In just a few months, Chevron will likely be found liable for $27 billion in damages for its systematic contamination of the Ecuadorian Amazon – but they’ve already said they won’t pay and have launched an aggressive PR effort to avoid accountability.
That’s where a documentary called CRUDE comes in. Coming to theaters this September, CRUDE chronicles the epic battle to hold Chevron accountable for this “Rainforest Chernobyl”. This film could play a major role in shoring up public support for the fight to force Chevron to clean up the mess it made in the Amazon.
Check out the trailer:
From CRUDEthemovie.com:
The inside story of the infamous “Amazon Chernobyl” case, Crude is a real-life high stakes legal drama, set against a backdrop of the environmental movement, global politics, celebrity activism, human rights advocacy, the media, multinational corporate power, and rapidly-disappearing indigenous cultures. Presenting a complex situation from multiple viewpoints, the film subverts the conventions of advocacy filmmaking, exploring a complicated situation from all angles while bringing an important story of environmental peril and human suffering into focus.
The landmark case takes place in the Amazon jungle of Ecuador, pitting 30,000 indigenous and colonial rainforest dwellers against the U.S. oil giant Chevron. The plaintiffs claim that Texaco – which merged with Chevron in 2001 – spent three decades systematically contaminating one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth, poisoning the water, air and land. The plaintiffs allege that the pollution has created a “death zone” in an area the size of the Rhode Island, resulting in increased rates of cancer, leukemia, birth defects, and a multiplicity of other health ailments. They further allege that the oil operations in the region contributed to the destruction of indigenous peoples and irrevocably impacted their traditional way of life. Chevron vociferously fights the claims, charging that the case is a complete fabrication, perpetrated by “environmental con men” who are seeking to line their pockets with the company’s billions.
If you’re not already familiar with the details of what Chevron (formerly Texaco) did in the Ecuadorian Amazon, CRUDE will bring it to life in a way that will shock you and make you want to fight back.
The film opens in New York on 09/09/09 with screenings following shortly thereafter in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Check out more details at CRUDEthemovie.com.
Link [CRUDE]
