Water

Dammed to Extinction

Dammed to Extinction

Michael Peterson and Steven Hawley/2019/51 min/Water, Wildlife

Wednesday, March 10, 6:30 p.m. CST

FILM DESCRIPTION: For eons, a one-of-a-kind population of killer whales has hunted chinook salmon along the Pacific Coast of the United States. For the last 40 years, renowned whale scientist Ken Balcomb has closely observed them. He’s familiar with a deadly pattern, as salmon numbers plummet, the whales starve.

These important mammals need roughly a million salmon a year. Where can we find them? The solution, says Balcomb, is getting rid of four fish-killing dams 500 miles away on the largest tributary to what once was the largest chinook producing river on earth.

This film will follow “Mermaids Against Plastic.”

Flint: Who Can You Trust?

Flint: Who Can You Trust?

Anthony Baxter/2020/119 min/Social Justice, Water, People & Cultures, Health

Saturday, March 6, 6:30 p.m. CST

FILM DESCRIPTION: Filmed over 5 years and long after the story was front page news, “Flint: Who Can You Trust?” is full of new twists and turns. Journalist/filmmaker Anthony Baxter goes beyond the headlines in Flint, Michigan, where a government poisoned its own citizens’ water supply, to show the complete breakdown of authority, public trust and faith in the truth itself. “Flint” is a powerful investigation of the breathtaking scope of toxic pseudo-science, celebrity activism, and official negligence. The film reveals the devastating impact on poor people and people of color, which make up the majority of the residents in Flint, as they continue to seek justice and clean water. Featuring Marc Ruffalo and narrated by Alec Baldwin. Produced by Richard Phinney and Sabrina Schmidt Gordon.

Tickets available to U.S. viewers only.

Manzanar, Diverted: When Water Becomes Dust

Manzanar, Diverted: When Water Becomes Dust

Ann Kaneko/2020/82 min/Historical Perspectives, Social Justice, Water, People & Cultures

Sunday, March 7, 3 p.m. CST

FILM DESCRIPTION: “Manzanar, Diverted: When Water Becomes Dust” provides a fresh interpretation of the Japanese American confinement site by examining the environmental and political history behind the World War II camp. Prior to the war, Manzanar was where Native Americans were driven out and farmers and ranchers were bought out by the L.A. Department of Water and Power (LADWP). By connecting this camp to California’s environmental history, this film shows the intersectionality of how Japanese Americans, Indigenous communities, and locals have been mistreated by government entities that have not served the interests of all of their citizenry. This film aspires to bridge these communities and engage in important public discussion. Manzanar is a site of conscience that all of these communities can claim as their own.

Tickets available to U.S. viewers only.

Maxima

Maxima

Claudia Sparrow/2019/53 min/People & Cultures, Social Justice, Historical Perspectives, Water

Monday, March 8, 6:30 p.m. CST
International Women’s Day

FILM DESCRIPTION: “Maxima” follows Peruvian indigenous farmer Máxima Acuña in her fight to protect her land as she stands up to the largest gold producer in the world: US-based Newmont Mining Corporation. Throughout Máxima’s fight for justice, the film provides an illustrative case study in the tactics used by transnational corporations to commit human rights violations and environmental crimes, the role played by non-profits and The World Bank, and, ultimately, the resilience of one woman who refuses to back down.

Tickets available to U.S. viewers only.

This film will follow “Becoming Ruby.”

Mermaids Against Plastic: Tamara

Mermaids Against Plastic: Tamara

Sylvia Johnson/2020/10 min/Waste, Water, Health, Wildlife

Wednesday, March 10, 6:30 p.m. CST

FILM DESCRIPTION: “Mermaids Against Plastic: Tamara,” is a short film revealing the extent of the marine plastic pollution problem in the Mexican Caribbean. The film follows a diver as she searches for solutions to protect the ocean she loves. Tamara is from the ocean and water runs in her veins. Born in a fishing village on the Mexican coast, she returned to her roots to become a full time scuba instructor. When she discovers plastic in her beloved ocean, she sets out to get the diving industry to stop using single use plastic.

This film will precede “Dammed to Extinction.”

Reclamation: The Rise at Standing Rock

Reclamation: The Rise at Standing Rock

Michele Noble/2018/23 min/Energy, Water, Social Justice, Health, People & Cultures

Sunday, March 14, 3 p.m. CDT

FILM DESCRIPTION: In 2016, Indigenous youth unite the Native Nations and rise up in spiritual solidarity against the Dakota Access Pipeline. These young Native Leaders honor their destiny by leading a peaceful movement of resistance which awakens the world.

Tickets available to U.S. viewers only.

This film will follow “District 15.”