Coal is a mystery: Why, in the 21st century, does half of United States electricity come from this 18th-century fuel? In the age of nano-tech, why can’t we seem to make the investments necessary to effect a great leap, making renewable energy technology truly affordable? If we were to really add up all of the human and environmental costs of coal, what’s the bill that we are really paying? And, finally, what can we do right now to spread great solutions options, and turn the tide?
Image from Alternet
Joshua Frank’s interview on Alternet of Peter Bull, Director/Producer of the new documentary by the Center for Investigative Reporting, Dirty Business: “Clean Coal” and the Battle for Our Energy Future, addresses these questions and more. The interview was actually so good, I can’t help pulling out a few excerpts for all of us who are curious and/or concerned about coal. If your interest is piqued, you may also choose to screen Dirty Business.
“October 21, 2010 | … Coal has produced power in our country for over 100 years. It pulled us through the Industrial Revolution and has pumped electricity into the hearts of our cities, keeping us warm through winter and up and running throughout the day. It’s also caused insurmountable death and destruction along the way, contributing more than its fair share to climate change, water pollution and worker fatalities. So how do we challenge such an entrenched part of our culture and start the process of reversing these trends? That’s the big question. Dirty Business shows us the way out of our energy and climate conundrum; we just need the political will to buck the entrenched special interests of the status quo and get imaginative with new alternative solutions.
Joshua Frank: Can you talk a bit about why you wanted to make this film, what drew you to the topic of coal?
Peter Bull: This film grew out of another project I did with the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR). That was a one-hour documentary for PBS/Frontline called Hot Politics, about the politics of global warming and investigated why the Bush 1, Clinton and Bush 2 administrations all failed to take meaningful action on the greatest threat that humans have come up against. Now it looks as if the Obama administration is about to get added to the list. (more…)
When Two Worlds Collide is part of the Reel Power collaborative, a film series that tells the many stories of our energy crisis, and most importantly, community opportunities for sustainable growth. This film is in production and is currently raising funds for production through the innovative crowdfunding tool IndieGoGo.
Despite a chorus of warnings from climatologists who say that we are swiftly approaching irreversible climate change, tropical deforestation is responsible for about one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions – more than all the cars, trucks, planes, boats and trains in the world combined.
The Amazon Rainforest provides us 20% of the oxygen we breathe, yet over 70% of the Peruvian Amazon is in the hands of international investors alone causing colossal deforestation! This massive land seizure, which generates significant dividends for domestic and international corporations, has a direct impact on the livelihoods’ of indigenous peoples’ – the guardians of these lands.
Are you looking for a movie that reveals the social and environmental costs of coal power, explores the murky realities of “clean coal,” and profiles innovators who could lead the way to a renewable energy future? Bring Dirty Business, produced by the Center for Investigative Reporting, to your community to explore these issues. Host a house party or community screening.
Join Communities Across the Country
Here are a few that have already used Dirty Business:
“It was an incredible evening. Students ended the night with an inspirational speech by student leader Tabitha Skervin. She called on students to mobilize for their planet, and join a march from the campus coal plant to administration building on 10/10/10.”
Lawrence and Wichita, Kansas
Facing a coal plant expansion, Dirty Business screened in Kansas communities. “People I spoke with liked that the film looked at the entire lifecycle of coal vs. only covering one aspect of coal, such as mining,” said Stephanie Cole of Sierra Club Kansas. “One person also commented to me that it was encouraging to see folks outside of Kansas who are also opposing coal plants.”
Visit our our Dirty Business page for more information on the film.
Don’t miss the deadline to apply for Reel Engagement: Managing Social Issue Film Campaigns.
Upcoming next month, Working Films and the Fledgling Fund will lead a field building training aimed at the effective management of film campaigns. This 4 day hands-on workshop is designed for individuals who are interested in developing the skills necessary to be an Engagement Coordinator; designing and managing creative and meaningful audience and community engagement campaigns for independent social and environmental issue documentary films or media projects.
Read more and apply now to Reel Engagement: Managing Social Issue Film Campaigns. Deadline is October 22, 2010.
We’ve had a great year of Good Pitches so far! From DC to the UK and most recently San Francisco, we’ve been covering ground and helping generate exciting partnerships among filmmakers, NGOs, funders and brands.
Are you wondering what happens at these pitches? Fear not! Rachel Seifert (of the film Not on the Label) gives insight on what it’s like to be up on the pitcher’s mound.
Last week I pitched at the BritDoc Good Pitch –my first ever pitching session! I was pretty nervous. Despite having interviewed a number of Presidents, trekked through the jungle with the Colombian army, and filmed on the streets of Juarez, this seemed to me to be a far more daunting experience! I suppose that is why I generally prefer to be behind the camera.
But, when I got up to the table to give my presentation, spotlights shining, and a large number of faces staring down at me, I remarkably felt fairly relaxed (thanks to Jess for this), and to my huge surprise I actually enjoyed it! I suppose when it comes down to it, this is something I’ve been living and breathing for the past 18 months so I’m not short of things to say. Admittedly, I couldn’t have done it without the BritDoc/Working Films bootcamp training sessions earlier that week. Or without the amazing BritDoc/Working Films team who gave all of the pitchers so much support and encouragement. So a big thank you to all of them. See their amazing work here: http://britdoc.org/ and http://www.workingfilms.org/
The pitch went very well. I think I managed to just about fit into the 7 minutes time limit. The response from the table was very encouraging and supportive and they offered up a variety of suggestions and ideas. So I am now going from meeting to meeting to follow up on it. I will let you all know when we have some concrete outcomes!
Aside from the obvious contacts and organisations which were brought together for the film, there were two other things which I really took away from the whole experience of the Good Pitch. Firstly, the collaboration of the other pitchers and the BritDoc/Working Films team on my film. This is my first film, and having spent a lot of time working on it pretty much alone from my study for the past 18 months or so, it was a breath of fresh air to have other people outside of my normal world (and aside from the cat in the garden) to talk to and comment and throw ideas out for the film – which was absolutely brilliant. And it was also a relief to realise that other filmmakers have the same problems and struggles that I do! The second thing that the Good Pitch really helped with was clearly defining and streamlining the film, its aims, what we want it to do, where we want it to be seen, and how we want it to be used.
So, I am now ploughing ahead to get the film finished. We are hoping to launch our online space in the next few weeks so I will let you all know when that is up and running.
Don’t you think a movement needs more than one good movie? We are excited to announce a new collaboration with ten groundbreaking filmmakers – Reel Power: Films Fueling the Energy Revolution!
The Reel Power film series tells the many stories of our energy crisis, and most importantly, community opportunities for sustainable growth. The series launches on November 23rd with the film Deep Down which premiers that night on PBS’s Independent Lens.
Here’s how you can join the excitement:
1. Spread the word!
Help us make our campaign go viral by sharing our new trailer with your friends through email and on your blog, Facebook page and Twitter.
2. Host a house party on November 23rd!
Put this date on your calendar to host a house party or community screening of Deep Down. We’ll send you more information on how to do this, shortly.
3. Stay connected!
Be sure to join us on Facebook.
Visit our website for more information on the series.
We look forward to bringing Reel Power to your community!
