"The City Dark" Screening

Join Green Light New York for a screening of The City Dark, an award winning documentary on light pollution and the disappearing night sky.

As civilization reaches into every corner of the globe, the over-illumination of streets, buildings, highways, and every other aspect of the built environment has emerged as an issue of great concern. This light pollution reflects off the night sky, obscuring the stars and fundamentally altering the night sky under which we have evolved and lived for millennia. It is an impact that disrupts ecosystems and is implicated in a number of adverse health and psychological effects. Lighting is also a significant contributor to energy consumption – responsible for nearly one-forth of total electricity consumption worldwide.

The City Dark follows filmmaker Ian Cheney, who moves to New York City from Maine and discovers an urban sky almost completely devoid of stars. While exploring the implications and effects of light pollution throughout the U.S., the overlying question of – “What do we lose, when we lose light?” – is encouraged as a perspective to adopt in cities.
Structured in six chapters, City Dark weaves together cutting-edge science with personal, meditative sequences reflecting on the human relationship to the sky.

Ian Cheney is an Emmy-nominated and Peabody Award-winning documentary filmmaker currently based in western Massachusetts. His work addresses social and environmental issues, including King Corn (2008), The Greening of Southie (2009), Truck Farm (2012), and The Search for General Tso (2014).


SPEAKER:
Linnaea Tillett, PhD – Principal, Tillett Lighting Design

The City Dark

Wicked Delicate Films, 2011
84 minutes
Recipient of the Jury Prize for Best Score and Music at SXSW Film Festival and Grant Jury Prize in the Yale Environmental Film Fest

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Light refreshments will be served.