Name: SEA LEVEL RISE | Film Screenings & Panel Discussion | FREE!
Start: 2026-09-28T19:00:00-04:00
End: 2026-09-28T21:30:00-04:00
Location: Cinema Arts Theatres, 9650 Main Street, Fairfax, VA 22031

SEA LEVEL RISE | Film Screenings & Panel Discussion | FREE!

Climate Action NOW (CAN) 501c3

JOIN US for another night of film, fun, and engaging discussions with leading experts on climate impacts in Northern Virginia!

Cinema Arts Theatres, 9650 Main Street, Fairfax, VA 22031

Climate Action NOW Monthly Film Festival is excited to launch our 3rd SEASON of monthly film screenings that will help navigate us through climate impacts, biodiversity loss, and the plastic crisis in our communities with innovative solutions.You don’t want to miss our eye-opening event on Monday evening September 28, 2026!Sea levels on the U. S. East Coast are rising at an accelerated rate since 2010, with some areas experiencing three to four times the global average. A 600-mile “hot spot” from Cape Hatteras, NC to Boston, MA has shown rapid, accelerated, rising rates of over half an inch per year.JOIN US! 3-Short Film Screenings &amp; Panel Discussion_DATE: Monday September 28, 2026 TIME: 7:00-9:30 PM LOCATION: Cinema Arts Theatres 9650 Main Street, Fairfax, VA 22031 FREE! Ample Parking<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/film-screenings-panel-discussion-sea-level-rise-3-shorts-free-tickets-1998276136717?aff=oddtdtcreator" title="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/film-screenings-panel-discussion-sea-level-rise-3-shorts-free-tickets-1998276136717?aff=oddtdtcreator" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">BOOK SEATS NOW</a>_Award-Winning THE RETREAT Directed by Academy Award-Winning Thomas F. LennonTHE RETREAT showcases three Rutgers scientists—ecologists Thomas “Motz” Grothues and Lisa Auermuller, along with oceanographer Oscar Schofield—alongside the Rutgers University Marine Field Station. This facility, part of the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, serves as a year-round working lab for graduate and postdoctoral research, averaging 69 hours of use weekly. Located across from Little Egg Inlet in the Mullica River-Great Bay estuary, it plays a pivotal role in climate research.“We know with sea level rise, water isn’t just going to come and go,” Auermuller states in the film. “It’s going to come and stay. What we know as of today’s high tides… will be the permanent condition moving forward.”Awarding-Winning Saliqmiut: people along the coast, at the edge Directed by Alan Rudolph MarcusSaliqmiut: people along the coast, at the edge explores the impact of climate change on two communities in sharply different urban and natural settings. In January 2025, Los Angeles experienced the worst fires in its history, destroying more than 18,000 homes and structures. While in the small Canadian Inuit hamlet Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Ocean the community is contending with coastal erosion, flooding and the town’s relocation. Saliqmiut adopts a novel fire and ice bifocal perspective to consider the local implications and adaption to the escalating effects of climate change.Awarding-Winning SALTED EARTH Directed by Ben HemmingsDive into the gripping world of Salted Earth, a powerful 20-minute documentary that reveals the silent crisis reshaping the Mid-Atlantic: rising sea levels. This film doesn’t just present facts; it immerses you in a vivid narrative of environmental turmoil, where the relentless surge of saltwater threatens to obliterate forests and fertile lands. As we follow a passionate team of scientists navigating these brackish waters, their quest becomes not just about research but a lifeline for vulnerable communities. “Can our strategy against the rising sea succeed, or are we fighting an unwinnable war?” This burning question resonates deeply, urging viewers to confront the stark realities of climate change and the fragile balance of our coastal ecosystems.__TWO OF THE DIRECTORS:THOMAS F. LENNON is the innovative director of the Documentary Film Lab at the Rutgers Filmmaking Center, part of the Mason Gross School of the Arts. He produced and directed the impactful film The Retreat and boasts an Oscar win in 2007, along with four Academy nominations.Lennon is passionate about guiding his students through real-world projects, always seeking compelling stories. He recalls a striking 2020 article featuring Auermuller, highlighting the pressing challenges of rising waters and extreme flooding, which raised critical questions about whether researchers should relocate their work inland. This real-world urgency fuels his dedication to documentary filmmaking.ALAN RUDULPH MARCUS is a filmmaker, cultural historian and Professor in Creative and Cultural Practice at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. He is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the Cambridge Philosophical Society and a member of the Director’s Guild of America.__PANELISTS:<a href="https://climateactionnow.solutions/rising-sea-levels-3-shorts/" title="https://climateactionnow.solutions/rising-sea-levels-3-shorts/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">DR. P J RUESS</a>, they/them, lead coordinating author of the first Virginia Climate Assessment released November 2025. Dr. Ruess has spent over a decade in water resources engineering and research, currently as a Stormwater Resilience Engineer at Arcadis and most recently as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at George Mason University's Virginia Climate Center assessing flood and other climate risks in Virginia. Dr. Ruess holds a PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where they developed the highest resolution national-scale estimates of irrigation water use for various crops. They also hold an MS from the University of Texas at Austin focused on national water model flood forecasting and flood traffic routing mobile application development, as well as a BS in Paleo-Hydrology from the University of Virginia.