Running through St. James, Louisiana...
there is an 85-mile industrial corridor, commonly known as “Cancer Alley” — home to some of the largest petrochemical plants in the country. Those who cannot leave are anywhere between 50 to 500 times more likely to get cancer than the average American.
LONG BEFORE...
the arrival of the plants, St. James was home to thousands of both black and white landowners, whose roots go back to the time of slavery itself. Today, it is almost exclusively black, as corporations have moved the majority of white residents to safety, leaving the black ones behind. For this reason, and many others, locals say that “Cancer Alley” is one of the greatest cases of environmental racism in America today.
BUT ST. JAMES...
is also home to Sharon Lavigne — a retired school teacher, who in the fall of 2018, decided to fight back. Having never spoken in public in her life, Sharon began to speak out against a multi-billion dollar chemical plant scheduled to build across the street from her house. Today, Sharon continues her fight for justice through a grassroots environmental organization she calls, “Rise St. James.”
Sharon Lavigne
In 1966, Sharon's father and civil rights activist—Milton Cayette Sr—integrated his town's local high school. Sharon, then only seven years old, remembers how racists burnt his truck the following day. Sharon credits God and her father for giving her a voice, so she can now speak for those who can't speak for themselves. Her story was covered in Rolling Stone.
BRIAN IVIE — DIRECTOR
Brian Ivie is an American filmmaker and director of documentaries, often with religious and sociopolitical subject matter. He is most well known for his documentary film, "Emanuel," which tells the story of the 2015 Charleston Church Shooting, which took the lives of nine innocent African Americans. Ivie studied film and television at The University of Southern California, where he also began producing his first documentary feature, "The Drop Box," the story of a South Korean pastor, who rescues children through a small hatch built into the wall of his home. Ivie's follow-up feature, "Emanuel," from Executive Producers Viola Davis, Stephen Curry, and Mariska Hargitay, made its television debut on Starz in conjunction with the 2020 Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday. As a screenwriter, Brian has written for Netflix, Sony Pictures, and Breakwater Studios. He is represented by CAA.
Producers Jens Jacob and Jason Pamer combined efforts back in 2016 to form Sypher Studios, producing and distributing the genre-breaking film, The Heart of Man, which has released theatrically in 30+ countries around the world. Sypher Studios is a full-service content studio that develops and distributes series and feature films that are in the “third lane”— the space where gritty stories can be told honestly.
Gritty & real. Honest & un-veneered.
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