YOUTH v GOV
YOUTH v GOV follows 21 young Americans suing the world’s most powerful government to protect their constitutional rights to a stable climate. If they win, they will change the future.
Interview with Director Christi Cooper
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I came into filmmaking from the lens of a scientist engaged in pre-clinical research, and even though my research was focused on humans, I always felt rather disconnected from making a difference in real lives. When I entered the world of filmmaking, I was immediately drawn to the human stories and our connection to our natural environment (or disconnection).
My passion for climate change issues began in 2010, when I went to Louisiana following the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster and was helping scientists with some of their media. This experience led to meeting the captains of our boats, who were out-of-work shrimpers (due to the oil spill) but happened to be from an indigenous tribe outside of the levy system in SW Louisiana. They graciously and generously invited my colleague and me to stay with them as they told us their story of loss and marginalization. I saw first-hand how the fossil fuel industry had destroyed the marshlands, which used to protect them from hurricanes and storm surges, allowing them to grow their own food on the banks. This experience was pivotal for me and created a deep desire to focus on stories of justice and to help elevate the voice of those who are often on the frontlines of destruction yet have the fewest resources to have their voices heard.
Shortly thereafter (in 2011) I was invited to help create a series of short films (Stories of TRUST: Calling for Climate Recovery) focused on young people suing their state governments, and this was my introduction to working with young people and climate litigation. YOUTH v GOV grew out of that work and my relationship with these youth people and their legal team.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
In a world with a lot of fears about the future, in particular for the youngest generations, I think this story is actually pretty hopeful, despite the topic being about climate change. And we all need that hope right now, right? Yes, the realities of climate change and the erosion of our constitutional rights are dire and depressing, and I knew that there would be pieces of YOUTH v GOV that are hard to watch – the climate devastations, the setbacks in the case, the real losses that the plaintiffs were experiencing.
But, we need these moments to make emotional connections to the characters – and that's why you should watch this film. It's about these young people who are demanding a brighter future, one focused on protecting their constitutional rights. The hope at the end of the film really is inviting the audience (around the world) to join this story and to be a part of the change and solutions that are needed.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
As leaders in the youth climate movement, the twenty-one plaintiffs of Juliana v. The United States of America represent the diversity of American youth impacted by the climate crisis. They hail from 10 states: Florida, Alaska, Hawaii, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Louisiana, and New York. These film characters encompass cultural, economic and geographic diversity and many come from marginalized communities, serving as beacons of hope for those who do not have a platform to share their own stories.
They are African-American, Indigenous, white, bi-racial, and LGBTQ, and their diversity speaks not only to the impacts of climate change, but to the inclusion required if we are to build a better and more just future together. These young people are activists, students, artists, musicians, and farmers, and their stories are universal.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
This film took me six years to make, and because the lawsuit was constantly evolving (and continues to do so) over the course of these years, the story also shifted and grew. I think what the span of time most allowed me to do was to follow the young plaintiffs over a course of time throughout their childhood and this change in time is really evident in the film. Additionally, because of the additional time in following the case, I was able to put in 2.5 years of research into the historical aspects of the case and the evidence of government malfeasance.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Since our premiere at DocNYC in 2020, YOUTH v GOV has screened at 54 film festivals around the world and garnered 26 jury and audience awards.
Since its Netflix worldwide premiere in over 30 years this past April, the documentary has received numerous accolades: Glenn Close found the film “humbling, educational and deeply inspiring,” and Francis Ford Coppola praised the documentary’s premise of “youth having a say in decisions affecting their future.” Just a couple of months ago, Popsugar--an entertainment website with over 14.3 million visits--highlighted Youth v Gov. as one of their “New Netflix Documentaries to watch in July 2022.”
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Actually, we have been incredibly humbled by the positive feedback that we have received since our film festival launch and it's been an incredible journey to see this dream that I had six years ago come to fruition and for people of influence to use their voices and their platforms to help get it out into the world.
Of course, there will always be opposition to a story that is focused on a topic that many view as political, even though we tried our hardest to take the politics out of the story and focus on constitutional rights and the systemic changes that are needed, but there will always be folks that will disagree.
And the disagreements have had more to do with the lawsuit or the premise of the case, rather than the story/film, and I would venture to say that most of those disagreeing do not have a sufficient understanding of the case and the issue.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Opportunities like having We Are Moving Stories feature YOUTH v GOV are so important for helping to create buzz around the film and provide venues for young people (and older people too!) around the world to engage in this issue and to feel that they can also be a part of the solution.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Because the film is finished and has had its commercial release, the help that we most need at this point is for folks to help amplify the message through their own platforms, in particular for celebrities and people of influence to share the film and create discussions around it, as well as for journalists to do a deeper dive into the Juliana constitutional lawsuit and to start speaking about it in the mainstream media, law journals, current news platforms, etc.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I really want the audience to understand that our environmental rights are inherently intertwined in our constitutional rights....and that we HAVE rights that need to be continuously protected. I think if the past few months have shown us anything, it's the need for continuous protections, even when we think or assume they might exist. The youth in this film represent the generation that will be MOST impacted by climate catastrophes and they are inheriting a future that looks very different from what many of us have been able to experience into old age.
The time is urgent...we don't have much left to take strong, resilient, and sustainable action on the worst threats that we face...and in order for that systemic change to take place, people need to understand how we got here and the history of our fossil fuel-based energy system. This is the only way we can move forward with viable solutions and a clear path towards understanding that the solutions are there, but we just need the systemic and political systems to shift and get out of the way so that these changes can take place.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Do you believe you have a constitutional right to a safe future, one where you can enjoy the pursuit of happiness, life, liberty, and personal security? How does that look if your own government is taking actions that actively threaten those rights?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
In addition to continuing the educational work around YOUTH v GOV, my producing partner, Olivia Ahnemann, and I are currently working on developing new project ideas.
Interview: September 2022
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
YOUTH v GOV
Length:
1:50
Director
Christi Cooper is a scientist, filmmaker, and Emmy-award winning cinematographer. Her films have won numerous awards, including JacksonWild's Grand Teton Award. Christi communicates complex issues through storytelling and visual narrative to create impact around the most pressing issues of our time. She is the inaugural SFFILM/Vulcan Productions Environmental Film Fellow, the first Focus on Nature Artist-in-Resident at the Jacob Burns Film Center, and was recently awarded The ReelWomenDirect Award for Excellence in Directing.
Producer
Olivia Ahnemann has produced and directed documentary films for over 20 years. In addition to The Human Element featuring James Balog, which premiered at the San Francisco International Film Festival (2018), she produced Under the Gun (Sundance Film Festival 2016 premiere), and Racing Extinction (Sundance Film Festival 2015 premiere), and co-produced The Cove, which garnered over 70 awards globally, including the 2009 Academy Award for Best Documentary and the Producers Guild of America Documentary Award.
Key cast:
Vic Barrett, Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, Kelsey Juliana, Julia Olson, Phil Gregory, Jayden Foytlin, Levi Draheim, Jacob Lebel, Gus Speth, Richard Primus, Nicky Sundt
Twitter:
http:/twitter.com/youthvgovfilm
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/youthvgovfilm
Instagram:
http://instagram.com/youthvgovfilm
Hashtags used:
#youthvgovfilm, #youthvgov, #JULIANAvUS, #climatejustice
Where can I watch it now?
The film can be streamed worldwide on Netflix.