“Elemental” tells the story of three individuals united by their deep connection with nature, confronting the most pressing ecological challenges of our time. The film follows Rajendra Singh, a former Indian government official, on a 40-day pilgrimage down India’s once pristine Ganges River. Singh works to shut down factories, halt construction of dams, and rouse the Indian public to treat their sacred “Mother Ganga” with respect. In northern Canada, Eriel Deranger mounts her struggle against the world’s largest industrial development, the Tar Sands, an oil deposit larger than the state of Florida. A young mother and native Denè, Deranger struggles with family challenges while campaigning tirelessly against the Tar Sands and the proposed 2,000-mile Keystone XL Pipeline, which are destroying indigenous communities and threatening an entire continent. And in Australia, inventor and entrepreneur Jay Harman searches for investors willing to risk millions on his conviction that nature’s own systems hold the key to our world’s ecological problems. Harmon finds his inspiration in the natural world’s profound architecture and creates a revolutionary device that he believes can slow down global warming.

Along with director Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, the panel will include Gina LaMotte (EcoRise Youth Innovations), Kathy Zarsky (HOLOS), Lee Francis (Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers & Storytellers), and David Baker (Jacob’s Well Natural Area), moderated by Cora Lennert (Keep Austin Beautiful).

Tickets are $10, at the door or online.

Location: Stateside at the Paramount, 719 Congress Ave., Austin, 78701