<a href="https://climateactionnow.solutions/rising-sea-levels-3-shorts/" title="https://climateactionnow.solutions/rising-sea-levels-3-shorts/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">DANIEL E. MEDINA</a>, he/him, PhD, PE, Stormwater Program Manager, City of Alexandria, Department of Project Implementation, is an experienced senior water resources engineer with more than 30 years of expertise in water resource systems planning, green infrastructure, and climate resilience across the United States and internationally. As the leader of the Flood Action Alexandria program, he oversees a multidisciplinary team within the Department of Transportation and Environmental Services, advancing innovative strategies to tackle stormwater management challenges in dense, ultra‑urban environments.<a href="https://climateactionnow.solutions/rising-sea-levels-3-shorts/" title="https://climateactionnow.solutions/rising-sea-levels-3-shorts/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">MATT MEYERS</a>, he/him, PE, Fairfax County Division Director of Environmental and Energy Coordination. Matt plays a key role in advancing the Community-wide Energy and Climate Action Plan, along with Resilient Fairfax, the county's strategy for climate resilience. With over 30 years in the field, including two decades in the county's Stormwater Management program, Matt leads a skilled team focused on stream health, watershed management, emergency response, and ecological restoration projects. He holds a master’s in Environmental Systems Engineering from Clemson University and a bachelor's in Environmental Resource Management from Penn State.<a href="https://climateactionnow.solutions/rising-sea-levels-3-shorts/" title="https://climateactionnow.solutions/rising-sea-levels-3-shorts/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">SARAH BAGLEY</a>, she/her, Vice Mayor, City of Alexandria, VA. Sarah was reelected on November 5, 2024, to serve her second three-year term on City Council from 2025 through 2028. She was appointed to serve as Vice Mayor by her colleagues. Originally from Virginia Beach, Virginia, Sarah has been actively involved with local voter engagement, gun violence prevention and environmental activism since relocating to Alexandria. Sarah leads a non-profit that owns affordable housing communities around the country and provides social services to residents.__MODERATOR: ELLE KATHERINE CLEVELAND: Elle is an English and Communication Major at George Mason University, where she is dedicated to honing her skills in effective communication and literary analysis.__EVENT SPONSOR: Climate Action NOW (CAN) 501c3. EVENT PARTNERS: FIRA, Trace – The Zero Waste Store, American Solar USA, Go Electric DMV, Climate &amp; Clean Energy Working Group.<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/film-screenings-panel-discussion-sea-level-rise-3-shorts-free-tickets-1998276136717?aff=oddtdtcreator" title="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/film-screenings-panel-discussion-sea-level-rise-3-shorts-free-tickets-1998276136717?aff=oddtdtcreator" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">BOOK SEATS NOW</a>! Theatre only holds 240. Tickets are going quickly.__ SCHEDULE6:45-7:00 PM | Gathering in Theatre Atrium, connect with event Partners to learn more about how to make small changes in your lives to restore biodiversity, drawdown more carbon, reduce plastic and live more sustainably 7:00 PM | OPENER, Dr. Ruess and the Virginia Climate Assessment (VCA). The VCA is the first comprehensive report detailing the impacts of climate change on Virginia’s economy, agriculture, transportation, and infrastructure. Created by the Virginia Climate Center at George Mason University, it consolidates insights from various experts and institutions. This resource aims to equip legislators, policymakers, and the public with reliable information on climate trends and their effects statewide. 7:15 PM | SCREENING of 3 shorts 8:30- 9:30 PM | PANEL DISCUSSION Q&amp;AJOIN US &amp; BOOK SEATS NOW!__Bring your own EMPTY drink and popcorn containers (that you can use to buy a drink and popcorn at Cinema Arts Theatres concession stand) to help make this a WASTE FREE event!If the seats become fully booked, and there's a waitlist, please show up at the door anyway. There are usually enough no-shows for everyone to get in. CANMFF Monthly Film Festival SPECIAL EVENTS Fall 2026/Spring 2027Monday September 28, 2026 | SEA LEVEL RISE, 3 SHORTSMonday October 26, 2026 | BECOMING WILD &amp; THE LAST OSPREYMonday November 16, 2026 | CALL OF THE FORESTMonday March 22, 2027 | TBDMonday April 26, 2027 | TBD-NEXT EVENT! <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/magnificent-meadows-green-carpet-fundraiser-join-the-party-tickets-1995604520842?aff=oddtdtcreator" title="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/magnificent-meadows-green-carpet-fundraiser-join-the-party-tickets-1995604520842?aff=oddtdtcreator" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">JOIN THE PARTY</a>! ... Sunday afternoon Oct 25, 2026! <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/magnificent-meadows-green-carpet-fundraiser-join-the-party-tickets-1995604520842?aff=oddtdtcreator" title="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/magnificent-meadows-green-carpet-fundraiser-join-the-party-tickets-1995604520842?aff=oddtdtcreator" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">MAGNIFICENT MEADOWS</a>, A Garden Path Gathering FUNdraiser Click <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/magnificent-meadows-green-carpet-fundraiser-join-the-party-tickets-1995604520842?aff=oddtdtcreator" title="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/magnificent-meadows-green-carpet-fundraiser-join-the-party-tickets-1995604520842?aff=oddtdtcreator" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">HERE</a> to read more...

SEA LEVEL RISE | Film Screenings & Panel Discussion | FREE!

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SEA LEVEL RISE | Film Screenings & Panel Discussion | FREE!

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