Film Screening: "Lithium Rising: The Race for Critical Minerals" with Samuel George, Deborah Avant, and Linda Mendez-Barrientos

The Josef Korbel School of International Studies invites you to a special screening of Lithium Rising: The Race for Critical Minerals, a Bertelsmann Foundation documentary.

Lithium Rising is a cinematic journey through the global race for critical minerals—the metals powering our green transition. Filmed across five continents, the documentary explores how the drive to decarbonize has sparked fierce geopolitical competition while imposing steep costs on vulnerable communities at the frontlines of extraction.

From the salt flats of the Andean highlands to the cobalt pits of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the film meets miners, Indigenous leaders, industry executives, and policymakers navigating the promises and perils of this new resource boom. Whether it is water scarcity threatening communities in the Atacama desert or tribal sovereignty and land-use disputes in Nevada, the film reveals how the quest for a greener future risks repeating the extractive injustices of the past.

With intimate access and sweeping visuals, the film asks: Who benefits from the green boom—and who gets left behind?

Join us on February 25 for the screening, followed by a discussion with director Samuel George and special guests.

We're looking forward to welcoming you for a screening of the 1-hour film, followed by discussion and Q&A. Light refreshments will be served--RSVP today!

Doors will open at 5:45pm with introductions and the film beginning at 6:15pm.