Upcoming Events

Thursday, January 23, 2025
University Heights Center
5031 University Way NE, Seattle - Auditorium, Top Floor

Free Film Screening of "Trouble the Water”

Trailer for Trouble the Water

Trouble the Water is a 2008 documentary film produced and directed by Tia Lessin and Carl Deal. The film centers on a young couple surviving Hurricane Katrina and facing their troubled past during the storm's aftermath. It features music by Massive Attack, Mary Mary, Citizen Cope, John Lee Hooker, The Roots, and Dr. John

Trouble the Water opens with the filmmakers meeting 24-year-old aspiring rap artist Kimberly Rivers Roberts and her husband Scott at a Red Cross shelter in Central Louisiana, then flashes back two weeks, with Kimberly turning her new video camera on herself and her neighbors trapped in their 9th Ward attic as the storm rages. Trouble the Water explores issues of race, class, and the government's relationship to its citizens.

The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2008 and an Emmy Award for Best Informational Program in 2010. It won the Grand Jury Prize Documentary at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, the Kathleen Bryan Edwards Award for Human Rights, the Working Films Award at the 2008 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, and the Special Jury Prize at the 2008 AFI Docs Festival.

For more information, contact: marisa@socialjusticefilminstitute.org | (703) 864-3166 

Youth Visions - Rites of Passage Program

“Our mission is to make a meaningful difference in the lives of youth in our communities.”

In partnership with the Gifts of Hope organization, the Social Justice Film Institute is documenting a special trip to Senegal from December 26 - January 9, 2024, with 12 young Seattle high school students, a transformative and meaningful experience embarking on self-discovery and personal growth.

This is a wonderful experience that will be filled with discovery and connection. The Social Justice Film Institute will document not only the students' trip but hopefully capture a deeper understanding of their growth and the world around them.

As part of the Social Justice Film Festival Youth Visions Program, we will invite the Rites of Passage students to the 12th Edition Social Justice Film Festival in April 2025 to share their experiences in Senegal and view a short film about their journey.

Many thanks to the Community Fund @ Climate Pledge Area for their support for this program.