Film Info82 minutes
Radical Media, Bloomberg Philanthropies for National Geographic Synopsis: From the Ashes captures Americans in communities across the country as they wrestle with the legacy of the coal industry and what its future should be in the current political climate. From Appalachia to the West’s Powder River Basin, the film goes beyond the rhetoric of the “war on coal” to present compelling and often heartbreaking stories about what’s at stake for our economy, health, and climate. Action Items
Filmmaker Q&AWhat inspired the story?
We started a conversation with Bloomberg Philanthropies over two years ago to create a film that would explore the environmental and public health costs of coal. As we delved into the topic, we quickly came to realize that there were many connected issues on people's minds — jobs, climate, clean energy, and the plight of communities |
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struggling to reinvent themselves in the face of economic headwinds and environmental destruction. As we were filming last summer and in the run-up to the presidential election, coal entered increasingly into the public conversation — coal country was brought to the forefront of the national discourse again and again. Many promises and accusations were made in the hope of winning votes from people on the front lines of the so-called "war on coal." We wanted to explore these issues and the human stories around them as our society was — and is — grappling with competing visions for the future. How people were dealing with the reality and rhetoric of these alternative visions then became the intellectual and dramatic centerpiece of the film. In the end, the essential question we wanted to answer was whether we want as a society to continue to invest in a 19th century form of energy production that has clear and present risks, or do we move forward and, if so, what are the options in our energy future.
Describe challenges faced when making the film.
We had originally finished filming in early November 2016 and by then were already well into the editing process. Like many, we didn't expect the outcome of the presidential election, so we had to quickly decide how we were going to reframe the story to reflect this dramatic turn of events. This obviously posed some significant challenges for our production. But even though we hadn't focused explicitly on the politics of candidate Trump, the conversations we were having with people as we traveled around the country were the same issues that went on to become the defining issues of the election — particularly in West Virginia and in the Powder River Basin of Montana and Wyoming. The stakes were high and the views were truly polarized for many on these issues. Although these different visions for the future were something we always wanted to explore in the film, what changed for us, and of course a lot of other people after the election, was how starkly different these visions were for the country — and the planet. So we made the difficult, but ultimately (we believe) correct, decision to restructure the film and include considerable new material to focus on how the new administration's policies are, and will be, impacting us as we move forward.
How do you approach storytelling?
From the very beginning we wanted to make something that put a human face on the complicated issues tied to coal. These are challenges that should not be reduced to one-note sound bites as they often are in today’s hyper-political climate. We wanted to make something that addressed the intense emotions and competing motivations on multiple sides. It was important to us that our film could inform people about the real issues and spark a fact-based dialogue about an industry at a major crossroads. We spoke to concerned citizens, ranchers, environmentalists, politicians, scientists, coal miners, among others. Many stories around coal brought us to battlegrounds of debate and change as it was unfolding. And we found stories of how people are taking and inspiring action and how they are confronting the issues and making change. In the end we wanted to provide information and facts around these controversial issues, but wanted them animated by the lived experience of people grappling with these issues on the ground — in their work, community, and family lives.
What impact do you hope this film will have?
We're living in a truly contentious time right now, but we believe we have the capacity to find common ground if we have the correct information. After completing this film, we came to the conclusion that the impacts of polluting our air and water and its related contribution to climate change are becoming more real and clear in the present — not in some remote future — and need to be urgently addressed. We wanted to share the inspiring stories of people working on this issue, even in the face of the current administration’s denial around the urgency of these issues and undermining the historic consensus of the Paris Climate Agreement. We wanted to help build bridges between communities and make the point that even though we face some tough challenges, there are available solutions to improve our lives. Hopefully this film will be part of a sane and rational dialogue about how to move forward as a nation in the 21st century and speak to people all across the political spectrum. And we want people to take away an appreciation that the decisions we make in our communities — at the city and state level as well as the pressure we can apply through our consumer choices — can have a powerful influence to address the problems and solutions we depicted in the film.
Were there any surprising or meaningful experiences you want to share?
There were many surprising and meaningful experiences we had in the process of making this film. As mentioned above, the outcome of the presidential election was certainly unexpected and challenged us in a way that probably made for a more compelling and timely final piece of work. And as we spent time with folks in the environmentalist community, we came to truly appreciate what some might consider their unlikely response to the plight of communities being impacted by coal's decline. Often there is great hostility directed towards environmentalists by members of the coal-impacted communities. As one of our subjects said, there is a tremendous amount of "blame-casting" unleashed against these environmentalists, which was central to the "war on coal" narrative we were exploring. What we were less aware of, though, was that those who are critical of the coal industry actually possess great sympathy for coal miners and other people who are trying to maintain livelihoods and a way of life connected to that industry. In fact these environmentalists often believe there is a moral obligation to do everything possible to help them, and strongly advocate for a "just transition" for these communities. On a very personal and emotional level, we were profoundly impacted by the death of one of our subjects only weeks after we had spent time with her. Resulting from complications from a respiratory illness associated with air pollution from coal fired power plants, her passing deeply affected family and the larger community, while making disturbingly clear the real and human costs of coal.
What's next?
In addition to the international distribution of the film on television and digital platforms, the film will continue to have a life as a tool to promote discussion and engagement through community screenings and to be used in the classroom and other educational settings.
Anything else you want people to know?
