Indivisible-Boothbay is pleased to sponsor a free showing of the new documentary by famed photographer James Balog, “The Human Element,” on Tuesday, March 26 at the Harbor Theater in Boothbay Harbor. The showing will be preceded by complimentary refreshments supplied by Oak Street Café & Catering, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Sheila Balog, cousin of the filmmaker, will introduce the documentary with anecdotes about the filming process, her cousin’s career, and his motivation for making the film.

To the classic four elements at work on our planet — earth, air, fire, and water — Balog overlays a fifth, the human element. The documentary is a depiction of the way humanity affects and is affected by the challenges created by a changing climate. Increasing dangers from fire, hurricanes, lack of air quality, and sea level rise are all portrayed, and the complicated relationship between human activity and its effects upon the environment takes center stage. The movie is 80 minutes long.

While we in Maine’s Midcoast haven’t been particularly endangered by wildfires, increasingly severe weather and rising seas are direct threats we face. It is hoped that this film and other ongoing discussions will help us grapple with the challenges we face and persuade us to reach for solutions. There will be time for discussion following the showing.

Balog is known for his riveting photography and filmmaking that brings to life the importance of climate change. His documentary, Chasing Ice, won an Emmy in 2014 and was shortlisted for the Academy Awards. As testament to the power of his work, a clip from that film was viewed on YouTube more than 40 million times.

Reviewer Kaelyn Lynch in Outside Magazine wrote of The Human Element, “…it tells a powerful story that puts the focus on climate change where it should be: not as a political or environmental issue, but a human one.”

Indivisible-Boothbay is a nonpartisan group of citizen-activists in the Boothbay Region. The group meets on the fourth Tuesday of the month; all interested persons are welcome to attend. The showing of The Human Element constitutes the March meeting.

The April meeting will focus on Freedom of the Press with a panel of journalists and academics examining changes in public and governmental attitudes to the press. That meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 23, 5-6:30 p.m. at the Rotary Clubhouse at 66 Montgomery Rd., Boothbay Harbor.