On Tuesday, March 2, at 7 p.m., the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center and Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust will host a panel discussion with Ian Cheney, director of the 2020 documentary The Long Coast.

Cheney will be joined by DMC Director Heather Leslie, Coastal Rivers Director of Education & Citizen Science Sara Gladu, and others from the community for a short discussion of the film and its insights into the changing environment and culture along the Maine coast.

The Long Coast is a series of lyrical portraits that illuminates the stories of Maine residents whose lives and livelihoods are inextricably connected to the ocean.

“It is an atmospheric film that shows the beauty, intimacy and uncertainty that coastal dwellers face when they root their lives in the ocean, particularly as human actions – from overfishing, to aquaculture, to warming seas – confront Maine and its people with profound change,” said the Darling Marine Center, in a news release.

Director Ian Cheney, who lives in Maine, is an Emmy-nominated and Peabody Award-winning documentary filmmaker. He has completed ten feature documentaries, including The Long Coast. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Yale University, and has an MFA in film from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Cheney is a former MacDowell Fellow & Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT.

The event is free, but registration is required on the DMC’s website at dmc.umaine.edu. Participants will be able to view the film online at their convenience during the 48-hours before the live virtual panel discussion, which will include opportunities for participants to ask questions.

Founded in 1965, the Darling Marine Center’s mission is to connect people to the ocean. The Center’s researchers, staff and students work alongside fishermen, aquaculture entrepreneurs, marine industry professionals and other members of the community in Maine and around the world. More information is available at dmc.umaine.edu.

Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust is a non-profit, member-supported, nationally accredited land trust with active programs in land conservation, water quality, trails and public access, and nature education in the Damariscotta-Pemaquid region. For more information, visit www.coastalrivers.org.