March 2020 Newsletter
Dear friends,
It has been a busy year and increasingly challenging as we see the effects of climate change on our planet. More than ever, it is time to come together, build community and seek solutions. We invite you to join the Center for Environmental Filmmaking in its mission to empower media-makers to inspire, engage, and activate. You can help by sharing your expertise and ideas, mentoring, and supporting the next generation of storytellers with scholarships, by contributing to our research on impact and engagement, and by ensuring all voices are represented.
For more information, contact Maggie Burnette Stogner at stogner@american.edu.
Visit our website, www.environmentalfilm.org.
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Don't Miss It!
DC Environmental Film Festival 2020 at American University
CEF has an outstanding week of screening events March 16-20, in partnership with the DC Environmental Film Festival. All events are free, at AU McKinley Building Doyle/Forman Theater. Light refreshments at 6:15, programs start at 7pm. To reserve your seat, sign up at the DC Environmental Film Festival website: dceff.org
March 16: World premiere of “Nomadas”, directed by AU film alum Emiliano Ruprah, with an all Mexican team. Sponsored by the Mexican Cultural Institute and AU’s Center for Latin American and Latino Studies is a publicity partner. This film will air on the Smithsonian Channel later this Spring.
March 17: “Creating Diversity and Impact” with several short films and speakers, including SOC/film alum Tiffany McNeill who directed “Diving With Purpose”, a break-through doc about an organization of African-American divers and archeologists uncovering slave ship wrecks, supported by National Geographic.
March 18: "Nourishing Our Healthy Planet” offers several outstanding short films that provide a range of perspectives about connecting with nature, health and community. Among the panelists will be SOC alum Katie Bryden, now working as a senior producer at Conservation International, and alum Jon Bowermaster, founder of Oceans 8 and a globally-renowned filmmaker. Primary sponsor: AU/SOC’s Discover the World of Communication, the Office of Sustainability and AU Arboretum.
March 19: “Youth Climate Activism” with the powerful film, “Youth Unstoppable”, followed by a panel that includes AU Honors students who did their capstone on how social media has given rise to Gen Z activism. Sponsored by AU’s Innovation in Education Institute.
March 20: "Eco-Comedy Video Awards", our very fun annual event, sponsored by The Nature Conservancy. We had over 175 submissions from around the globe this year. Additional partners include DC’s Clean Air Partners, Grist, and AU’s Center for Media and Social Impact. NYC comedians and winners of last year’s non student award, Jake Rasmussen and Tom McGovern, are emceeing the evening. This competition gives filmmakers of all ages around the world to engage audiences with humor.
Free tickets for all events hosted at SOC for DC-EFF can be found at https://dceff.org/festival/.
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Opportunities for Filmmakers
American Climate Leadership Summit
ACLS 2020 will be hosted on March 25-26 in Washington, DC with a theme of Ambition, Restoration, and Justice. This summit gives participants access to top environmental organizations and youth climate activist leaders, with inspiring hands-on sessions. More information on this summit can be found here.
Experiential Learning
National Parks Service Project
CEF graduate student Robert Boyd is in the process of finishing his thesis for the MFA program, which involved a partnership with the National Parks Service. His project focuses on the science history behind Everglades National Park and Indiana Dunes National Park. Both short films feature influential experiments that were conducted within the parks and the role of the wild spaces in scientific research.
“At the beginning of each d ay, I went over all my gear… [and] I would meet up with Tim Watkins, my partner at the National Park Service,” Boyd said. “Over breakfast we would go over what subjects we’d film that day… We were filming off the docks in Everglades National Park when a manatee swam up to me. Who knew something could be both ugly and cute at the same time?”
Once released, the videos can be found on both national parks’ websites. More of Robert’s work can be found on his website.
"After the Storm" Airing on MPT, April 21st at 9:30pm
CEF students filmed with riverkeepers from the Anacostia and Potomac river basins for the Fall 2019 Producing for Public Television course. The project, titled After the Storm, is scheduled to air on Maryland Public Television on Tuesday, April 21st at 9:30pm during Chesapeake Bay Week. This is just one day before the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.
"Project Healing Waters" documentary
MFA grad student Grace Eggleston completed a project for her Backpack Documentary course about the work done by Project Healing Waters, an organization focused on the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active and veteran military service personnel. Her project, titled The Waters That Heal Us was published on the Project Healing Waters blog and can be found here.
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All-star Team Working on New Documentary
CEF Executive Director Maggie Burnette Stogner is directing a new documentary project, Unbreathable: The Fight for Healthy Air, that will premiere on March 31st at the National Press Club. Produced in partnership with AU’s Center for Environmental Policy and the American Lung Association, this project marks the 50th anniversary of the Clean Air Act.
 The film reveals the rich history of those who fought for healthy air regulations and reveals the challenges of today. More than 141 million Americans live where bad air puts their health at risk daily, and the risks are rising with climate change and today’s push to deregulate. Many AU film alumni are involved, including producer Elizabeth Herzfeldt Kamprath, camera operators Matt Cipollone and Stephen Tringali, sound operator Matt Twiford, and researcher/archivist Shannon Lawrence. 
Maggie interviewed movie star and former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger (2003-2011). Schwarzenegger vastly reduced emissions and signed the first state Global Warming Act into law. He credits the bipartisan collaboration and innovations in alternative energy for helping to build California’s strong economy.
Join us at the Clean Air Act Symposium on March 31st to see the screening of this new film!
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Resources for You!
This industry involves being familiar with a lot of gear and equipment and knowing what’s best for different projects. That can be intimidating and overwhelming, but the International Documentary Association has you covered.
In the new article, “Tools of the Trade: Documentary Makers Talk Gear,” authors Caty Chattoo and Susan Yin interviewed and surveyed documentary filmmakers to put together a comprehensive list of what’s being used in the field. See the breakdown here.
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Year in Review
2019 CEF Annual Report
CEF had a robust year in 2019, continuing to offer a range of programs and building initiatives. We face unprecedented climate challenges, species endangerment, environmental injustice, and major disruptions around the world. Our mission is to inspire, engage, and motivate. Read our annual report here to see what fellowships, projects, and research our CEF community has been involved with!
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Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Have suggestions or topics you would like to see? Email us at environmentalfilmmaking@gmail.com!
Kind regards,
Maggie
Executive Director
Center for Environmental Filmmaking
stogner@american.edu
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