Film Screenings & Panel Discussion | Sea Level Rise, 3-Shorts | FREE!

Climate Action NOW Monthly Film Festival is excited about our NEW YEAR of monthly film screenings that will help us navigate through climate impacts, biodiversity loss, and the plastic crisis in our communities with innovative solutions.

You don’t want to miss our fabulous event on Monday evening February 23, 2016! Sea levels along 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 for 3-Short Screenings & Panel Discussion

DATE: Monday February 23, 2026
TIME: 7:00-9:30 PM
LOCATION: Cinema Arts Theatres
9650 Main Street, Fairfax, VA 22031
FREE!
Ample Parking

!

Awarding-Winning THE RETREAT
Directed by Academy Award-Winning Thomas F. Lennon

THE 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 Marcus

Saliqmiut: 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 Hemmings

Dive 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.

__

OUR EXCEPTIONAL PANELISTS:

, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Virginia Climate Center, lead writer of the first Virginia Climate Assessment, released November 2025. Dr. Ruess earned his PhD in Water-Food Nexus and Water Resources Management from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2022. He also holds an MS in Flood Forecasting and Emergency Response from the University of Texas at Austin (2017) and a BS in Paleo-Hydrology from the University of Virginia (2014). At George Mason University, Dr. Ruess focuses on the management of water and food resources, specifically addressing challenges posed by climate change in

, 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.

, 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.

, 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 & Clean Energy Working Group.

! Theatre only holds 240. We anticipate a SOLD OUT event.

__

AGENDA

6:30-7:00 PM | Gathering in Theatre Atrium, connect with event Partners to learn more about how to make small changes in your lives to restore biodiversity, reduce and drawdown carbon, 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&A

JOIN US & !!

__

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 2025/Winter 2026

Monday October 27, 2025 | OCEAN

Monday November 17, 2025 | WILDING

Monday February 23, 2026 | SEA LEVEL RISE, 3 Shorts

Monday March 23, 2026 | PLASTIC PEOPLE

Monday April 27, 2026 | THE EXTRAORDINARY CATERPILLAR

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Climate Action NOW (CAN) 501c3