A poetic hybrid documentary, Holding Back the Tide looks to the oyster as a queer icon that can offer lessons on transformation and survival. Once the oyster capital of the world, New York City environmentalists are seeking to restore the oyster to protect the city’s waterways. Tracing the history of this animal from harbor to dining table, director Emily Packer subverts commonplace narratives about this mollusk through an intersectional lens. This screening will be followed by a community conversation led by Missouri River Relief exploring topics such as queer ecology, food cultures, and representation in environmentalism.