MSU grad's documentary headlines local film festival

In 2015, 21 plaintiffs aged 11-22 started a legal battle with the U.S. government over their rights to a safe climate. The case sheds light on over 50 years of the government knowing about the dangers of climate change, forcing our country into a fossil fuel dependent infrastructure and prioritizing corporate entities over the health and safety of U.S. citizens. The 2020 film “YOUTH v. GOV” follows the ongoing six-year lawsuit and the plaintiffs’ journeys as they seek to stabilize the global climate system by 2100. The film headlined the 2021 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, which ran from Friday, Feb. 19, to Sunday, Feb. 28. 

The documentary film is backed by an Academy and Emmy award-winning film crew and is produced and directed by MSU alumni Christi Cooper. Cooper attended Colorado State University for her M.S. in microbiology and later obtained a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Regensburg, Germany. After years of practice in the stem cell field in Europe, Cooper decided it was time to become an advocate of science. She came to Bozeman and received her MFA in Science and Natural History Filmmaking from the School of Film and Photography. She credits MSU for the connections she made in the program. “There was 13 people from the program either from the undergrad program or the grad program that I was able to hire at various time points throughout the making of this film. So, those networks are just really invaluable,” Cooper said in an interview with The Exponent. 

Since 2015, Cooper has been on the film crew following the plaintiffs on their legal journey. The case, formally known as Juliana v. United States for its lead plaintiff Kelsey Juliana, has gained a tremendous following since it began and has “[given] that understanding of what your government has known and what they’ve done to cause the problems that we all are facing,” Cooper said. “I think that the more that people have learned about the case and actually understood the basis and the claims that the kids have and also the evidence that they have, I think that’s really shifted the conversation for people.”

So far, the case has faced victories and struggles in its fight for climate justice. In 2020, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, located in San Francisco, California, gave a divided ruling that was upheld the week of Feb. 7. The youth climate activists plan to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court and also have plans to bring their case to President Joe Biden to discuss a settlement. Legal experts have coined this case the “most important lawsuit on the planet.” Aside from being a legal battle, the case has become a symbol for revolution against the U.S. government. “The past, you know, ten years I think that the people’s voices who are being uplifted and who are the face of this movement has changed, and now it’s about young people and it’s about disenfranchised communities and voices who never had that opportunity to have their voice represented,” Cooper said.

The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival is held annually in Missoula and shows a variety of recent documentaries. “YOUTH v. GOV” headlined the festival and was accompanied by 10 other short films made by MSU graduate students. “It’s a real honor for us to be chosen for the centerpiece...I’m proud as well that we have so many connections to Montana, and I’m proud that this is a festival in my home state,” Cooper said. 

Being early in the festival run, Cooper has a full schedule ahead of her. Apart from getting the film into communities across the globe, Cooper and her team will be “launching our impact campaign in the near future that is focused on empowering people, and particularly young people, to hold their governments accountable,” she said. 

“YOUTH v. GOV” is a 110-minute documentary and is available to stream during its virtual showings at film festivals across the country. The next screening will occur on Thursday, March 11, at 6:30 p.m. MST as part of the One Earth Film Fest in Chicago, Illinois. The festival is free to watch by visiting https://www.oneearthfilmfest.org/films-az-2021/youth-v-gov.