'Home' travels far from home

The Newport Bay Naturalists and Friends, a local nonprofit, on Thursday night will host a free public screening of a French documentary film, which aficionados have described as a visually stunning aerial journey.

The volunteer-based group will show "Home," a documentary by the filmmaker Yann Arthus-Bertrand, which takes the viewer on a journey from Earth's earliest history to the present day, and interweaves mankind's relationship with the environment and other life forms.

"['Home'] is just brilliantly shot," NBNF member Dennis Baker said. "A lot of the shots look like paintings they're so stunning, but they're real."

The screening will begin at 7 p.m. in the Upper Newport Bay's Mary and Peter Muth Interpretive Center. The center's theater was recently updated with a top-notch projector and Blu-ray player from funds set aside by a past donation specified for that purpose, Baker said.

The movie is shown for free to the public through the Newport Beach Film Festival, a non-profit organization that helps arrange screenings for local groups, said Baker, who is a member in that organization as well.

The NBNF program, which screens movies after the quarterly board meetings, is less than a year old and still in its infancy. Baker is looking to find a grant underwriter to support the program so that a greater variety of movies can be played and more frequently, he said.

Grant money would be used to pay for the screening fee, which compensates filmmakers for their work, Baker explained.

"The screening cost of documentaries is actually quite reasonable — normally no more than a couple hundred dollars," Baker said.

In addition to showing a free movie, the night will draw in more traffic to the Muth Interpretive Center which is often overlooked due to its somewhat camouflaged location in the north corner of the bay area, NBNF program coordinator Patrick McCaffrey said.

The center has several new interactive exhibits, including high-tech video displays and a bird migration tracking map, as well as a 500-gallon tank that is "indicative of the water and life forms found in the bay," McCaffrey said.

To find out more information about the quarterly movie nights or to contact Baker, readers can email dennis.baker@newportbeachfilmfest.com.

What: "Home," a French documentary film

Where: Upper Newport Bay Mary and Peter Muth Interpretive Center located at 2301 University Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660.

When: 7 p.m. Thursday

Contact: (949) 923-2290