Just in time to honor the true spirit of Earth Day, the North Troy Environmental Justice Film Festival presented a slate of grassroots media projects with the lofty goal of changing the world.
From April 21 2021 through May 5, a series of online screenings, presentations and workshops highlighted the struggles of “ordinary” people from Cohoes, NY to Arica, Chile confronting corporate polluters and seizing control of their own destinies.
You can click through the events listed to view related videos, radio interviews, and details about each event:
- Local Voices / Local Media: The Struggle for Clean Air in the Hudson Mohawk Region (4/21/2021)
- Arica: A Toxic Waste Scandal with “Our Soil” Panel (4/25/2021)
- Echoes from Lock One (4/30/2021)
- Witness to the Future: 25th Anniversary Screening (5/5/2021)
Organized by The Sanctuary for Independent Media, the North Troy Environmental Justice Film Festival honored the epic struggle against multinational capitalism by working people with everything to lose and nothing to gain but what they already have: health, home and happiness.
The North Troy Environmental Justice Film Festival took place online and was free of charge.
In the words of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: “Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. This goal will be achieved when everyone enjoys the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards, and equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work.”
Those are the words, we are living the reality. A year of the pandemic has proven what everyone knows: working class and communities of color are far more vulnerable to the effects of toxic pollution than the general population. We knew it, the pandemic proved it–what are we going to do about it?
The North Troy Environmental Justice Film Festival tells the stories of people working to make a change against seemingly insurmountable odds.
This event was produced by The Sanctuary for Independent Media and sponsored by iEAR Presents! and the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Rensselaer, made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and by the Center for Health, Environment and Justice.
