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Almost 2,000 miles apart, eight Syracuse University students and about 10 students attending Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in Puerto Rico collaborated on a project. For a year, they filmed, edited and produced a documentary highlighting environmental justice issues without having met face-to-face.

“We can provide a vessel for these kinds of communities to connect with each other and actually show that if we were better able to connect communities together, perhaps we would amplify the urgency of the issue,” Chelsea Sanchez-Piovanetti, SU junior and a producer of the film, said.

On Sept. 20, the documentary, “A Tale of Two Cities: Reclaiming Niagara Falls and Salinas,” debuted at the Newhouse School of Public Communications. The documentary was split into two parts, one dedicated to environmental crises in Niagara Falls, New York, and the other to environmental crises in Salinas, Puerto Rico. The film also screened at the Syracuse International Film Festival and the Puerto Rico Film Festival.

Students told the story through the lens of those affected in Niagara Falls and Salinas. Historically, these two locations have been heavily impacted by pollution and chemical plants, Sanchez-Piovanetti said.

“The greater purpose of the documentary is to show that this isn’t just an isolated event, this is happening everywhere,” Murphy McFarlane, SU senior and production manager, said. “This isn’t just in Niagara Falls, this isn’t just in Puerto Rico. It’s probably happening right under your noses, wherever you go.”

Alhena Chacón, an alumna of Universidad del Sagrado Corazón and a producer of the film, said the students chose Salinas because it’s the second-most contaminated town in Puerto Rico. A power plant located near residents’ houses used ethinyl oxide, an unregulated chemical that causes cancer, to sterilize lab equipment.

The community near the plant has been suffering the consequences, as many of them are diagnosed with cancer or in fear of contracting diseases after learning the truth about the plant, Chacón said.

SU’s team settled on Niagara Falls as its location because of a chemical plant that has similar effects to the one in Salinas.

Funded by Canon USA, SU participants, ranging from freshman to graduate students, used AMLOS technology to virtually work alongside Puerto Rican students. The film aims to spread awareness about ongoing environmental issues impacting marginalized communities around the world, Sanchez-Piovanetti said.

Throughout the production and editing process, students connected using AMLOS technology. Chacón said she felt like a little kid using a new iPad or phone because of the learning curve.

The customizable user interface reacted to hand gestures and signals. It also displayed the entire room so the teams could see each other while working. Eventually, once they got accustomed to the technology, it proved to be extremely useful in the filmmaking process.

“It makes you feel like you are communicating and in the same room with these people,” McFarlane said.

Courtesy of Milton Santiago

Syracuse University students visit Puerto Rico to discuss their documentary, “A Tale of Two Cities: Reclaiming Niagara Falls and Salinas.” The film was screened at the Puerto Rican Film Festival.

Many current college students are accustomed to meeting virtually, a product of the COVID-19 pandemic. Milton Santiago, assistant professor of visual communications at Newhouse and a producer of the film, said technology should not be limited to times of crisis. Rather, it can be used to bridge communities together.

The project was initiated when Mark Lodato, dean of Newhouse, and Gabriel Paizy, Newhouse graduate and dean of Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, met. Paizy visited Newhouse and the two discussed potential ways to connect the schools.

Santiago was introduced to Paizy and put on the project. Santiago was the one who suggested incorporating Canon technology to bridge the geographical gap.

After many discussions between Rafael Concepción, a professor at Newhouse, Santiago and Paizy, the three drove to Canon’s headquarters in Melville, New York, and pitched the idea.

Once the project was approved and the schools received funding and equipment, Santiago and Harold Navarro, a professor at Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, got to work. They met in person in summer 2023, and decided to interview students to select the project’s participants.

Through deliberating with the Office of Resources at Newhouse and the SU Office of Research, Santiago and the faculty generated a stipend for some of the student research assistants. With all of the prep work finished, students started meeting in late September 2023. They spent two months sourcing and began shooting through February.

Sanchez-Piovanetti said the students were intentional in their process. They wanted to make a good film but also show sensitivity to the gravity of the topic they were addressing. Before filming, the students made it a priority to spend time in the communities and understand their reality.

Residents had previously attempted to speak with government officials to resolve their issues but the petitions were never recognized.

“Instead of just imposing our narrative on them, we wanted to listen deeply to their concerns and insights on this matter, allowing their voices to be the direction of the documentary,” Sanchez-Piovanetti said.

Chacón said when they were conducting interviews, many residents had to pause and cough because of respiratory issues. Sanchez-Piovanetti and others who worked on the project want the documentary to serve as physical evidence of the issues residents in these environmentally impacted communities are enduring.

Students and faculty want to continue screening the documentary in more schools and locations.

“We can’t travel to Puerto Rico week to week. We can’t travel to China week to week but there are stories that are happening over there that are relevant to stories happening over here,” Santiago said.

Puerto Rico and Niagara Falls are both tourist destinations but few visitors know the ongoing environmental tragedies in the areas. The filmmakers want the documentary to serve as a call to action for viewers.

Santiago said news outlets don’t cover every story that needs attention. If not for projects like “A Tale of Two Cities: Reclaiming Niagara Falls and Salinas,” these stories would go untold.

“It’s not just the job of any one person,” McFarlane said. “It’s the job of every individual, corporation, every politician to fight for (environmental justice) because in the end it will create a better, more equitable, healthier society.”

Published on October 10, 2024 at 1:18 am