Teenage Wasteland

Teenage Wasteland, a film by Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss, is a remarkable story of civic courage.

In 1991 in upstate New York, a group of teenage misfits, inspired by a renegade English teacher, embark on a student film project and uncover a vast conspiracy that is poisoning the ground beneath their feet. Banding together to confront the indifferent adults, corrupt politicians, and a violent criminal organization threatening their small town, they produce an investigative documentary that causes shockwaves in their community. 

Teenage Wasteland is a coming-of-age story based on exclusive access to hundreds of hours of candid, humorous, and nostalgic video outtakes as well as interviews with educator Fred Isseks and his intrepid students, who revisit the legacy of this transformative experience thirty years later.

The screening will feature a special conversation with the inspiring teacher at the heart of the film Fred Isseks and Alyssa Micha, Senior Creative Producer for WSKG Public Media.

Cosponsored by the Milstein Program in Technology and Humanity and presented in partnership with WSKG Public Media, a PBS Affiliate.

Part of our “Doc Spots” film series. Courtesy of Mile End Films and Page 1. Entertainment.