Blue Gold – World Water Wars – May 13, 2009
In every corner of the globe, we are polluting, diverting, pumping and wasting our limited supply of fresh water. On May 13, Awareness Film Night will present the film “Blue Gold – World Water Wars”. Playing to sold-out crowds around the world, this award-winning documentary is a must-see for everyone on the planet. The film’s director Sam Bozzo explains: “In the science-fiction film ‘The Man Who Fell To Earth’, David Bowie famously portrayed an alien from a planet running out of water. He left. We cannot. Ironically, it was while researching and writing a sequel to that film, where we imagined a futuristic earth itself running out of water, that my producer Si Litvinoff found the book ‘Blue Gold: The Battle Against Corporate Theft of the World’s Water’ (by the Council of Canadians’ Maude Barlow and Tony Clarke). I was horrified to discover that what was happening on our planet now was worse than what we were dreaming up for science fiction”
Bozzo based his film on Barlow and Clarke’s book and travelled the world to examine what life with little or no water is like. He follows numerous worldwide examples of people fighting for their basic right to water, from court cases to violent revolutions to local protests at grammar schools. The film examines corporate giants forcing developing countries to privatize their water supply for profit, corrupt governments using water for economic and political gain and the emerging scenario of military control of water, setting the stage for possible world water wars. But “Blue Gold” is not about hopelessness. The final chapter of the film, titled “The Way Forward” presents ideas that will help the world avoid water-related catastrophes.
Winner of the “Audience Choice Best Environmental Documentary” at the recent Vancouver International Film Festival, “Blue Gold” is produced by Mark Achbar (“The Corporation”) and Si Litvinoff (“The Man Who Fell To Earth”) and is narrated by Malcolm McDowell. Living in Canada, we need to pay special heed to this issue because Canada is home to a large percentage of the Earth’s fresh water. “Blue Gold – World Water Wars” will be shown at 7 p.m. at the Edward Milne Community School theatre. Admission is by donation.
