Contamination explores one small town’s unlikely fight — and even more improbable victory — for clean water and environmental justice.
After Michael Hickey’s beloved father, a factory worker and school bus driver, succumbs to a rare kidney cancer, Michael tests the local water supply on his own and discovers extraordinarily high levels of a cancer-causing “forever chemical” used in the manufacturing of Teflon. Meanwhile, a young, determined mother, Emily Marpe, having learned that the plant next door is poisoning her small children, decides to take on the manufacturing giant responsible for the pollution, beginning a one-woman crusade to protect her family and her neighbors.
Led by Michael and Emily, we tell the story of Hoosick Falls, an American town that ultimately bands together through its own scrappy insistence on survival. Despite intense infighting, long odds and rampant illness, they confront the powerful chemical industry that is responsible.
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ARIEL RITCHIN, DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
ARIEL RITCHIN is a multimedia journalist and independent filmmaker based in Berkeley, California. His audio and video work appeared on NBC, PBS and WNYC, and his first feature-length documentary film is currently in post-production. He is a Logan Nonfiction Fellow, a DOC NYC Only in New York honoree, a Humanity in Action Senior Fellow and a Posse Foundation Scholar. Since 2012, Ariel has also worked at the Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma, a project of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism encouraging innovative reporting on violence, conflict and tragedy worldwide. As the Dart Center's Program Director and Senior Producer, he directs all editorial content, leads strategic initiatives and runs specialized programs, workshops and fellowships for reporters and filmmakers all over the world. He holds an M.S. from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, where he won the Joan Konner Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism, and a B.A. from Middlebury College.
ZAHRA RASOOL, PRODUCER
ZAHRA RASOOL is a three-time Emmy-nominated director, writer, producer and media entrepreneur whose storytelling and innovation centers marginalized communities and people of color. Still Here, her most recent work about incarceration and gentrification in Harlem premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Throughout her 10-year career, Zahra has directed, written and produced numerous documentaries and creative fiction projects, as well as advertising campaigns and immersive experiences. In May 2017, she created and launched a media innovation and storytelling studio, AJ Contrast; part of Al Jazeera Media Network. She was given a Gracie for Best National Online Producer by the Alliance of Women in Media Foundation (2021) along with 36 other awards that include an NABJ Award, Amnesty Media Award, RTDNA Award and two Online Journalism Awards (OJA). Zahra’s films have been screened at over 40 international film festivals including Sundance, Sheffield DocFest and Berlinale.