EXCLUSIVE: At the age of only 30, Justin J. Pearson is making a significant impact in Tennessee through his moral clarity and activism that ripples well beyond the Volunteer State.
He and two other members of the Tennessee House of Representatives were famously expelled from that legislative body two years ago for taking part in a gun control protest on the House floor (he was subsequently reappointed). But the new documentary This Is Not a Drill, premiering today at the Telluride Film Festival, puts the focus on another area of his work – in what might be termed environmental justice. He founded an environmental advocacy group to fight a proposed oil pipeline project that would have cut through economically challenged Black neighborhoods of Memphis.
“Pipeline companies usually win. Communities usually get run over,” Pearson observes in the film. “They think they’re going to be able to come here and do whatever it is they wish without us fighting back.”
Sharon Wilson in ‘This Is Not a Drill’
Courtesy of Storyville Films
The film directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Oren Jacoby goes up close with Pearson and two other compelling figures making a difference on vital environmental matters at the grassroots level: “Rosishetta Ozane, a mother of six from Louisiana, transforms personal loss into political action, taking her fight from the storm-ravaged streets to the halls of Congress. And Sharon Wilson, a former oil insider turned fossil fuel emissions protector, uses infrared camera to expose invisible methane leaks in Texas that have been hiding in plain sight.”
We have your first look at the film in the clip above.
“As disasters around the world grow deadlier, a new generation of leaders is rising to face the challenges,” notes a synopsis of the film. “On the environmental front, as climate disasters grow deadlier, three unlikely heroes take on one of the most powerful industries in the world.”
“Backing them are unlikely allies, descendants of John D. Rockefeller, who have turned against their family’s oil empire to expose ExxonMobil’s decades long coverup deception,” the synopsis continues. “Together, this coalition uncovers what they call the Big Oil’s ‘Big Con’ – an industry doubling down on fossil fuels while disguising the truth.
“With gripping access, This Is Not A Drill is the story of courage, betrayal and grassroots victories that shows that ordinary people, armed with only grit and determination, can stand up to some of the most powerful people in the world. The smallest voices can topple giants.”
Director Oren Jacoby attends the New York premiere of ‘On Broadway’ on August 17, 2021.
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
Jacoby’s directing credits include On Broadway (2019), My Italian Secret: The Forgotten Heroes (2014), and the Academy Award-nominated documentary short Sister Rose’s Passion (2004). He also served as an executive producer on Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down and Julia, two documentaries directed by his wife, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Betsy West, and Julie Cohen.
He tells Deadline of This Is Not a Drill, “These are scary times, for a lot of people. But the characters in our film give me hope and, more important, show everyone how to take action that will make a difference. So right now, at a highly esteemed venue like the Telluride Film Festival, is the perfect time and place to show this film.”
In the clip above, Justin J. Pearson shed lights on his fighting spirit. Click on the video to watch.
