Joe Berlinger’s CRUDE: THE REAL PRICE OF OIL is part of special ecoartspace Earth Day celebration at Exit Art on April 21
Exit Underground
475 Tenth Ave. at 36th St.
Wednesday, April 21, 5:00-9:00
Gallery open Tuesday – Saturday through April 28
Suggested donation: $5
212-966-7745
www.ecoartspacewhatmattersmost2010.blogspot.com
Exit Art is currently hosting special ecoartspace programming through April 28 in its Underground gallery, focusing on the exhibit “What Matters Most?” which consists of earth-friendly art from more than 275 artists. On April 21, a trio of events will pay tribute to Earth Day, with eco-artist Jackie Brookner reading from URBAN RAIN at 7:00 and Elizabeth Thompson presenting information about the Buckminster Fuller Challenge Award finalists at 8:00, but things kick off at 5:00 with a screening of Joe Berlinger’s CRUDE: THE REAL PRICE OF OIL. The exhibit concludes on April 28 with a benefit auction and party ($35-$150).
CRUDE: THE REAL PRICE OF OIL (Joe Berlinger, 2009)
www.crudethemovie.com
Documentarian Joe Berlinger has a way of making a strong impact with his films — which include BROTHER’S KEEPER, PARADISE LOST, and METALLICA: SOME KIND OF MONSTER — and his latest is no exception. In CRUDE: THE REAL PRICE OF OIL, Berlinger heads to Ecuador to detail the “Amazon Chernobyl” case, centering on a 1993 class-action lawsuit brought by thirty thousand indigenous people who live in the rainforest and claim that their land and water are contaminated by years of illegal dumping by Texaco-Chevron, leading to severe illness and death for many in their community. Ecuadorian attorney Pablo Fajardo and American consulting attorney Steven Donziger go face-to-face with Chevron attorneys Diego Larrea and Adolfo Callejas, who argue that any wrongdoing was done by PetroEcuador’s takeover of the oil fields in 1992. As such high-profile people as Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa and Rainforest Foundation cofounder Trudie Styler get involved, the fight heats up, but there’s still no end in sight for the sixteen-year-old lawsuit. Berlinger does an excellent job of presenting both sides of the story, even though the bulk of the evidence continues to build for one side.