Josh Fox, an Oscar nominee and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, will bring his discussion of environmental issues to Bailey Hall Friday night with a solo monologue, The Truth Has Changed.
The performance, hosted by the Cornell Environmental Collaborative and Climate Justice Cornell, will cover important environmental and political issues ranging from Sept. 11, 2001, to Hurricane Sandy, to Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign in 2016.
Fox is best known for his 2010 film Gasland, which received an Academy Award nomination in Best Documentary Feature. The movie “made fracking a household word,” according to the Facebook event page for Friday’s event, and launched a worldwide anti-fracking movement.
Fox now travels around the country to meet with people and voice his concerns about critical environmental issues such as water quality, climate change and political engagement, according to ECO in an email to The Sun.
The five-act performance will be filmed on Friday night for Fox’s upcoming feature film for HBO, which is set to be released in 2019.
After local activists protested alongside Fox against the storage of gas under Seneca Lake — which they argued jeopardized the character of the scenic lake as well as posed a risk in case of a gas leak — they contacted student organizations from the University to bring his solo performance to Ithaca. The performance garnered the support of 37 co-sponsors from Cornell and the local community.
“Climate and environmental justice are issues that impact everyone worldwide — and we believe this event will offer students, staff, faculty and our local community with an opportunity to connect and discuss these issues in a new way,” ECO told The Sun.
One of the co-sponsors, The F Word — a student organization that works to end sexism and discrimination, according to their Facebook Page — hopes to bring awareness to the Cornell community.
“The F Word’s e-board chose to sponsor this event because we think environmental and climate justice is just as important as political justice and social justice,” F Word president Shannan Moore ’19 said in an email. “People need to be more aware of the world and the harms (and benefits) we bring to the world that we are living in.”
ECO hopes that this performance will encourage the Cornell community to become more active on important environmental and political issues.
“We hope the audience will leave hopeful and inspired to take action on these important issues,” ECO said. “The ‘third act’ of the performance will cover ways that people can get involved right here on campus and within the local community.”
In addition to the performance, tables will be set up in the lobby of Bailey Hall to help and encourage people to register to vote in the upcoming midterm elections.
ECO expects a full house on Friday night. Free student tickets became available beginning on Wednesday at the Willard Straight Hall ticket desk. While community tickets have already sold out, remaining student tickets will be made available to the public on Thursday.