At once sensitive and chilling, The Lake documents a looming environmental disaster. Utah’s Great Salt Lake is evaporating. The loss of the lake stands to impact the nearby residents and agricultural industries that depend on its water, but more ominously, the dried lakebed contains arsenic. As the lakebed’s dust lifts and blows downwind, the poison will have devastating health effects for millions of people. Two scientists committed to studying the lake’s ecosystem, microbiologist Bonnie Baxter and ecologist Ben Abbott, have seen the devastation up close and must consider how best to sound the alarm. Great Salt Lake Commissioner Brian Steed works alongside them to bring their findings to the political leaders who are responsible for the decision- making—and funding—that may prevent tragedy. Director Abby Ellis’s careful examination of the tensions between differing perspectives on challenges and solutions reveals the complicated intersections of science, faith, and political action. ST

Q&A following screening