Special Film Screening & Panel Discussion | Plastic People | FREE!

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

"Whether we know it, or like it, our bodies are polluted by tiny fragments of plastic that fail to break down in our earthly environment. They're in the water we drink, the food we eat, the clothes we wear and the air we breathe. They've pervaded every ecosystem in the world, from coral reefs to Antarctic ice. And they've infiltrated the human body, lodging themselves in everything from brain tissue to reproductive organs." —Katia Savchuk, Stanford Medicine

JOIN US for the Plastic People Screening followed by Panel Discussion

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

BOOK SEATS NOW!

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Award-Winning PLASTIC PEOPLE
Directed by Ben Addelman and Ziya Tong
White Pine Pictures

The award-winning feature documentary Plastic People investigates our addiction to plastic and the growing threat of microplastics on human health. Almost every bit of plastic ever made breaks down into “microplastics.” These microscopic particles drift in the air, float in all bodies of water, and mix into the soil, becoming a permanent part of the environment.

Now, leading scientists are finding these particles in our bodies: organs, blood, brain tissue, and even the placentas of new mothers. What is the impact of these invisible invaders on our health? And can anything be done about it?
Acclaimed author and science journalist Ziya Tong takes a personal approach by visiting leading scientists around the world and undergoing experiments in her home, on her food, and her body while collaborating with award-winning director Ben Addelman (Discordia,Bombay Calling, Nollywood Babylon, Kivalina v. Exxon)in an urgent call to action for all of us to rethink our relationship with plastic.

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OUR EXCEPTIONAL PANELISTS:

MALA PERSAUD, Owner of TRACE, The Zero Waste Store in Vienna, VA, and serves on the Town of Vienna's Conservation and Sustainability Commission. Mala is a former journalist turned communications consultant and sustainability entrepreneur. Transitioning from a career in network journalism where she was based in London for more than a decade, Mala then applied her skills and global perspective to help a range of global health, development and sustainability shape their communications strategies. Driven by a lifelong commitment to environmental stewardship, in 2019, Mala took a step into entrepreneurship, founding Trace: The Zero Waste Store in Vienna, VA. At Trace, Mala has created a destination for eco-conscious consumers, with more than 150 package-free foods, soaps, detergents and personal care items, in addition to hundreds of eco-friendly products. Trace’s mission is to champion ethical consumption and provide a platform for community education. Mala has just received the Fairfax County Environmental Excellence Award.

STEPHANIE MILLER, Former Director of Climate Business at the World Bank Group and the author of She founded Zero Waste in DC where she reaches a wide audience through sustainability consultations, keynote presentations, and learning events. She is also the founder of DC Reduces, a grassroots initiative that helps businesses and consumers in the DC community reduce single-use packaging.

CATIE TORGERSEN, Fairfax County Sustainability Program Manager has spent 18 years working for local government, mostly with Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services. She currently leads the county’s Solid Waste Management sustainability team. Her team develops and implements outreach, engagement, and program initiatives to support waste reduction and diversion for county residents. Previously, she served as a planner and professional engineer with the Stormwater Planning Division helping to coordinate the county’s stormwater and flood management programs.

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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.

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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.

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

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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
7:15 PM | SCREENING of Plastic People
8:30- 9:30 PM | PANEL DISCUSSION Q&A

JOIN US & BOOK SEATS NOW!

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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.

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Host or Publisher Climate Action NOW (CAN) 501c3