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SALT LAKE CITY — The Ironbound — a 4-square mile neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey — seems a world away from communities on Salt Lake City's west side or in rural southern Utah.
But those multiethnic communities, each fighting against environmental injustices, have a lot more in common if you dig a little deeper. Those connections will be the focal point of the Utah Film Center's screening and post-film discussion of "The Sacrifice Zone," a documentary following Ironbound residents' fight against the cycle of poor communities of color serving as dumping grounds for a consumer society.
"It is a film in which we were able to see a lot of the challenges that happen here in this state," said Russell Roots, the center's director of film exhibition. "It's a story that can be very much about a community on the west side of Salt Lake. It can also be a conversation that's very much about what happens in the Indigenous communities in southern Utah, particularly in regards to uranium mining."
The screening takes place at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Salt Lake City Public Library. A virtual screening of the film will also be available between Friday and May 7. It's part of the film center's Black, Bold & Brilliant series, which uses film to explore the experiences of Black Utahns.
"We're looking for media that helps us tell our story, that highlight things that the community overall might not necessarily be aware of," Roots said. "It's important to us to find representation that suits the authenticity and the realities of Black Americans, particularly here in Utah since we're such a small part of the community, 2% or so. It's important and incumbent upon us to tell our stories in an honest and truthful way, so we look for films that do that."
The series began as a one-time event following the death of George Floyd in 2020, but overwhelmingly positive feedback pushed the film center to turn it into a regular series.
"The Sacrifice Zone" will be the last film in the series' spring iteration before it kicks back up in June. The series is also participating in the Tumbleweeds Film Festival for Kids, April 22-23, in West Jordan.
Roots said those who participate in the series often leave with open eyes and new information.
"There are traditional spaces which the majority community, here in Salt Lake City in particular, interacts with marginalized cultures: Living Traditions Festival and a couple of other big kind of showcase events throughout the year. But that's not really a space where conversations about racial disparity, inequity and how we can overcome those things together ... take place," Roots said.
"We're here to have a great, colorful conversation about what really is going on in the fullness of our community, not just what this community is known for."
Roots' favorite part about the series is watching individuals who didn't originally identify themselves with the Black experiences seeing themselves in the series' films and conversations.
"Empathy and compassion are universal themes," Roots said. "Being able to have events like this — where other people can recognize themselves and hopefully have more compassion as they walk out the door heading off into their various different personal lives — is a major success for us."
More information about the series, including options to RSVP for free for upcoming screenings, can be found on the Utah Film Center's website.
