How To Power A City

How To Power A City takes us on a journey throughout the United States, providing a front-row seat to citizens grappling with fossil fuel dependence. In six locations, a diverse cast brings solar and wind projects to their hometowns. Each faces a variety of obstacles — corrupt and indifferent politicians, technological impasses, public ignorance, cost, natural disasters. Each addresses these challenges — motivated by the love of community, desire for progress, and a belief in justice.

  • Melanie La Rosa
    Director
    How to Power A City: Highland Park, Solar Libre: Family Affair, The Poetry Deal: a film with Diane di Prima, Sir: Just a Normal Guy
  • Melanie La Rosa
    Producer
    How to Power A City: Highland Park, Solar Libre: Family Affair, The Poetry Deal: a film with Diane di Prima, Sir: Just a Normal Guy
  • Sean Collishaw
    Associate Producer
  • Andres Otero
    Associate Producer
  • Leandro Fabrizi Ríos
    Associate Producer
  • Toni De Aztlan
    Associate Producer
  • James Siquiera
    Associate Producer
  • Michael Allegretti
    Associate Producer
  • Johanna Campos
    Associate Producer
  • Mary Powell
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Anthony Gigantiello
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Jennifer Bolstad
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Paul Lee
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Josh Langdon
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Shimekia Nichols
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Pat Egan
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Juan Shannon
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Paul Gallagher
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Walter Meyer
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Ruth Santiago
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Rick Dovey
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Costa Costantinides
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Thomas Meyer
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Ali Dirul
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Carolyn Goodman
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Jackson Koeppel
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Carmen Bras
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Kirsten Price
    Music
  • Kevin Barber
    Cinematography
  • Benjamin Bode
    Cinematography
  • Matthew Burke
    Cinematography
  • Toni Deaztlan
    Cinematography
  • Leandro Fabrizi
    Cinematography
  • Kay Hannahan
    Cinematography
  • George Heckard
    Cinematography
  • Kyle I. Kelley
    Cinematography
  • Melanie La Rosa
    Cinematography
    How to Power A City: Highland Park, Solar Libre: Family Affair, The Poetry Deal: a film with Diane di Prima, Sir: Just a Normal Guy
  • Andres Otero
    Cinematography
  • Pj Wilson
    Cinematography
  • Melanie La Rosa
    Film Editing
    How to Power A City: Highland Park, Solar Libre: Family Affair, The Poetry Deal: a film with Diane di Prima, Sir: Just a Normal Guy
  • Aaron Benally
    Sound Department
  • Steve Koss
    Sound Department
  • Erich Rettermayer
    Sound Department
  • Hummingbird Sound
    Sound Department
  • Kevin Barber
    Camera and Electrical Department
  • Aaron Benally
    Camera and Electrical Department
  • Pablo Camacho
    Camera and Electrical Department
  • Senetchu Floyd
    Camera and Electrical Department
  • Stephen Koss
    Camera and Electrical Department
  • Paul Lee
    Camera and Electrical Department
  • Irene Mercado
    Camera and Electrical Department
  • Kent Wilhelm
    Camera and Electrical Department
  • Alex Zielinski
    Camera and Electrical Department
  • Yasmin Mistry
    Animation
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 40 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    June 30, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    125,218 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Melanie La Rosa

Melanie La Rosa is a producer, filmmaker, and educator. She will release How To Power A City in 2021, along with a book based on its transcripts. Melanie’s previous work includes several years working on PBS’s “America By The Numbers” and NPR’s “Latino USA.” Her films include “Sir: Just A Normal Guy” (2001) and “The Poetry Deal: a film with Diane di Prima” (2011), which have broadcast nationally, stream on Kanopy, have screened at hundreds of film festivals and events. Her films are in the permanent collections of more than 100 institutions. Melanie’s work has been supported with grants from the New York State Council on the Arts, the Periclean/Andrew W. Mellon Faculty Leadership Award, the Brooklyn Arts Council, the Queens Council on the Arts, The Puffin Foundation, the Yip Harburg Foundation, the Eastman Foundation, and the Solutions Journalism Network. She is currently Assistant Professor in the Pace University Media, Communications, and Visual Arts Department. She has an MFA from Temple University and a BA from the University of Michigan.

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Director Statement

I began this film when I walked by a table on a Brooklyn sidewalk, and a young man asked me if I wanted to switch to clean power. He showed me pretty photos of wind farms upstate, but when I asked how the wind power gets to my apartment, he couldn’t explain. I wondered if it was greenwashing, and decided to look into it. It was not, and I switched my power source. And started a film. It has evolved from a “101” type look at how cool new technology can actually work, to a deeper look at our energy systems and the people leading all aspects of the clean energy revolution.

The stakes are high if the U.S. does not switch to clean energy. There are entrenched issues like pollution, high asthma, and environmental damage caused by fracking, drilling, and mining, compounded by complex issues like environmental justice and the need for the U.S. to take responsibility for its CO2 production. There are practical issues like the floods, hurricanes, and blackouts such as depicted in the work sample, which are related to climate change and the aging electrical grid. Technically, the U.S. is an advanced nation with the capacity to create clean energy and fix its infrastructure. The pertinent issue — and main story — is that a surprising number of consumers and some entire cities are actively changing their power sources, despite challenges from inertia to bureaucratic red tape to federal attacks.

The withdrawal from the Paris Agreement was a setback and a gauntlet. It put energy back in the headlines. But many everyday leaders refuse to let a federal decision stop progress in their hometown. Their stories need to be shared.