Alfalfa: The Future of Climate Storytelling
ALFALFA is a dynamic eco-noir thriller set against the backdrop of the fast-developing, parched American West, from award-winning Director Jack Fessenden (Stray Bullets, Foxhole). In this Altman-esque tale of a desert community ravaged by water scarcity, every drop counts, and people's choices matter. An impact film for the LANDMAN audience, ALFALFA is a case study for bold, entertaining storytelling with a mission.
To solve the climate crisis, we must first solve the crisis of imagination. Join actress and environmental activist Alysia Reiner (Orange is the New Black, Sideways), Sam Read (Executive Director, Sustainable Entertainment Alliance), Dr. Casey Ivanovich (NASA) and director Jack Fessenden for a panel discussion and fundraiser to support ALFALFA, a story that reframes climate as a culture fight. Our originally scheduled panelist, Reverend Lennox Yearwood, can no longer attend due to a family emergency. We will be featuring a pre-recorded video with his remarks.
For those interested in supporting the future of impact storytelling, this evening will feature unforgettable climate moments in film and TV, a sneak peak of the feature film, and real life solutions from Project Drawdown that demonstrate the intersection of climate action and culture.
Join us at the Ideal Glass Atelier (22 E 2nd St, New York NY) on May 27th from 6:00-9:00 PM. Reception kicks of at 6:00 PM with the panel discussion starting at 7:00 PM, Q+A to follow. Light bites and drinks will be provided.
To make a tax deductible donation to the film through our 501(c)3 Fiscal Sponsor The Utah Film Center, click here.
PANELISTS:
JACK FESSENDEN is one of IndieWire's "11 Great Indie Filmmakers 30 and Under You Need To Know". Jack completed his first feature film, Stray Bullets, during his sophomore year in high school. It received a 12-city theatrical release through Screen Media Films, and is available to stream on major platforms. Starring James Le Gros and Kevin Corrigan, Stray Bullets was heralded by the Hollywood Reporter as a “strikingly impressive…blazingly confident debut” and by Slant Magazine as “[reducing] a stock scenario to its primal essence, informing genre blood sport with pulp transcendentalism.” His second feature, Foxhole (2021), “achieves an almost abstract beauty” (Josh Siegel, MoMA) and is the winner of the Woodstock Film Festival’s ‘Best Ultra Indie’ award, heralded as a “deft and accomplished piece of work” by the festival jury. It was distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films with a theatrical run at the IFC Center in New York and the Laemmle Music Hall in L.A.
SAM READ is the Executive Director of the Sustainable Entertainment Alliance, a consortium of film and television industry leaders working collaboratively to reduce the environmental impacts of film and television while inspiring a sustainable future onscreen. A graduate of Tufts University, Sam's background is in developing coalitions and strategic partnerships, having worked on social impact and organizing campaigns for organizations like the Peoples Climate Movement, No Kid Hungry, President Obama’s re-election campaign, and more.
ALYSIA REINER (she/her) is a SAG Award–winning actress (Orange Is the New Black, Ms. Marvel, Better Things, The Diplomat etc) and a fierce advocate for climate justice, food equity, and sustainability. She created Fridge Raid for Environmental Working Group's “Save the Food” campaign and champions regenerative agriculture, zero waste, and conscious consumption through both grassroots action and global platforms.
She is an ambassador for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, Plastic Pollution Coalition, and The Dandelion Project, serves on the advisory board of Earth Day Initiative, is the co-founder of LIVARI, a zero-waste fashion initiative, and the eco-emissary for zero waste Izzy Beauty. Additionally she is on the advisory board for https://www.airprotein.com/ - the first negative carbon, vegan, nutrient-dense, affordable food made from air!
Awarded a “Pioneer in Filmmaking" award she’s been invited to speak at the United Nations, The White House, Milken Global, Cannes Lions, Sundance and countless film festivals on the intersection of art and activism. Whether onscreen or on the frontlines of climate advocacy (yes, she’s even a volunteer firefighter), Alysia is committed to building a more sustainable, equitable future for all.
DR. CATHERINE (CASEY) IVANOVICH is a climate scientist interested in the physical and social drivers of climate variability and change. She is passionate about investigating the dynamics and impacts of climate extremes, and communicating scientific concepts in a way that is engaging and accessible to the public.
Casey is currently a NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) Fellow at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), where her work explores how land surface interactions constrain the influence of surface moisture on dry versus humid heat extremes around the world.
Casey completed her PhD in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University in July 2024. Her dissertation research focused on improving our understanding of when and why extreme humid heat occurs in order to prepare for its human health and socioeconomic impacts. Before beginning her studies at Columbia, Casey served as a High Meadows Fellow at the Environmental Defense Fund in Washington, DC. In 2017, she graduated from Princeton University with a B.A. degree in Geosciences.
MODERATOR:
J. ENGLISH COOK, Ph.D., is a curator, film programmer, and art historian who specializes in ecocriticism and the media archaeology of architecture and cinema. She is the Co-Founder and Managing & Artistic Director of the Climate Film Festival (CFF) NYC, and she has held curatorial roles at the Whitney Museum of American Art, MoMA, the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, and the Venice Architecture Biennale, among others. Her writing has appeared in a number of exhibition catalogues, anthologies, and journals, and she holds a doctorate in art history from New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts. Guided by a belief in media's ability to spark cultural transformation, she invests in the intersection of nonprofit mobilization, creative education, and bold curation to create lasting impact.