“Microplastic Madness" at the Figge Art Museum -- April 24.

Sunday, March 24, 2 p.m.

Figge Art Museum, 225 West Second Street, Davenport IA

Winner of the Best Documentary citation at the Raw Science Film Festival and the Grand Jury Award at the Greenport Film Festival, the informative, entertaining documentary Microplastic Madness serves as the final presentation in River Action's 2022 Environmental Film Series, the Figge Art Museum's April 24 offering lauded by Film Threat as a work that “bleeds authenticity” and “demonstrates the level of passion and activism that can lead to actual change from younger generations.”

Directed and Produced by Atsuko Quirk and Debby Lee Cohen, Microplastic Madness is the story of 56 fifth graders from P.S. 15 in Red Hook, Brooklyn – students living on the front line of the climate crisis – whose actions on plastic pollution morph into extraordinary leadership and scalable victories. Employing stop-motion animation, heartfelt children's commentary, and interviews with experts and renowned scientists (among them Judith Enck, Marcus Eriksen, Rachael Z. Miller, and Chelsea M. Rochman) who are engaged in the most cutting-edge research on the harmful effects of microplastics, this alarming yet charming documentary conveys an urgent message in user-friendly terms.

The 11-year-olds featured in Microplastic Madness dive deep into the root causes of plastic pollution. Taking on the roles of citizen scientists and community advocates, they collect local data, lead community outreach, and use their own local data to inform policy by testifying and rallying at City Hall. Then they turn their focus back to school, taking action in their cafeteria to eliminate all single-use plastic. Created to inspire kids, teachers, and policy makers alike, Quirk's and Cohen's film is a much-needed spark designed to grow a youth-led Plastic Free Future movement in schools across the world.

Describing the movie, former EPA regional administrator and founder of Beyond Plastics Judith Enck said, “Microplastic Madness is the most informative, entertaining, and hopeful film I have ever seen on the significant problem of plastic pollution. I highly recommend that students and non-students alike watch it. And if you work in the environmental-protection field, I predict you will want to watch it more than once. Microplastic Madness is an instant inspiration.”

Microplastic Madness will be presented at the Figge Art Museum at 2 p.m. on April 24, admission is $5, and more information on the QC Environmental Film Series is available by calling (563)322-2969 and visiting RiverAction.org.

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