About the film

What if confronting the climate crisis is the best chance we’ll ever get to build a better world?

Filmed over 211 shoot days in nine countries and five continents over four years, THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING is an epic attempt to re-imagine the vast challenge of climate change.

Directed by Avi Lewis, and inspired by Naomi Klein’s international non-fiction bestseller of the same name, THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING presents seven powerful portraits of communities on the front lines, from Montana’s Powder River Basin to the Alberta Tar Sands, from the coast of South India to Beijing and beyond.

Interwoven with these stories of struggle is Klein’s narration, connecting the carbon in the air with the economic system that put it there. Throughout the film, Klein builds to her most controversial and exciting idea: that we can seize the existential crisis of climate change to transform our failed economic system into something radically better.

Also included will be a screening of STAND UP, a short animated film by Ohio-native Jenny Morgan from SaveOhioParks.org. The film is meant to be a response to Ohio’s proposal to begin fracking in our state parks.

About the series

Athena Cinema, University Libraries, and OHIO’s Environmental Studies Program present the 11th annual Sustainability Film Series.

This year’s batch of films will be centered on reflecting the urgency of what is before us. After a decade of screening movies and hosting discussions led by experts from the OHIO student body and faculty and the Athens community detailing the problems facing the world, this semester’s focus will be on solutions.

The films will demonstrate that a collaborative approach to problem-solving — involving all members of our global community, regardless of age, ethnicity, or gender — is a necessity. Education is the first crucial step in both understanding the world’s problems and developing sustainable solutions.

Following the screening of each of these beautiful, thought-provoking, and timely films, audience members are invited to join us for a panel discussion hosted by OHIO faculty members, students, and members of the Athens community.

This screening will take place at The Ridges Auditorium located at 135 Ridges Circle.

The series is possible thanks to the support of: Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, OHIO Honors Program, Honors Tutorial College, Cutler Scholars, Office of Sustainability, Center for Campus & Community Engagement, University College, Athens International Film and Video Festival, and beloved nonprofits and businesses.

Free admission and post-show discussion as part of the Fall Sustainability Series.

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89 MIN

About the film

This film is brought to the Fall Sustainability series by Athens ReThink Plastics, a local group concerned about the adverse health and environmental impacts of the production, consumption and discarding of plastic products.

Microplastic Madness, co-directed by Atsuko Quirk and Debby Lee Cohen, is the story of 56 fifth-graders from P.S. 15 in Red Hook, Brooklyn – living on the frontline of the climate crisis – whose activism on plastic pollution morphs into extraordinary feats of leadership, resulting in small victories that are scalable to fit much larger problems.

With stop-motion animation, heartfelt kid commentary, and interviews with experts and renowned scientists engaged in the most cutting edge research on the harmful effects of microplastics, this alarming-yet-charming narrative conveys its urgent message in user-friendly terms.

These eleven-year-olds dive deep into the root causes of plastic pollution. Taking on the roles of citizen scientists and community advocates, they lead community outreach, collect local data, and use that data to inform policy by testifying and rallying at City Hall. They then turn their focus back to school, taking action to eliminate all single-use plastic in their own cafeteria.

Created to inspire kids, teachers, and policy makers alike, Microplastic Madness is the cinematic spark needed to enflame the youth-led Plastic Free Future movement in schools across the world!

About the series

Athena Cinema, University Libraries, and OHIO’s Environmental Studies Program present the 11th annual Sustainability Film Series.

This year’s batch of films will be centered on reflecting the urgency of what is before us. After a decade of screening movies and hosting discussions led by experts from the OHIO student body and faculty and the Athens community detailing the problems facing the world, this semester’s focus will be on solutions.

The films will demonstrate that a collaborative approach to problem-solving — involving all members of our global community, regardless of age, ethnicity, or gender — is a necessity. Education is the first crucial step in both understanding the world’s problems and developing sustainable solutions.

Following the screening of each of these beautiful, thought-provoking, and timely films, audience members are invited to join us for a panel discussion hosted by OHIO faculty members, students, and members of the Athens community.

This screening will take place at The Ridges Auditorium located at 135 Ridges Circle.

The series is possible thanks to the support of: Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, OHIO Honors Program, Honors Tutorial College, Cutler Scholars, Office of Sustainability, Center for Campus & Community Engagement, University College, Athens International Film and Video Festival, and beloved nonprofits and businesses.

Free admission and post-show discussion as part of the Fall Sustainability Series.

Share this Film

Click on Showtimes to Get Tickets Online

76 MIN

About the film

Filmed over four years of hope and crisis, To The End captures the emergence of a new generation of leaders and the movement behind the most sweeping climate change legislation in U.S. history – The Green New Deal. Produced and directed by Rachel Lears (the award-winning filmmaker behind Knock Down the House), this film follows four exceptional young women— Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, activist Varshini Prakash, climate policy writer Rhiana Gunn-Wright, and political strategist Alexandra Rojas— as they grapple with new challenges of leadership and the mechanics of power in our nation’s capital, working together to defend their generation’s right to a future.

About the series

Athena Cinema, University Libraries, and OHIO’s Environmental Studies Program present the 11th annual Sustainability Film Series.

This year’s batch of films will be centered on reflecting the urgency of what is before us. After a decade of screening movies and hosting discussions led by experts from the OHIO student body and faculty and the Athens community detailing the problems facing the world, this semester’s focus will be on solutions.

The films will demonstrate that a collaborative approach to problem-solving — involving all members of our global community, regardless of age, ethnicity, or gender — is a necessity. Education is the first crucial step in both understanding the world’s problems and developing sustainable solutions.

Following the screening of each of these beautiful, thought-provoking, and timely films, audience members are invited to join us for a panel discussion hosted by OHIO faculty members, students, and members of the Athens community.

This screening will take place at The Ridges Auditorium located at 135 Ridges Circle.

The series is possible thanks to the support of: Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, OHIO Honors Program, Honors Tutorial College, Cutler Scholars, Office of Sustainability, Center for Campus & Community Engagement, University College, Athens International Film and Video Festival, and beloved nonprofits and businesses.

Free admission and post-show discussion as part of the Fall Sustainability Series.

Share this Film

Click on Showtimes to Get Tickets Online

94 MIN