Événement

THE STORY OF A FOREST, dir Suki DeJong. Documentary. 40min. July 21, 6pm only

THE STORY OF A FOREST, dir Suki DeJong. Documentary. 40min. July 21, 6pm only
2004, a generation of activists arose in South Florida, carrying the passion of direct action groups like Earth First! and the deep analysis of the global justice movement that had swept the country in the preceding years. They sought local issues that exemplified the threats of corporate globalization which they had traveled all over the country protesting at free trade summits, political conventions and industry conferences.

They stumbled upon a plan from biotech industry giants acting in collusion with the administration of then-Governor Jeb Bush to clear a vast swath of land in the Northeast Everglades of Florida to accommodate The Scripps Biotech Research Institute And it was on.

Over the next ten years, endless county zoning meetings were counter-balanced by dozens of civil disobedience arrests and a near-constant flow of news headlines about the battle: lawsuits, scandal, corruption, gag-orders, tree sits, the loss of endangered species, pranks, blockades, sabotage, and a roller coaster of incremental victories followed by devastating losses for years on end.

THE STORY OF A FOREST captures it all in a 35 minute film about the Palm Beach County Environmental Coalitions (PBCEC) ten-plus year campaign to stop the Scripps Biotech development, with a focus on protecting biodiversity in the Briger forest and its wetlands.