Peak Oil & the Coming Global Crisis
16-09-2009
Blind Spot
In this haunting portrait of America's oil-fueled excesses, director Adolfo Doring explores the inextricable link between the energy we use, the way we run our economy, and the multiplying threats that now confront the environmental health and stability of our planet. Taking as its starting point the inevitable energy depletion scenario known as "Peak Oil," the film surveys a fascinating range of the latest intellectual, political, and scientific thought to make the case that by whatever measure of greed, wishful thinking, neglect, or ignorance, we now find ourselves at a disturbing crossroads: we can continue to burn fossil fuels and witness the collapse of our ecology, or we can choose not to and witness the collapse of our economy. Refusing to whitewash this reality, Blind Spot issues a call to action, urging us to face up to the perilous situation we now find ourselves in so that we might begin to envision a realistic, if inconvenient, way out. Certain to inspire debate in classrooms across a range of disciplines, especially in economics, environmental studies, the natural sciences, and political science.
 |
Duration: 54 Mins
ISBN: 1-932869-34-4
Date Produced: 2009
Subtitles: English
|
Filmmaker Info
Director: Adolfo Doring
Producer: Amanda Zackem
Executive Producer: Randall Wallace
Executive Producer: David Gil
Original Score: Randall Wallace
Cinematography: Adolfo Doring
Editing: Adolfo Doring
Sound Mixer: Evan Benjamin
Film Festivals
Woodstock Film Festival 2008
London Independent Film Festival 2008
European Film Festival MOSCOW 2008
Awards
Press Reviews
"
Blind Spot, an intellectually dense, but utterly gorgeous, look at mankind's dangerous obsession with fossil fuel, blames the whole world for its wastefulness. Although at times overbearingly verbose, Adolfo Doring's astute, thoughtful portrait has enough sweeping visuals to offset the barrage of scientific talking heads. In other words, it makes
An Inconvenient Truth look like a sitcom."
- Indiewire | October 2008
"There's a lot of environmental films out there that while not painting a rosy picture still want us to feel a sense of "hey things will still be ok". Not so with
Blind Spot. Director Adolfo Doring has, along with many of the scientists, economists and other experts, wisely decided that the time for coddling us is past, perhaps even too long past. This absolutely beautifully shot ode to the end of our world as we have known it doesn't even bother to try and convince us. Either you see the visual beauty of this world, city and country, and want to save it or you don't. Either you hear and heed the wisdom of the cadre of experts he presents or you don't. There is no panic in this film - just an absolute and stark reality that we either choose to face or not."
- Albany Times Union | October 2008
Praise for the Film
"If we lived in a rational world, inhabited by rational human beings, viewing Blind Spot would be a mandatory prerequisite to taking any federal oath of office in the coming year. Were that to happen, there might be hope that the USA would resume world leadership and our renewed influence would be used to redirect ourselves and the world away from the unsustainable path upon which we plummeted along throughout the 20th century, mistakenly regarding the adventure as unmitigated progress."
- William R. Catton | Author of OVERSHOOT
"Blind Spot rides currents of beauty and sadness, ultimately landing with a catharsis that comes when truth has been told."
- Jason Bradford | Founder of 'Willits Economic Localization'
"Doubtless Peak Oil will come, the timing is a matter of debate. However we may be better off if it is not too long delayed, because it will accelerate what must be done to prevent environmental catastrophe."
- Noam Chomsky
"Beautiful, crucial, straightforward, brilliantly woven images, words and music."
- John Stauber | Author of Toxic Sludge Is Good For You
"The world is saying look you have a choice, you can either fix it or I can fix it, and if I fix it you are not going to like it because I'm going to throw everything away. And everything means most of us."
- Derrick Jensen | Author of 'ENDGAME'
"The next few decades aren't going to look like the last few - not at all. And the sooner we come to terms with that, the better. This documentary is a good place to start."
- Bill McKibben | Author of The End of Nature
A fascinating documentary, it draws on some of the most impressive scientific minds to warn us about the dangers of our dependence on oil and educate us about our role in saving the earth and the lives of our children. I was transfixed by it.
- Howard Zinn | Author of You Can't be Neutral on a Moving Train
www.mediaed.org
Printer Friendly version...
