Film Series: Demon Mineral
September 5 @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
$35
Thursday, September 5th
5pm-7pm
Doors open at 4pm for opportunity to walk the grounds and grab a drink from our cash bar.
Location: 24 Cottage Rd. Kensington, NH
Film screening begins at 5PM, followed by zoom Q&A session with the director.
As a vital environmentalist project, Hadley Austin’s Demon Mineral film aims to paint a portrait of Navajo Nation life in the radioactive deserts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Topics like climate disaster, decolonization, displacement, land protection and Indigenous voices will leave you wondering how you can help. We proudly partnered with The Redford Center and the makers of Demon Mineral to ensure that this story was told. After 5 years in the making, we are thrilled to share this effective cinematic account of a land and its people. This film was nominated for two awards including the Munich International Documentary Festival (DOK.fest).
Synopsis
A portrait of life in the radioactive desert on the Navajo Reservation. Spanning a landscape perforated by orphaned uranium mines in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, the film follows a group of indigenous scientists, elders, and activists as they work to protect a vital living space on contaminated land. Watch trailer below.
A Note from the Director
Hadley Austin
I started making this film five years ago in the hopes that it would elevate the visibility of those who have been doing the important work of securing vital living space in the face of contamination on the Navajo Nation. I also hoped to raise awareness regarding the dangers of uranium mining. There are over 500 unremediated uranium mines on the Navajo Nation. These minds have damaged the land, release radon gas into the air, and have contaminated much of the water table.
For many reasons, both financial and geopolitical, there has been a push to renew uranium mining in the US and a few months ago EnergyFuels was able to successfully open the first new uranium mining projects in eight years. Three new mines have opened in the lands that surround the Navajo Nation; two in Southern Utah and one in Northern Arizona just south of the Grand Canyon. EnergyFuels has made clear its plan to transport mined materials from the Northern Arizona mine through the Navajo Nation to the White Mesa Mill in Southern Utah.
It is important to note that in 2005 the Navajo Nation imposed a ban on both uranium mining and transport. It seems now almost certain that this ban will be challenged in US courts.
Many are unaware that nuclear power is only green in the middle of its fuel cycle (as extraction, processing, transport, and storage all pose grave environmental and physical risks). Perhaps, and hopefully, Demon Mineral will make these realities more legible for viewers.
We are planning an impact tour that will encompass the West coast, Appalachia (where there is a huge push for new uranium mining and also uranium storage), and the areas around the Grants Mineral Belt, including, most importantly, the Navajo Nation itself. We have also made educational materials to accompany the film and are embarking on working with conferences to allow us to screen and speak, all in the hopes that this elevated awareness and understanding will impact policy.
Refund and weather policy
Tickets are non-refundable. Please note that all events at Alnoba are rain or shine. If an event is cancelled due to extreme weather you will receive an email notification. If you do not get an email notifying you that the event is cancelled, that means the event is still going forward as scheduled.
Trailer:
