"Snake Hill" A film about the Passaic River

SNAKE HILL, directed by Sophia Feuer and Tyler Macri, follows locals, laborers and scientists through the New Jersey Meadowlands and the adjoining banks of the Passaic River. Through otherworldly environments and strange vignettes, we learn the area’s history, including the community’s horrific, yet moving, struggle to pick up the pieces after decades of mass toxic dumping into the surrounding waterways.

We began collaborating on films in 2017 and have been interested in this story from the very beginning. The events we hope to explore are more timely than ever.

Our goal is to conduct a series of interviews in the Spring and early Summer of 2025 to help us further fundraise to complete this film.

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The dumping of Agent Orange into the Passaic River, often referred to as the greatest environmental crime of the 20th century, has had a catastrophic effect on the ecosystems and communities of Newark, Hoboken, and Secaucus over the past fifty years. In the Newark Ironbound community, where Agent Orange was once manufactured, regular tidal fluctuations continue to bring dioxin-contaminated sediments into streets, school playgrounds, and families’ basements. Despite these horrific realities, government and legal entities have struggled to hold those responsible accountable. Though there are currently fourteen thousand and sixty-six known contaminated sites, the vast majority remain without a clean-up plan in place and disproportionately affect low-income communities.