Many people may know that coal burning is responsible for one third of US carbon emissions — the main contributor to climate disruption — but fewer understand that it is also making us sick, leading to many thousands of premature deaths every year and billions of dollars in health costs. The film also highlights the work of cities and even small towns that are embracing renewables to set aside dirty energy and dirty jobs for a future that will provide real alternatives to both. 40 cities in the U.S. have already committed to 100% renewable energy. And many businesses, including Fortune 500 companies — Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, BMW, Starbucks, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, GM, Wal-Mart, IKEA, and many others — have committed to transitioning to 100% clean energy to power their operations. We came to understand and believe that it is urgent that as citizens and consumers we all demand from political representatives and the businesses sector that they accelerate their commitment to a clean energy future.
Describe challenges faced when making the film.
We had originally finished filming in early November 2016 and by then were already well into the editing process. Like many, we didn't expect the outcome of the presidential election, so we had to quickly decide how we were going to reframe the story to reflect this dramatic turn of events. This obviously posed some significant challenges for our production. But even though we hadn't focused explicitly on the politics of candidate Trump, the conversations we were having with people as we traveled around the country were the same issues that went on to become the defining issues of the election — particularly in West Virginia and in the Powder River Basin of Montana and Wyoming. The stakes were high and the views were truly polarized for many on these issues. Although these different visions for the future were something we always wanted to explore in the film, what changed for us, and of course a lot of other people after the election, was how starkly different these visions were for the country — and the planet. So we made the difficult, but ultimately (we believe) correct, decision to restructure the film and include considerable new material to focus on how the new administration's policies are, and will be, impacting us as we move forward.
How do you approach storytelling?
From the very beginning we wanted to make something that put a human face on the complicated issues tied to coal. These are challenges that should not be reduced to one-note sound bites as they often are in today’s hyper-political climate. We wanted to make something that addressed the intense emotions and competing motivations on multiple sides. It was important to us that our film could inform people about the real issues and spark a fact-based dialogue about an industry at a major crossroads. We spoke to concerned citizens, ranchers, environmentalists, politicians, scientists, coal miners, among others. Many stories around coal brought us to battlegrounds of debate and change as it was unfolding. And we found stories of how people are taking and inspiring action and how they are confronting the issues and making change. In the end we wanted to provide information and facts around these controversial issues, but wanted them animated by the lived experience of people grappling with these issues on the ground — in their work, community, and family lives.
What impact do you hope this film will have?
We're living in a truly contentious time right now, but we believe we have the capacity to find common ground if we have the correct information. After completing this film, we came to the conclusion that the impacts of polluting our air and water and its related contribution to climate change are becoming more real and clear in the present — not in some remote future — and need to be urgently addressed. We wanted to share the inspiring stories of people working on this issue, even in the face of the current administration’s denial around the urgency of these issues and undermining the historic consensus of the Paris Climate Agreement. We wanted to help build bridges between communities and make the point that even though we face some tough challenges, there are available solutions to improve our lives. Hopefully this film will be part of a sane and rational dialogue about how to move forward as a nation in the 21st century and speak to people all across the political spectrum. And we want people to take away an appreciation that the decisions we make in our communities — at the city and state level as well as the pressure we can apply through our consumer choices — can have a powerful influence to address the problems and solutions we depicted in the film.
Were there any surprising or meaningful experiences you want to share?
There were many surprising and meaningful experiences we had in the process of making this film. As mentioned above, the outcome of the presidential election was certainly unexpected and challenged us in a way that probably made for a more compelling and timely final piece of work. And as we spent time with folks in the environmentalist community, we came to truly appreciate what some might consider their unlikely response to the plight of communities being impacted by coal's decline. Often there is great hostility directed towards environmentalists by members of the coal-impacted communities. As one of our subjects said, there is a tremendous amount of "blame-casting" unleashed against these environmentalists, which was central to the "war on coal" narrative we were exploring. What we were less aware of, though, was that those who are critical of the coal industry actually possess great sympathy for coal miners and other people who are trying to maintain livelihoods and a way of life connected to that industry. In fact these environmentalists often believe there is a moral obligation to do everything possible to help them, and strongly advocate for a "just transition" for these communities. On a very personal and emotional level, we were profoundly impacted by the death of one of our subjects only weeks after we had spent time with her. Resulting from complications from a respiratory illness associated with air pollution from coal fired power plants, her passing deeply affected family and the larger community, while making disturbingly clear the real and human costs of coal.
What's next?
In addition to the international distribution of the film on television and digital platforms, the film will continue to have a life as a tool to promote discussion and engagement through community screenings and to be used in the classroom and other educational settings.
Anything else you want people to know?
Many people may know that coal burning is responsible for one third of US carbon emissions — the main contributor to climate disruption — but fewer understand that it is also making us sick, leading to many thousands of premature deaths every year and billions of dollars in health costs. The film also highlights the work of cities and even small towns that are embracing renewables to set aside dirty energy and dirty jobs for a future that will provide real alternatives to both. 40 cities in the U.S. have already committed to 100% renewable energy. And many businesses, including Fortune 500 companies — Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, BMW, Starbucks, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, GM, Wal-Mart, IKEA, and many others — have committed to transitioning to 100% clean energy to power their operations. We came to understand and believe that it is urgent that as citizens and consumers we all demand from political representatives and the businesses sector that they accelerate their commitment to a clean energy future.
