SENSIBLE CINEMA

Sponsored by UUSF Environmental Justice Working Group

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With a title based on a poem by the late poet Maya Angelou, the film Mossville: Where Great Trees Fall, by film director Alex Glustrom, is a poignant documentary that sheds light on the environmental injustices faced by the historic African-American community of Mossville, Louisiana. Once a thriving Afro-American community founded by formerly enslaved people, Mossville was insulated from the horrors of Jim Crow only to be exposed to another horror: 14 petrochemical plants, with a new $21.2 billion plant in the making by an apartheid-born, South African-based chemical company, Sasol.

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At the center of the film is Stacey Ryan, a lifelong resident of Mossville, who refuses to leave, driven to stay by the pull of a promise he made to his recently deceased parents. The film highlights the struggles of the community to maintain its existence in the face of pollution, death, and displacement. The film also explores the themes of environmental racism, the impact of industrialization on marginalized communities, and the importance of preserving cultural heritage.

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Questions? Melvin Starks (melvinstarks734@yahoo.com) or Larry Danos (415-722-6480)

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