IS THIS OUR LAST CHANCE?
Mossville: When Great Trees Fall
Online
May 10 – May 16, 2021
![3 Mossville <i>Mossville: When Great Trees Fall</i> [Mossville: Ulu Ağaçlar Devrildiğinde] (2019) filminden bir kare ©Fire River Films](/directus/media/thumbnails/3-mossville-jpg-780-5000-false.jpg)
Still image from Mossville: When Great Trees Fall (2019) ©Fire River Films
Mossville: When Great Trees Fall (2019)
Director: Alexander Glustrom
76 minutes
English; Turkish subtitles
Mossville, Louisiana, for generations a once-thriving community founded by formerly enslaved and free people of color, has been an economically flourishing safe haven for African American families. However, today, surrounded by fourteen petrochemical plants, the town has been decimated by the building of massive sites, making it one of the most polluted places in America. Apartheid-born South African-based chemical company Sasol is planning its newest plant and as its industrial site expands, many residents are forced from their homes; those that stay suffer from prolonged exposure to contamination and pollution.
Alex Glustrom’s documentary Mossville: When Great Trees Fall follows the last remaining inhabitant, Stacey Ryan, a mechanic and lifelong resident of Mossville and his struggle against environmental injustice and racism. As he battles with health problems caused by ongoing chemical toxins from the plants, his power, water, and sewage are all cut off. While the petrochemical company encroaches on citizens’ property with buyout offers, Stacey and other community members have to decide whether to exist in a chemical war zone or abandon land that has been in their families for generations.
SALT’s Is this our last chance? program is supported by its founder, Garanti BBVA. The films will only be accessible to online audiences in Turkey.
Director: Alexander Glustrom
76 minutes
English; Turkish subtitles
Mossville, Louisiana, for generations a once-thriving community founded by formerly enslaved and free people of color, has been an economically flourishing safe haven for African American families. However, today, surrounded by fourteen petrochemical plants, the town has been decimated by the building of massive sites, making it one of the most polluted places in America. Apartheid-born South African-based chemical company Sasol is planning its newest plant and as its industrial site expands, many residents are forced from their homes; those that stay suffer from prolonged exposure to contamination and pollution.
Alex Glustrom’s documentary Mossville: When Great Trees Fall follows the last remaining inhabitant, Stacey Ryan, a mechanic and lifelong resident of Mossville and his struggle against environmental injustice and racism. As he battles with health problems caused by ongoing chemical toxins from the plants, his power, water, and sewage are all cut off. While the petrochemical company encroaches on citizens’ property with buyout offers, Stacey and other community members have to decide whether to exist in a chemical war zone or abandon land that has been in their families for generations.
SALT’s Is this our last chance? program is supported by its founder, Garanti BBVA. The films will only be accessible to online audiences in Turkey.
