In this case, Transition Cornwall+ had managed to pack a room with at least 70 people, and they all stayed for the discussion. Then I sold every DVD copy of the full-length original version that I had brought with me, plus several of the shorter version and the new French-subtitled one.

It was a great event for me, as the passionate filmmaker. But it was clearly just as uplifting for the organizers and the audience. Here is some of the feedback:

Our Transition Cornwall group is really buoyed after a very successful event on Wednesday. David’s movie Powerful, was extremely well received by a large group of diverse people including two members of Cornwall City Council. David was an absolutely fabulous speaker, energetic and a fountain of solid information. He was peppered with questions for almost an hour after the movie. From the immediate feedback it seemed that people came away really satisfied to have had their understanding broadened through this very positive event and were looking forward to more.

Thanks again,

Susan T., Transition Cornwall+

To everyone who has not yet been to or hosted a screening of Powerful, what are you waiting for.

David

david[at]davidc.ca / +1-613-730-0870

What was different about this discussion, though, was that three of the candidates (riding of Carleton-Mississipi Mills) in Ontario’s provincial election attended, spoke and made themselves available for what turned into more than an hour-long discussion. [too bad the Progressive Conservative candidate declined, something that has become a pattern, especially when it comes to discussions on sustainable energy - but that's another topic.] It was great to see that Powerful was having just the effect/impact which motivated me to make the film in the first place: getting people thinking, debating and asking questions of our politicians and decision-makers.

However, a second big moment of the night was the fact that one of the candidates was hearing-impaired (“deaf”, in his words) and had an assistant who was “signing” so that he could follow the conversation and respond. At the end of the evening, he asked me if a “captioned” version of the film was available. I replied that no, owing to the costs of doing this I had neither produced a captioned version nor a French subtitled option when I produced the first version of the DVD. For my first film Be the Change (2008), I had incurred the additional $5000 or so expense of doing this upfront, thanks to having sufficient funds. In this case, I opted not to, but had every intention of “getting to it” in the future. Well, now here I am in the midst of getting the French subtitling done in time for a November 25th event that requires it. But, still no captioned version.

This candidate made the very helpful suggestion that I could/should prepare a copy of the transcript (with accompanying time codes), so that a hearing-impaired viewer could refer to this transcript before, during or after. As an interim measure, this is a great idea. Not as good as a true close captioned version, but a good start. So, for anyone who may desire such a transcript, please email me with this request at david[at]livinglightly.ca.  I will post this as an option on the Powerful page on this website, but that may take me a little while. And yes, I will aim to get that true captioned version done soon. Financial contributions towards this and/or the French versions are always welcome!

Cheers,

David

But I finally managed to post six different scenes from the film on YouTube. This should give viewers (and potential buyers and groups interested in booking a screening) a good sense of the look, feel and subject matter of the film.

Enjoy!

David Chernushenko

Yesterday morning it was Giacomo Panico’s Monday Special Blend show on CKCU radio at Carleton University in Ottawa. This morning it was the “A-Morning” television show, and there is plenty more to come. If you like what you see and hear, please help me to spread the word.

David Chernushenko

Click here to view the embedded video.

In the making of my film Powerful: Energy for Everyone, I had the occasion to visit many communities, see interesting projects and interview passionate people of all stripes. I shot over 100 hours of video. Not all could be squeezed into a 95-minute film. This is one of the stories that I would like to have included if I had the space.

On April 7, 2010 my friend Jules de Heer passed away at the age of 53. Jules was a pioneer in a whole range of areas of eco/sustainable/green theories and practices. A trained engineer, Jules combined his rigorous attention to detail and desire for clarity with a passion for bringing human activity into harmony with natural processes and systems. He also introduced a strong aesthetic sense to whatever he was doing. To me, Jules de Heer was truly a pioneer in living lightly. His legacy will be a generation of students who studied under him, colleagues who worked with him, bid and host cities of Olympic Games that were “greened” by him, and many innovative tools for analysis and measuring performance that he shared generously with people like me.

I had the pleasure to visit with Jules and his family at their new home in Switzerland. Jules applied his passion for sustainability and precise detail in the design of this  pre-fabricated home, which meets and exceeds the Swiss “Minergie” standard.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In the making of my film Powerful: Energy for Everyone, I had the occasion to visit many communities, see interesting projects and interview passionate people of all stripes. I shot over 100 hours of video. Not all could be squeezed into a 95-minute film. This is one of the stories that I would like to have included if I had the space.

The town of Almonte (part of the municipality of Mississippi Mills, Ontario) was in the process of rebuilding its “run of river” hydro generating facility to generate even more “green power”. The municipally-owned utility company will not only be generating renewable energy, but earning a return for the shareholder (the local citizens). At the same time, the town is in the middle of a locally-driven economic revival – one that is more diversified than ever, and which is driven by local entrepreneurs who care as much about the community as they do about making profit.

Parts of this interview will be featured in the upcoming David Chernushenko film, Powerful: Energy for Everyone.

Parts of this interview will be featured in the upcoming David Chernushenko film, Powerful: Energy for Everyone.

Parts of this interview will be featured in the upcoming David Chernushenko film, Powerful: Energy for Everyone.

Parts of this interview will be featured in the upcoming David Chernushenko film, Powerful: Energy for Everyone.