An immersive experience

How does water shape us, and how do we shape water? For “Watermark,” multiple-award winning filmmakers Jennifer Baichwal and Nick de Pencier, working with photographer Edward Burtynsk, traveled the world to document human interaction with water.

Good (rice terraces, as shown above; pristine wetlands), bad (a barren delta; pollution) and even spiritual (sacred bathing in the Ganges), the visual examples, as with the trio’s previous work “Manufactured Landscapes,” are absolutely stunning.

“The subject of water lent itself so beautifully to a immersive philosophical perspective,” Baichwell said. “Because it is such a big subject, and it is so close to life, and we do have such a primal connection to it.”

The film, she said, should “make you think about something you take for granted — turning on a tap, having a drink of water, jumping in a lake, having a shower — all these things that we do without thinking about it.”

The Friday, January 23 showing of “Watermark” opens the Sonoma Community Center’s Films for the Future, a three-part monthly series on the Rotary Stage in Andrews Hall. The series is part of the Center’s Winter Performance Series, and supports its Center for Sustainable Living programs.

Future dates and films in the series include “GMO OMG (What are we feeding our families?) Friday, February 20, and “The Russian River: All Rivers — The Value of an American Watershed,” on March 20.

Film tickets are $12. SCC members receive a 10% discount. All films begin at 7:30 p.m. A pre-show reception, with light refreshments and beer from Lagunitas Brewing Company, begins at 7 p.m. Net proceeds will support both Transition Sonoma Valley and SCC.