Join us for a Free Screening of “The White House Effect” & Artist Talk-Back!
Documentary adaptation of Nathaniel Rich’s acclaimed Losing Earth comes to New Orleans With post-film discussion featuring author Nathaniel Rich, producer Josh Penn, and NOFS curator Zuri Obi
Produced by Josh Penn, an award-winning filmmaker and graduate of New Orleans Film Society’s Southern Producers Lab, the film dives deep into one of the most consequential moments in climate policy history—revealing how a unique opportunity to curb global warming in the late 1980s was derailed by political maneuvering and industry influence.
Following the screening, Nathaniel Rich and Josh Penn will take part in a live talk-back conversation, moderated by Zuri Obi, Film + Conference Programmer at the New Orleans Film Society. Zuri is a celebrated Haitian-American artist whose creative work has appeared at Sundance, AFI, BlackStar, and NOFF. The conversation will explore the film’s creation, its historical revelations, and the broader cultural implications of climate storytelling.
About the Film:
Directed by Bonni Cohen, Pedro Kos, and Jon Shenk, The White House Effect is composed entirely of archival footage and centers on the George H.W. Bush presidency (1988–1992)—a time when America was waking up to climate science and the global community was on the verge of meaningful change. As Bush pledged to create a “White House effect” on climate action, internal conflict and external pressures would instead lead to a historic failure to act, shaping the dangerous world we now face.
