Next Monday, March 30, the University’s College of the Environment (COE) will kick off its new annual film series, “The Elements: An Annual Environmental Film Series,” with a screening of “Elemental” at the Center for the Arts. COE is hosting the series in conjunction with the Center for the Arts, The Connecticut River Conservation District, Middlesex Community College Environmental Science Program, and The Rockfall Foundation.
The films are selected by a panel composed of one representative from each of the groups in the partnership and pertain to environmental issues specifically. “Elemental” is a highly acclaimed film that has won multiple awards, including Winner at the Jaipur International Film Festival and Official Selection at the Mill Valley Film Festival.
The film tells the story of three activists who confront current ecological challenges. It features Rajendra Singh, an Indian government official, in his 40-day pilgrimage through the now polluted Ganges river; Eriel Deranger from Canada on her campaign against the oil deposit Tar Sands; and an Australian entrepreneur working on a device that could potentially slow down global warming.
Barry Chernoff, Chair of the COE and one of the organizers of the series, spoke about the upcoming event.
“We’re kicking it off in the spring semester with ‘Elemental,’” Chernoff said. “There will be two films shown this spring, and next academic year and every academic year after, there will be four films shown, two in each semester. Each semester, one film will be shown at Wesleyan and another film will be shown at Middlesex Community College.”
The second film, “Watershed,” will screen on Monday, May 4 in Middlesex Community College’s Chapman Hall to celebrate the Riverfront Festival, of which the University is a partner. The Festival’s connection to the Connecticut River reflects the film’s focus on water conservation issues.
Chernoff expressed his hopes that the film series will encourage informal discussions about the nature of the films as well as about environmental issues.
“The film series will be an important way that will catalyze people’s thinking but also stimulate discussion among many people in our community,” Chernoff said. “When you start talking about environmental issues, it’s really important for… that conversation to involve other institutions such as Middlesex Community College or NGOs like Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District, and also people from the larger Middletown community. The film series is really supposed to act as a catalyst to engender those discussions and to engage people.”
Erin Roos-Brown, Program Manager for the Center for the Arts, shared her thoughts on the significance of the film in raising awareness about environmental issues to our communities.
“Film is an art form and the arts give people an opportunity to think about things differently than they might have before,” Roos-Brown said. “It really touches your emotional self, and it’s the emotional thing in us that gets us do stuff or not do stuff…. Your actions are different because of the way you feel, more than the way that you know. That’s one of our hopes, that by showing this film, by engaging people in an art form, we’ll feel something differently, and therefore act differently.”
Roos-Brown also expressed her hopes for this film series.
“I would say that my goals would be to start a conversation,” Roos-Brown said. “[And] to bring awareness to issues that people might not know about, and to build a community here that cares about the environment.”
The COE hosts numerous other events that seek to stimulate environmental discussions, including the “Where on Earth are We Going?” symposium, the Earth Day keynote address, and the Pumpkin Festival held at Long Lane Farm every fall. Each of these three major events is open to and broadly attended by both University students and members of the greater community.
Gary Yohe, Huffington Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies, commented on the creation of the film series.
“Environmental films are a valuable way of communicating concerns and science, and so they are essential,” Yohe said. “Wesleyan has a history of film studies and environmental studies, so my hope is that the series will inspire some creative work in Middletown.”