very little waste -that's our greatest green achievement.

Was selecting The Cove as the main event an easy decision to make?

Yes. We decided to make The Cove our special Earth Day feature when we confirmed that Simon Hutchins, the expedition director, would be attending our festival to speak with the audience. Being able to ask the filmmakers direct questions always adds an extra dimension for the audience. It was a wonderful bonus when The Cove won the 2010 Academy Award!

How important is it to have the filmmakers, artists and activists on hand for Q&A sessions during the festival?

It definitely allows the audience to become more engaged in the film or art. Audience members gain a greater appreciation for the film when they understand the months and often years of hard work that are required to plan, finance, produce, promote and distribute each film. There are usually some very exciting and amuzing behind-the-scenes stories that filmmakers share with the audience.

Environmentalism is more mainstream than before, but many are skeptical of or cynical towards it all the same.  What do you feel the ECO Film and Arts Festival offers to those who fall in the skeptic or cynic camp?

We ask people who are skepical or cynical to keep an open mind when learning about environmental issues. We encourage people to attend the festival and learn about some of the most important environmental issues that we face, locally and globally. And we hope that people will be inspired by what they've seen and by the people they've met, and will want to learn more and do more once they've returned home.