Let’s talk about water

Everyone’s talking about water. And as NolaVie associate editor Anna Shults pointed out in her recent letter to the Northeast, it’s not just us anymore. The conversations taking place among neighbors up north are ones that we know very well down here: Is it safe to drink the water yet? Do y’all have power? Which gas station has the shortest line? Anybody know where I can get a cocktail?

As a former New Yorker, it’s hard for me to believe that neighbors are even making eye contact, let alone having these discussions. But challenges related to water are affecting the world at large in many different ways, and people are coming together as a result of it to share stories and offer solace to one another during times of distress. While the conversation is often guided by the idea of water and its effect on us, more and more conversations are turning to the reciprocal effects between us and water, and what that means for our future.

If there’s something else besides water that New Orleanians know a great deal about, it’s film, which is why it seems especially appropriate that the city is hosting the second annual Social Change Film Festival & Institute. The event will be held in the Crescent City from November 28 through December 2, 2012, and the theme this year is one that will continue this wet conversation: “Water: Challenges & Solutions.”

The festival will present various feature films and short films, all of which focus on awareness of various social issues. One in particular, Elemental, takes us into the lives of three individuals from around the world confronting different water challenges, all united by a passion to initiate change.

Throughout the event, the Institute will offer various panels and workshops that will aim to promote transformative filmmaking and social change media. In addition, SCFFI is opening up the conversation to youth worldwide by launching Drop by Drop: Water Stories, a video contest for young, aspiring filmmakers. The contest gives youth an opportunity to creatively express their takes on water and the challenges that come with it.

So whether you’re young or old, a New Orleanian or a New Yorker, join the conversation. Read more about SCFFI and the upcoming events here or follow the SCFFI blog as they make their way down to our neck of the woods.

Because we’re all neighbors, aren’t we?

Joey Albanese is a content editor of NolaVie.