Join the Alabama Rivers Alliance and Sierra Club Mobile Bay Group at 5 Rivers Delta Center for the FREE screening of the 2022 Southern Exposure films!

Snacks + Networking at 5:30

Films Start at 6 pm

Created in six weeks during the summer, the 2022 Southern Exposure films celebrate special people and places in Alabama while exploring complex issues and solutions. In this collection, we’ll learn who is winning at the game of electric utility monopoly and how simple legislation and more civic engagement could create more renewable energy choices for Alabamians. We’ll take a visually stunning journey through climate-induced extreme flooding events and learn how they are compounding the historic challenges of racism and underinvestment in two communities. We’ll also meet some Black environmentalists shaping the modern movement in Alabama and providing long overdue awareness of the roots of the work, and we’ll understand the critical importance of protecting our drinking water sources through the lens of community advocates as they hold their water utility accountable.

TITLE + DESCRIPTION	Catch a teaser by clicking these videos!
Through the voices of community members in Birmingham and Gadsden, this visual exploration captures the struggles of families and homeowners impacted by decades of flooding. Initially a result of racially motivated zoning laws, the impacts to these communities are even more pronounced in our new climate – one prone to more flash floods than ever before. As flooding reaches even the wealthiest suburbs, we must ensure these historically neglected communities receive the attention they deserve. Directed by Fernando Rocha
Meet a few of Alabama’s Black environmental leaders, activists, and historians who are currently shaping their community and providing long overdue awareness of the roots of the work. Directed by Asia Singleton
Why are our neighboring states so far ahead of Alabama when it comes to renewable energy? For decades Alabamians have “thanked God for Mississippi”, but that sentiment ends when we consider our right to choose our own sources of electricity. A few simple policy changes could remove existing barriers and voilà! Alabamians could have more options when it comes to where their electricity comes from. It’s time to stop taxing the sun and fight for Energy Freedom! Directed by Gillian Harrill
In Alabama more than 70% of the population gets their drinking water from rivers, lakes, and bays. Protecting these water sources and the land around them ensures our drinking water is clean and safe. It also keeps utilities from having to increase treatment cost, keeping water bills more affordable for customers. This film highlights the important responsibility of water utilities in balancing the continued need for revenue with the long-range protection of drinking water sources and the role of river advocates and ratepayers in holding them accountable. Directed by Tiffany Westry Womack

Special thank you to the special people who make Southern Exposure happen!

Dell Brooke | Michele Forman

Bob McKenna | Clubhouse on Highland

Vickey Wheeler | Tom & Lisa McLeod

Sidney Buckingham | David Shaddix

Jess Lingle | Matthew J Grcic 

Scot Duncan | Nelson Brooke | Charles Scribner | Natasha Zaretsky

Alabama State Council on the Arts

& Alabama Rivers Alliance’s 

partner organizations