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TO MARCH 25
Man against man, man against himself, and man against nature are supposedly the three great conflicts of Western literature. Man at one with naturewhich explains the theme of In the Light of Reverence (pictured)is not an option. Christopher McLeod’s film about three Native American tribes’ attempts to save their spiritual places from developers and despoilers is one of the highlights of the final weekend of this year’s more-than-100-film Environmental Film Festival. The documentary, which will be shown at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 23, at the Hirshhorn Museum, contrasts indigenous peoplewho are trying to save such natural landmarks as Devil’s Tower (the butte immortalized by another film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind)with Anglo interlopers, who would just as soon pulverize Western mountains to stonewash their jeans. Also featured in this year’s festival are adventure stories such as George Butler’s The Endurance, the tale of Capt. Ernest Shackleton’s perilous 1914 attempt to cross Antarctica, which attracted 5,000 potential explorers with a promise of “small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful, honor and recognition in case of success” (Saturday, March 24, at 3 and 5 p.m.). The festival continues to Sunday, March 25, at area theaters; see Showtimes for details. (Mark Jenkins)