NYWIFT Presents: Science in Motion (Feb 6—Mar 12, 2024)

To The End

Rachel Lears

<p>A sequel to 2019&rsquo;s Knock Down the House, To the End follows the intersecting stories of four high profile environmental leaders who are fighting for a Green New Deal&mdash;a bold and ambitious plan to stop the climate crisis and address economic and racial justice in the process. The film&rsquo;s protagonists&mdash;Varshini Prakash (Sunrise Movement), Alexandra Rojas (Justice Democrats), Rhiana Gunn-Wright (Roosevelt Institute), and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez&mdash;are all visionary young women of color who are grappling with new challenges of leadership and power. Over three volatile years of crisis and upheaval, from street protests to the halls of Congress, the film tracks a historic shift in climate politics in the U.S. as these young leaders work together to defend their generation&rsquo;s right to a future. A coming-of-age story for a movement, To The End gives audiences an unflinching look at how power works in today&rsquo;s America, and a front seat view of history in the making.</p>

The Longest Goodbye

Ido Mizrahy

<p>Ever wondered what the reality of spending months on a spaceship might be like? Not the romanticized, exciting vision of a space mission, but the fundamentals of day-to-day reality: the isolation, confinement, and lack of privacy and social contact. Sounds similar to our pandemic lives, you might think. But in this case, it&rsquo;s your job, and sadly you can&rsquo;t escape to the woods when you&rsquo;re feeling blue.</p> <p>In his engrossing, heartwarming, and beautifully contemplative documentary, Ido Mizrahy ponders the conflict between our need for connectivity and the urge to explore the unknown. Scientists predict that we will have the ability to send humans to Mars (and to return them safely) within the next decade. Dr. Al Holland, a senior NASA psychologist, studies the effects of prolonged separation of individuals from Earth. <em>The Longest Goodbye </em>offers us an opportunity to witness as Dr. Holland investigates the ways to provide support and coping mechanisms to the red planet-bound explorers in order to prepare them for the actuality of becoming a long-mission astronaut.</p>

My Love Affair with Marriage

Signe Baumane

<p>Animator Signe Baumane turns her gaze inward for My Love Affair With Marriage, a semi-autobiographical musical exploration of love, sex, romance, and gender as viewed through the lens of neurochemistry. A Greek chorus of Latvian village women and a friendly neuron inside our protagonist&rsquo;s brain connect the film&rsquo;s multiple thematic threads, as we follow young Zelma from childhood to young adulthood and into middle age, through several marriages and across multiple continents, in search of true love.</p> <p>From Greek mythology to reproductive biology, from Moscow to Toronto, My Love Affair With Marriage takes a creative, light-hearted look at the human desire to find the person who will finally make us feel complete. Using both two-dimensional and stop-motion animation, Baumane blends earnest vulnerability and dry humor. It&rsquo;s a film that&rsquo;s both deeply personal and relatable to anyone who&rsquo;s ever lost themselves in a romantic relationship.</p>

Every Body

Julie Cohen

<p>The term &ldquo;intersex&rdquo; covers a broad range of people who are born with reproductive anatomy that doesn&rsquo;t easily fit the categories of male or female. Often their stories have been shrouded in mystery and shame by the medical establishment and media. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Julie Cohen (<em>RBG</em>) captures a new generation of intersex people who are living loudly and proudly. The film covers the history, science, and politics of a movement advocating against medically unnecessary surgeries on intersex children.</p>

Over-Flow

Elizabeth Ramjit

<p>The 2018 Trinidad and Tobago floods are a succession of floods in the twin-island Caribbean nation. Consistent rainfall inhabits the nation from October 19, 2018, to October 20, 2018.</p> <p>A firsthand account from Elizabeth Ramjit, a first-generation American Trinidadian filmmaker, of the devastation from overbank floods and flash floods in the twin-island Caribbean nation. Ramjit interviews activists on a quest for revival. These chronicled activists reassure viewers that by refraining from littering and enacting recycling, citizens will no longer be deemed as instigators of seemingly natural disasters or environmental anarchy.</p> <p>Since mangroves act as a natural filter for the environment, the water plummets from the northern range and encompasses everything. Most of what is immersed in the water are garbage from people disposing of items in the water. Leptos Fibrosis contaminates the water, which culminates into common diseases like Hepatitis A, malaria, and dengue fever.</p> <p>Trinidad and Tobago generates over 700,000 tons of waste per day, identifying it as one of the highest carbon footprint per capita on the planet. Among the 700,000 tons of daily waste, Trinidad and Tobago produces, 85% of it is recyclable. Only 1% is actually recycled. Recyclables dominate the waste stream. They include plastic bottles, glass, aluminum cans, and metals. What is not captured in mangroves ultimately ventures to the Caribbean Sea.</p> <p>Citizens must be regulated by authorities to encourage recycling and the proper disposal of waste. In addition, developments need to have more consideration for basic planning regulations to prevent inflicting the infrastructure.</p>

Chilly and Milly

William D. Caballero

<p>An animated documentary about a devoted caretaker, her chronically ill husband, and the power of undying love.</p>