The Story of Plastic – Film and Fest, July 2020

By Mario Paredes

During July 2020 our Film and Fest event was a documentary called THE STORY OF PLASTIC which is a production by The Story of Stuff Project, a non-profit dedicated to changing the way that we make, use, and throw away Stuff so that it is more sustainable, healthy, and fair.

THE STORY OF PLASTIC takes a look at the man-made crisis of plastic pollution and the worldwide effect it has on the health of our planet and the people who inhabit it. The film features interviews with experts and activists revealing the disastrous consequences of the flood of plastic smothering ecosystems and poisoning communities around the world and the global movement that is rising up in response. With engaging original animation, archival industry footage beginning in the 1930s, and first-person accounts of the unfolding emergency, the film explores a complex problem that is increasingly affecting the planet and its residents’ well-being.

Whether you enjoyed the film, or you’re willing to watch it, The Story of Stuff Project has other very interesting projects that you may also want to check.  Since 2007 they have produced nine award-winning animated movies that have garnered more than 50 million online views around the world and inspired a million-member global community to take action for systemic change.

Their other projects include:

• The Good Stuff, A series of conversations about what they’re watching – and what’s working – in the world!
• The Shift, a 30-minute livestream program on subjects ranging from the ecology of disease, to the rights of essential workers at employers like Walmart and Amazon, to the fight to secure relief from water utility shut-offs around the USA.
• The Changemaker Personality Quiz and,
• The Citizen Muscle Boot Camp, with an initial focus on turning the broad public support for action to combat plastic pollution into a powerful force for tangible policy change.

There are many other resources that you can check on their website:  storyofstuff.org.

Over the coming year, the Story of Stuff Project will be developing new media, so we can keep an eye on the release in early 2021 of a new animated primer on plastic pollution that draws on the animated sequences from The Story of Plastic.

Happy watching!!