The cover of the television show 'The Quietest Year' features two people, a woman on the left with a serious expression and a man on the right wearing glasses, both adjusting their ears and standing in front of a rural landscape with mountains and trees at sunset.

Karen Akins

The Quietest Year

Filmmaker Karen Akins’ darkly quirky personal quest to curb noise pollution in her quaint Vermont village uncovers dire consequences for noise regulation not only in her home state but nationwide. From a libertarian-controlled village, upholding a rural neighbor’s right to “recreational shooting,” to the basing of an ear-piercing fighter jet in the most densely populated area of the state, the examples are unending. As she consults leading experts and activists, including Ben Cohen of Ben and Jerry’s, Akins marshals the facts to frame noise pollution as an urgent yet overlooked crisis for both public health and civil society.

July 13, 2025
1-3:30 PM

Court Square Theater
44-02 23rd St, Long Island City

A smiling woman with blonde hair and light skin, wearing a tan top, in an indoor setting.

Karen Akins is an award-winning documentary director with a passion for healthy environments, whose previous film, El Susto, about the politics of sugary drink consumption and Type 2 diabetes in Mexico, was embraced by both the public health community and documentary fans and is now streaming on major platforms, such as Amazon, YouTube, and Apple TV.

A collage featuring a group of people sitting and standing at an outdoor cafe, with a large rocket flying above a brick building with people leaning out of windows, some covering their ears in response to the rocket.
Protesters holding signs, including one that reads 'Incompatible with Residential Use!', during a demonstration on a city street with buildings, trees, and a traffic light in the background.
A man holding a sign that reads, 'BERNIE – HOW COULD YOU??? NOT THESE JOBS!' standing outdoors on a sidewalk in a town. There are trees, cars, and people in the background.
Two people holding protest signs outdoors on a sunny day, with trees and a sidewalk in the background. The person on the left is wearing a straw hat and sunglasses, holding a sign that reads 'F-35 Vermont Wrong.' The person on the right is also wearing sunglasses, holding a pink sign that says 'Children live and learn here.'
A man smiling as a calf licks his face outdoors on a sunny day.