Wednesday, October 16

4:00 - 5:00pm PT

This 2019 award winning documentary, directed by Matthew Testa, features the environmental photography of James Baylog, and as writer and subject in the film. His 40 year career has focused on human modification of nature. Known for his photographic study of glaciers shown in the documentary Chasing Ice which won an Emmy in 2014, this film is an innovative and visually stunning look at how humanity interacts with earth, air, fire and water, the ancient  four elements of life. 

 

Balog’s approach is to introduce us in a relatable, emotional and personal way to everyday Americans who are affected by climate change. We meet two homeowners standing knee deep in their flooded kitchen as the result of Hurricane Irma. We see Yadira Sanchez and her three asthmatic children in Denver, Colorado, who live next to a freeway. The children attend a special school on a hospital campus designed for children who struggle to breathe. Baylog embeds with a Cal Fire Strike team on the frontlines of what was at that time the most expensive wildfire in California history. He takes us to meet the community of Tangier Island in Chesapeake Bay where sea level rise is threatening their future. He travels back to his own grandfather’s past as a Kentucky coal miner who died in a mine. In naming this film The Human Element, Baylog views humanity as the fifth element that affects and modulates the others. Humans are part of the whole system of nature and not apart from it.  Knowing this gives him hope that that human element can bring the whole system back into balance.

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Science News reviewer Carolyn Gramling, Feb. 4, 2019 noted:

“What the film…does well, is tell a series of human stories, accompanied by Balog’s haunting photos. The combination of stories and images is indeed an effective, powerful way to communicate the impacts of climate change.”

 

Available on Youtube, Amazon and other steaming platforms.