Movies That Matter is the film series curated and presented in a collaborative partnership between the student-led Caltech Y, Caltech Sustainability Programs, Caltech Public Programming, and the Caltech Center for Inclusion and Diversity. The films presented all address current concerns in various realms of science, as well as important matters of social justice.
The Movies That Matter series continues this Spring with a virtual screening of the climate crisis documentary "Manzanar, Diverted: When Water Becomes Dust," (Intersection Films, 2021), directed and produced by Ann Kaneko and produced by Jin Yoo-Kim, on Wednesday, April 20, at 6:00 p.m.
The virtual screening (84 minutes) is followed by a panel discussion of the film and its impact, featuring the director/prodcuer Ann Kaneko and Maximilian Christman, Caltech Sustainability Manager. While the screening is free, reservations are required. For more information about the film and to reserve a spot, visit
https://events.caltech.edu/series/movies-that-matter.
Sustainability is defined by the three pillars of environmental conservation, economic prosperity, and social equity. This last pillar often receives little attention compared to the first two despite environmental justice, diversity, and equity being key considerations for a truly sustainable world. Caltech Sustainability aims to tackle this from a campus operations perspective by tackling energy, water, and waste produced from activities on campus but also by collaborating with other groups to engage students, faculty, and staff in crafting and executing on these projects.
The film makers hope that the audience can gain an appreciation of water and land management and a clearer grasp of their impacts on distant communities where water has been extracted for their consumption.
Sitting at the foot of the majestic snow-capped Sierras, Manzanar, the WWII concentration camp, becomes the confluence for memories of Payahuunadü, the now-parched "land of flowing water." Intergenerational women from Native American, Japanese American and rancher communities come together to form an unexpected alliance to defend their land and water from Los Angeles.
Director Ann Kaneko said, "Through my research,I was stunned and fascinated by the implications of what seemed like minor footnotes in American history. During the scare of Trump's Muslim Ban, many pointed to Executive Order 9066, but I realized that the real precedence for this racist mentality in the United States was not Japanese American incarceration--it was the violent forced removal and confinement of Indigenous people and the unfathomable trafficking of enslaved Africans to this continent. All in the name of colonization and racism."
She continued, "Previously on the same land as the World War II Japanese concentration camp,Native Americans had the land taken from them. The film shows the repeated and shared histories of what happens when entire groups are scapegoated. Audiences will have greater understanding of how forced removals of communities are motivated by racism and colonialist desires to control land and resources."
The film won the Best Documentary Award at the San Diego Asian Film Festival and it was nominated for the Best Music Score at the IDA Documentary Awards in 2021.
Earth Day, held annually since 1970, has offered a continuing opportunity to recognize the human role in environmental protection. Caltech Sustainability Programs hopes that collaboration with other Caltech groups with seemingly distinct missions will illustrate the interdisciplinary nature with which the world's greatest sustainability problems must be addressed. Environmental justice must be a leading theme as we look to address the climate crisis and other sustainability challenges.
Tickets: Free but Reservations Required
More details about the film screening and discussion are available at https://events.caltech.edu/series/movies-that-matter
For more information, visit:
facebook.com/manzanardiverted
twitter.com/MDiverted
instagram.com/manzanardiverted
Photo Credits: Courtesy of Manzanar, Diverted
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