SYNOPSIS:
In the early hours of March 24th 1989 the Exxon Valdez oil supertanker runs aground in Alaska. It discharges millions of gallons of crude oil. The incident becomes the biggest environmental catastrophe in North American history. In a flash, dramatic images shoot across the planet. They show thousands of carcasses of seabirds and sea otters covered in oil. A thick black tide rises and covers the beaches of once-pristine Prince William Sound. For twenty years, Riki Ott and the fishermen of the little town of Cordova, Alaska have waged the longest legal battle in U.S. history against the world's most powerful oil company - ExxonMobil. They tell us all about the environmental, social and economic consequences of the black wave that changed their lives forever. This is the legacy of the Exxon Valdez.
Official selection, 2009 HotDocs Toronto, 2009 Countercorp Anti-Corporate Film Festival, and many others.
SCREENING WITH SHORT FILM: SKIMMING THE SURFACE [ USA 2010, 6min ]
Louisiana, a once rich and beautiful wetland, is now suffering from an unseen virus. Crude oil continues to leak from BP's doomed DeepWater Horizon well at a rate of 60,000 barrels per day. This problem is intensified by the use of over 2,000,000 gallons of toxic dispersant used to battle the oil, despite ominous warnings from federal and local officials. These two problems together continue to wreak havoc on not only the fragile ecosystem of southern Louisiana, but the economy as well. We discuss with local politicians, business owners, and residents about the impact that the spill has had on their lives and careers. We take a moment to reflect on what should be done so that a man man disaster like this never happens again.
