Join the Library for a special screening w ith the DC Environmental Film Festival. As social and political tides turn \, changemakers and climate communicators around the world persevere for t he protection of our planet and its people. The Pulitzer Center is proud t o present a few of their stories\, in partnership with DCEFF\, during an e vening of short films celebrating those who inspire change through meaning ful climate storytelling.
\nFrom the Indigenous groups preserving th e soundscape of the Indonesian rainforest\, to the California town fightin g for clean water\, to the researchers sounding an alarm on Thailand&rsquo \;s vanishing dugongs\, these films&ndash\;and their creators&ndash\;highl ight the determination and creativity driving worldwide climate action at this challenging time. \;
\nFilm Descriptions:< /p>\n
Sound Guardians: \;Jakarta is the world&rsqu o\;s fastest-sinking city. In response\, Indonesia&rsquo\;s government is building a new capital city in the hills of east Borneo. But these hills a re some of the planet&rsquo\;s most biodiverse ecosystems and home to the indigenous Balik people. Abidin\, a Balik elder\, teams up with bioacousti c scientists to document the impacts of the new city&rsquo\;s construction on endangered species through sound. With his tribe&rsquo\;s survival at stake\, recording the sounds of the forest is a way for Balik people to pr eserve their knowledge and pass it on to future generations &ndash\; befor e it&rsquo\;s too late. Sound Guardians is a cinematic and sonic celebrati on of east Borneo\, encouraging the viewer to reflect on their own evolvin g soundscapes in a time of climate upheaval.
\nPayuun: \ ;A crisis has been unfolding along Thailand&rsquo\;s shores: dugo ngs are washing up dead in alarming numbers. Some experts fear fewer than 120 remain. The cause is largely starvation\, triggered by the rapid colla pse of seagrass meadows &mdash\; the dugongs&rsquo\; only source of food. In a desperate search for seagrass last year dugongs migrated into a small bay in Phuket where they were spotted by an enthusiastic amateur conserva tionist.Theerasak &ldquo\;Pop&rdquo\; Saksritawee has been volunteering to help marine biologists to monitor the dugongs ever since\, fondly naming two of his favourites Miracle and Jingjok. In this short film for The Guar dian Documentaries\, supported by the Pulitzer Center\, Pop sounds an urge nt alarm on Thailand's last dugongs before they vanish forever.
\n Allensworth Rising: A Fight for Water: \;Follows Sherr
y Hunter\, a lifelong resident and community leader\, in her tireless effo
rt to secure safe\, clean water for the historic town of Allensworth\, Cal
ifornia. Founded in 1908 by Lt. Colonel Allen Allensworth\, a formerly ens
laved man turned visionary\, the city was created as a self-governed utopi
a for Black families\, a place where African Americans could thrive\, free
from systemic oppression. Over a century later\, Allensworth&rsquo\;s res
idents still fight for that original vision in the face of an arsenic wate
r crisis that threatens their health\, dignity\, and future.