April 17, 2019
Media Contact:
Heather Thorstensen
Manager of Communications
Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society
hthorstensen@sigmaxi.org or (919) 549-4691 ext. 216
MADISON, WI—A free, public screening and discussion of the Netflix documentary film Chasing Coral— winner of a 2017 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award—will come to Madison, Wisconsin, on Sunday, November 17, as part of the Sigma Xi STEM Art and Film Festival. Tickets are available on Eventbrite.
The film shows how coral reefs are dying on a massive scale due to climate change and hopes to serve as a wake-up call to audiences that action is needed now to address environmental issues.
“I would like to tell the viewing public that theirs is the first generation to fully understand the problem, and theirs is also the last generation that can do something about it. As its heart, the film is about engagement and empowerment,” says Jim Porter, who was a scientific advisor and cast member for the film. Porter is a past president of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society, which is hosting the festival.
Chasing Coral also won a Peabody Award in 2017 and an Emmy for Outstanding Nature Documentary in 2018.
The 90-minute film will be shown at noon at the Monona Terrace Convention Center’s Lecture Hall and will be followed by a panel discussion about the film that will last until 2:30 p.m. The art and film festival is the last day of Sigma Xi’s Annual Meeting and Student Research Conference, which will focus on how scientists and engineers are designing solutions for the changing global environment.
Photo captions:
Top photo: The marquee poster for the film Chasing Coral.
Bottom photo: Jim Porter, past president of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society, was a scientific advisor and cast member for the film.