North Central College hosts FLOW Film Festival - "For the Love of Waterways"

As a kickoff to Earth Month (April), North Central College hosted the For the Love of Waterways (FLOW) Film Festival on Friday, March 22 at Pfeiffer Hall.

The film festival marked the public premiere of the short film “Mussel Matters: Saving Critical Species in DuPage County,” a co-production of North Central College, The Conservation Foundation, and the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. The film highlights modern challenges within the Upper DuPage River and Salt Creek systems and community efforts to protect the local watersheds that are home to nearly one million people across 77 municipalities.

“The overarching goal of this project is to use short films to increase the knowledge, concern, and action about our local water and sustainability issues,” said Dr. Reed Perkins, professor of environmental studies and director of the environmental studies program at North Central College. “This has been a tremendous learning opportunity for our students, and a great way for us to engage community members to think about how we—as individuals and communities—see, manage, enjoy, and impact our rivers and streams.”

Four North Central College students worked on the project as production or event assistants, including Reyna Oliva '25, a senior majoring in interactive media studies. In her role as a production assistant, working alongside project leads from The Conservation Foundation and the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, Oliva has captured B-roll footage used in “Mussel Matters: Saving Critical Species in DuPage County.” She also edited the film trailer and a FLOW Film Festival summary film.

“This has been a great opportunity to learn about video shooting, production, and editing, all while learning about the environment and the environment around me throughout the process,” Oliva said. “I’m excited for people to attend the event to help make them more aware of their actions and how they treat the environment around them. It’s worth a watch—you will definitely learn new things!”

The film production and festival were made possible through grant funding from the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrological Science, Incorporated (CUAHSI). The organization’s Let’s Talk About Water (LTAW) grant program provides an opportunity for institutions like North Central College to engage the local community in discussions about important water issues in their area.

The FLOW film festival included screenings of:

• I Am Red - The Colorado River
• The Worth of Water
• Restoring Our Rivers
• How “Forever Chemicals” Polluted America’s Water
• Road Salt: Street to Stream
• The Studio
• Alice's Garden: Solutions for Clean Water in Milwaukee and Beyond

In addition to North Central College, The Conservation Foundation, and Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, other FLOW Film Festival community partners include: Morton Arboretum; City of Naperville; Naperville Park District; and Trout Unlimited – Oak Brook Chapter.