What Lies Upstream? screens Friday, March 23, 12:45 pm in the Maryland Hall Main Theater.
Director Cullen Hoback takes us to West Virginia where he investigates a mysterious chemical spill that left 300,000 people without drinking water for months. As the film, described as a “scandalous political thriller” deepens, we discover scientific cover-ups and political malfeasance that poisons the entire system meant to protect drinking water. The Washington City Paper called What Lies Upstream"the scariest film at AFI DOCS" while Variety wrote it's "a quietly devastating documentary." Winner of the Special Jury Prize for investigative filmmaking at the Seattle International Film Festival.
The panel is moderated by Terence Smith, a journalist who worked as a special correspondent at The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer; with the New York Times, and at CBS News. At CBS he won two Emmy Awards. He chairs the Board of the Maryland Chesapeake Bay Trust. Panelists include: Roy Mason, an accomplished environmental attorney whose Annapolis law firm represents plaintiffs in environmental litigation, and a board member of the Chesapeake Legal Alliance; and Annapolis Alderman Rob Savidge whose focus is improving water quality, managing stormwater, ecological restoration and sustainability. As a scientist, he has extensive experience with Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay eco-systems.
The film is presented by Dick and Dorothy D’Amato with the panel following presented by David and Katie Leavy.