Goucher Presents Screening of "Waterlife"

Release date: November 02, 2010

Goucher will hold a screening of Waterlife, a documentary about the state of the Great Lakes that has been described as water's An Inconvenient Truth. The screening, which is free and open to the public, will be held on Tuesday, November 2, at 7 p.m. in the college's Kelley Lecture Hall. A dessert reception will follow.

The five great lakes in the American Midwest—Erie, Huron, Michigan, Ontario, and Superior—represent one of the largest supplies of fresh water on Earth. Nearly 20 percent of the world's fresh water is contained in the Great Lakes, and 35 million people count on the resources they provide. But following years of industrial pollution and lax enforcement of environmental regulations, it has become increasingly evident that the safety and vitality of the Great Lakes can no longer be taken for granted.

This documentary follows the flow of the lakes' water from the Nipigon River in Ontario to the Atlantic Ocean. Using both documentary actuality and computer imaging, Waterlife begins at the primeval forests of Superior's north coast, stops at the baroque fountains of Chicago on Lake Michigan, continues to the rain-swept streets of Detroit and beyond, examining how this  important body of fresh water transforms and is transformed by the communities through which it passes.

The film presents a beautiful ecosystem that is facing complex challenges and aims to give viewers a visceral understanding of water's integral importance to human life.

Narrated by Gord Downie of the rock group The Tragically Hip and featuring music by Sufan Stevens, Brian Eno, and Sigur Ros, Waterlife was an official selection at Toronto's 2009 Hot Docs Film Festival.

This film screening is hosted by Bon Appétit, Goucher's food services provider, and the President's Office.

Media Contact
Kristen Pinheiro
Media Relations Director
kristen.pinheiro@goucher.edu
410-337-6316