As oil and gas production expands to more and more places throughout the country, it is essential that communities have the information they need to support policies that protect our health and environment.
Santa Fe, NM (PRWEB) August 4, 2009
One won't see a drilling rig on the corner of 32nd and Broadway, but Split Estate, a new documentary that tells the story of a David versus Goliath struggle raging in the West, exposes why there is plenty cause for concern in the Big Apple anyway.
Split Estate http://www.splitestate.com joins the stellar line-up at the International Documentary Association's DocuWeeks 2009 and will enjoy a theatrical release at the IFC Center in New York City and the ArcLight Hollywood in Los Angeles (August 7 - 13), which will qualify it for the Academy Awards. For tickets call the box office in either location or visit http://www.documentary.org/docuweeks09.
Split Estate will also air as a World Television Premier on October 17 as part of the Reel Impact series on Planet Green, a network of Discovery Communications. Reel Impact http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tv/reel-impact/ is the new Saturday night documentary block, which launches on Planet Green on September 12th.
Split Estate maps a tragedy in the making, as citizens in the path of a new oil and gas drilling boom in the Rocky Mountain West struggle against the erosion of their civil liberties, their communities and their health.
Zeroing in on Garfield County, Colorado, and the San Juan Basin, the film examines the growing environmental and social costs to an area now referred to as a "National Sacrifice Zone."
"I could not believe that an energy company could come in on land that you own, and drill at will without your permission as close as 150 feet from your front door," remarks director and producer Debra Anderson. "For those of us living in the path of that industry and its potential to do real destruction to the environment and our health, it is impossible to remain silent."
So why the cause for concern in New York? Most New Yorkers are unaware of the industry's current bid to drill in the New York City watershed, which provides clean drinking water to millions. Similarly, most Angelenos are also unaware of the industry's long history of drilling throughout the city, even as citizen groups in Los Angeles have labored for years to counteract the toxic impacts of urban drilling.
A coalition of activist organizations in both cities, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, Earthjustice, and NY H20 will team up to take advantage of the film's premier at DocuWeeks 2009 to call attention to the toxic impacts of urban drilling.
Split Estate is the directorial debut for Anderson, a long-time editor for the film and television industry. In addition to ranchers, farmers and Western families, the film features environmental health experts, industry spokespeople and national policy makers, including Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Department of the Interior, and former U.S. Presidential Candidate John Kerry. The film is narrated by Academy Award-nominated actress Ali MacGraw.
"Split Estate tells a powerful story about Americans living with the dirty side of oil and gas development in their own backyards," states Amy Mall, Senior Policy Analyst with the Natural Resources Defense Council. "As oil and gas production expands to more and more places throughout the country, it is essential that communities have the information they need to support policies that protect our health and environment."
For more information about events scheduled around the DocuWeek 2009 screenings of Split Estate in New York and Los Angeles, please visit http://www.splitestate.com.
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