World premiere of feature documentary on Santa Susana Field Lab to begin screening at nationwide film festivals.
San Jose, CA - March 20, 2021
In the Dark of the Valley chronicles the lives of a group of Southern California mothers turned advocates who come face to face with corporate interests and governmental apathy in their fight for an environmental cleanup of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory — the site of one of the largest nuclear accidents in United States history as well as thousands of rocket engine tests that may have exposed the surrounding community, to cancer-causing hazardous waste.
The film will premiere at Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose, CA and will also screen at The Cleveland International Film Festival. Due to Covid19, both festivals will be held virtually and films will be available to screen on their respective streaming platforms.
Cinequest Film Festival takes place March 20-30.
Tickets, trailer, and more information on hosted screenings & discussions can be found here.
The film will be available to watch anytime between Monday, March 22nd - Tuesday, March 30th. There will be a live discussion with filmmakers and community members on Thursday, March 25th to discuss the film, which can be found here.
Cleveland International Film Festival takes place between April 7-20. Tickets, trailer, and more information on hosted screenings & discussions can be found here.
In the Dark of the Valley is the first feature film to focus on the infamous Santa Susana Field Laboratory. The film is an in-depth exploration into the site's long history of cover-ups and negligence by site owners Boeing, NASA, and the Department of Energy.
It also tells the harrowing story of how a community of mothers, led by Melissa Bumstead, have dealt with the struggles of childhood cancer and their new found life of environmental advocacy.