Director's statement

I wanted to tell a story set in my family's home state of West Virginia for quite some time when I began working on Crick in the Holler, my 2017 Columbia University MFA thesis film. The 2014 Elk River chemical spill incited a water crisis that left roughly a third of the state's population without potable water, but received very little national attention. It seemed like the perfect backdrop for exploring polarized reactions towards environmental crisis within one West Virginia family, while also raising awareness about the true-life events of the spill. Dawn, the film's protagonist, is a determined, intelligent young woman who goes to great lengths to help her family in a moment of urgency and uncertainty, using all resources at her disposal. These are qualities I've observed in many young West Virginians, and I hope the film gives insight into the complexities of the region and how someone with a need for agency like Dawn might react to a seemingly insurmountable catastrophe.

This is part of our TechStars August playlist.