Filmmaker Ian Cheney tries to find his place in the world.
The City Dark
4 stars
Friday, October 12, 7:30 p.m.; free admission
Cross and Crown Lutheran Church, 5233 E. 79th Street (corner of 79th and Allisonville)
When I read the description for The City Dark, I was ebullient that someone had made a film about an underappreciated, key environmental issue: the light pollution that pervades our landscape. It is one of the many ways humans have endeavored to kill off nature, and one of the easiest to solve.
Filmmaker Ian Cheney grew up in rural Maine, appreciating the stars, then was disturbed find them all but missing when he moved to New York City.
This excellent, engaging film is a personal story, one that highlights, so to speak, many aspects of our ridiculous efforts to light up the planet. In the process, we’ve become disconnected from the world around us.
Cheney is looking at aspects of human health, along with lighting’s impact on wildlife. The film will be accompanied by Don Gorney, president of Amos Butler Audubon, about Lights Out Indy, the local initiative working to turn down the lights in Indianapolis area.
Check it out! It’s free, but you can make a donation if you’d like. This is an event sponsored, among others, by the Epworth United Methodist Church Green Team. This film series normally screens there, but their church is under construction right now.
