True False Hot Cold – Film Screening & Discussion


On September 9, 2024, the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the Environmental Film Festival at Yale hosted filmmaker Ben Stillerman for a screening and discussion about climate change, belief, and talking with people you don’t agree with. “True False Hot Cold” is an award-winning documentary series exploring how to build a more cohesive society, through the lens of climate opinions. It was filmed over 3 months in Emery county, Utah, where according to YPCCC estimates, residents exhibit among the highest levels of skepticism about climate change anywhere in the country. Each short episode addresses a different topic, from religion, to the coal and cattle industries, to belief formation and more. The series uses candid interviews with local residents, and intimate slice-of-life vignettes, to offer ideas about how to build bridges between people who have very different identities and beliefs. Between episode screenings, Mr. Stillerman and Dr. Goldberg opened up the floor to questions and dialogue with the audience.