On June 8th and 9th, the 4th annual Vancouver Festival of Ocean Films will open its doors at the Vancity Theatre to screen some amazing films focused on the beauty of our oceans, and some of the threats to its health. V.I.A. is a proud media sponsor of the festival, below is the first in a series of blog posts highlighting some of the Festival’s films.
'The Big Fix' premiered at Cannes in 2011 and is an un-coverup of the BP oil spill in the Gulf.
This expose raises awareness about the serious Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion off the Louisiana coast in April 2010. In addition to the eleven workers killed by this catastrophe, nearly five million barrels of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico over the next five months. 'The Big Fix' exposes the truth behind the spill and BP's negligence in the aftermath.
Directors, Josh and Rebecca Tickell risked their lives to make 'The Big Fix.' Josh Tickell, a Louisiana native, felt a personal connection to this story as he saw this environmental catastrophe destroy the lives of his neighbors and town he once called home. Josh and Rebecca knew they had a duty to show the world what was really happening.
They went in undercover, rigged with cameras and got some extremely damning and controversial material of BP on film. "I would literally be shaking as I went in undercover, but I am so glad that I did it," Rebecca says. She wound up poisoned and sick from exposure to the oil and dispersant. To this day, doctors say she can't expose the skin on her neck and chest to the sun for the rest of her life. Women down in the Gulf who were exposed to high levels of oil and dispersant like Rebecca was are having miscarriages and malformed babies. This was a real wake up call for the Tickells. Living with the knowledge that the oil is still leaking, the fish are still toxic, and the Gulf is dying was a lot to wrap their heads around and further pushed them to get this important message to the American people. In the end, they were reminded that large oil corporations put profit before the well being of people and the planet, and that it will take all of us to get out of this mess.
Josh and Rebecca make an unstoppable couple. They are both so completely devoted to changing the future of consumption on this planet, and their marriage only ignites the activist characteristics in each of them. Tim Robbins, who executive produced 'The Big Fix' was also a huge inspiration to the filmmakers. He is courageous and uses his star power to truly make a difference and take a stand for real democracy. At the same time, he has a great sense of humor which is important when you're dealing with issues as heavy as this. Josh and Rebecca were also honored and inspired by working with Jason Mraz, Peter Fonda, and Amy Smart to create this powerful film.
Since the film, Josh and Rebecca have further examined their own lives and contributions to the pressing issue--healing and caring for this planet. According to Rebecca,
Somewhere along the way we fell asleep. "We" being the tribe of people who once knew how to survive on planet Earth. We forgot how to live naturally and intuitively. With the dawn of the industrial revolution we lost awareness of the fundamental principals that connect us to nature and to our most basic instinct to care for our environment so that we can thrive in it. Today - we get in our car, drive to the gym, drive home, drive to work, drive home, drive to the grocery store, drive home and then flip on tv as we fall asleep. All of this so we can pay for our coal powered homes, gas powered cars, food and grown by someone, somewhere that we don't know.
As we have lost connection with our biological instincts, we have abused our role on Earth and pushed our welcome to the very brink. Mother Earth will survive, but whether or not "we" will is up to us.
So where do we go from here? We must use and promote alternatives to oil, coal, nuclear and "natural" gas. We must start growing our own food or joining local CSA's. We need to get out in nature, exercise and remember that we are doing a delicate dance with mother nature and that our survival depends on that.
