Each fall, the Athena Cinema, located at 20 S. Court St., collaborates with Ohio University’s Office of Sustainability to provide students with a free sustainability-based film series.
“This is, I believe, the 12th annual (sustainability film series), so it’s been going on for a long time,” Matthew Box, the assistant director of business operations at Athena Cinema, said.
This series aims to show students different perspectives on environmental problems through the use of film.
Sam Crowl, the director of sustainability at OU, spoke on how film can visually present and capture these problems.
“Film is such a wonderful way to bring attention to things that not everybody may be paying attention to,” Crowl said.
According to Crowl, many students read and learn about environmental issues in class or online, but seeing the problems visually is a whole other experience.
“We all know that we can read about environmental issues or sustainability issues in the newspaper or textbooks, or learn about them in the classrooms,” he said.“But if you’ve never been physically at a location that is maybe suffering from pollution or acid mine drainage, it’s very impactful to actually see it for real.”
This series has the opportunity to bring awareness and attention to environmental issues that are happening globally, as well.
“It’s really to bring awareness and kind of open people’s eyes to things that may be happening all around them,” Crowl said.
In the fall, The Athena has a showing every other Wednesday at 7 p.m., with the last showing happening Nov. 20.
A faculty member introduces each film, as every film discusses a different topic of environmental problems or sustainability.
“The evening usually lasts about two hours with the introduction and then the film, or films, usually last about two hours,” Crowl said.
The previous film, presented Sep. 25, was a film featuring a discussion around lead toxicity. Titled “Green Warriors: Children of Lead” directed by Martin Boudot.
The film was introduced by Michelle Morrone, professor and coordinator of the environmental health and science program.
The film discussed the many hazardous effects of lead toxicity within children and how this toxin has seeped into many areas around the globe. Specifically focusing on Évin-Malmaison, a small commune in France.
The sustainability department works in coordination with The Athena to select the films.
“We try to watch as much of the films as we can to see if they’d be good fits for us. We talk about them and we kind of pick and choose,” Crowl said.
This series provides students with a free space to educate and cultivate a broader understanding of environmental issues.
“I think it’s really important when you’re trying to motivate collective action around the environment that you have a space for the community to gather,” Anna Crabtree, a second year master’s student of science and environmental studies and event coordinator of this series, said.
This series also fosters a safe space for students to gather and meet other individuals who are passionate about sustainability.
“It’s free and it’s a way to meet other like-minded individuals that are looking for a sustainability community,” Crabtree said.
This film series provides not only education but also a sense of solidarity. According to Box, the Athena is more than a typical movie theater.
“(The series is) a way for us to demonstrate to the community that we’re about more than just showing your standard Hollywood movies,” he said. “We like to be a place that can introduce people to ideas that they haven’t thought of.”
The Athena and the Sustainability Department work to educate students on environmental and sustainability topics in a fun, free way.
This series also fosters a sense of solidarity with like-minded individuals who are eager to learn more about environmental issues, according to Crabtree.
“Community, community, community,” Crabtee said. “Let’s take action for the environment. And let’s come together and learn some new ideas together.”
