Philadelphia Environmental Film Festival 2020

Program 08 - ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

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Your purchase of a ticket to Program 8 includes 3 films/extra plus a FREE on-demand ticket to the "Panel Discussion on Environmental Justice" Director Alexander Glustrom (Mossville: When Great Trees Fall) joins moderator and local filmmaker Tigre Hill (The Shame of a City), panelists Ebony Griffin, J.D. (The Public Interest Law Center) and James Crowder (PolicyLink).


As climate change erases the Louisiana coast, the last two teenagers on Isle de Jean Charles fight a losing battle to stay on an island that's been their family home for generations.



Director's Statement:

Lowland Kids began as an adventure. A trip down to Isle de Jean Charles to experience this magical place before it’s gone. I had heard many stories about this sinking island and America’s first climate refugees - many of which pitted the islanders against each other; Those who want to stay vs. those who want to go. But when our small crew arrived on Isle de Jean Charles we discovered a different truth: No one here wants to leave. Every family on the island would spend the rest of their life here, if they had the choice. Upon meeting island natives Howard and Juliette, their adventurous spirit would remind me of my brother and I growing up; Two siblings taking on the world together. And always looking out for each other. But in Howard and Juliette’s case, their journey has been heartbreaking in ways mine never was. While Lowland Kids is a film about climate change, it is also a film about the power of family. The fate of the Brunets is soon becoming a reality for many, and I hope this film can contribute to the climate change discussion by shedding a light on American people who are forced to leave the one place that nowhere can replace: Home.

  • Year
    2019
  • Runtime
    22 minutes
  • Language
    English
  • Country
    USA
  • Premiere
    November 30, 2018
  • Note
    Director Biography - Sandra Winther: Sandra Winther is a New York based film director from Copenhagen, Denmark. Much of her work tells the stories of underrepresented youth, mainly centering on subcultures across America. Her documentary Lowland Kids tackles the complex subject of climate change through the eyes of two American teenagers living on a sinking island in Louisiana.
  • Director
    Sandra Winther
  • Producer
    William Crouse