Unity Films

A blog for my college film class

[npeters13]

We are ALL Tim DeChristoper. We are ALL Bidder 70.

This film's call to action could be described in one word: fight. The film is the pre and post story of Tim DeChristopher's trial. Tim DeChristopher took a stand for the environment on December 19, 2008 by attending an auction of land slated to be developed by big oil companies. He outbid many corporation tycoons and bought thousands of acres of Utah desert land. Once the auction was over an people realized he was not a serious buyer and the real journey began. The film was meant to inform the audience about DeChristopher and his message about peaceful civil disobedience. It is up to us to fight for injustice in the world and protect our environment from corporations that would put it in peril.

The film definitely did more then making this issue known to the audience. For one, I personally had never heard this story and knew nothing about Tim DeChristopher or the auction. From the very beginning my attention was captured as the film gave a basic background on the issue and what DeChristopher did. I felt a sort of pride toward this man I didn't even know. I was happy that there are people out there like him will take the extra step and fight for what they believe in. Also he and his followers fight the right way, without violence. The film helped viewers see that if we want the world to change then we have to be the ones to take that first step or raise that number when the auctioneer calls.

[npeters13]

Mission Impossible: Alabama

This week's film was named Eating Alabama. It is about a young couple returning to their home state with one goal: to go though a whole year eating food grown only locally and organically in Alabama. Sometimes driving over 200 miles out of their way to find a farm or a supermarket that sells food grown in Alabama. As they continue their journey they discover a shocking and tragic truth about the farms of Alabama today.

One way that the film does more then just make viewers aware of problems that we already know exist is by telling the viewers about how farmlands have changed over the years. Almost all of Alabama used to be farms and the young couples ancestors owned acres of land. Sadly now in Alabama, a state known for it's farming, nearly all of it's farming land has been destroyed and converted to parking lots and shopping centers. The film makes the issues known by talking to young and old farmers and asking their opinions about how things are now.

[npeters13]

Bringing Back the Beaches

This film did a great job of doing more then just making us aware of problems caused by Hurricane Sandy that we already know about. This movie went deeper into the aftermath of Sandy and the restoration of the areas affected. It was all about the current beach restoration projects going on right now in states like New Jersey. It went deeper by talking to the people in charge of these restoring acts and the ones directly affected like the property owners. The film talks to surfers, town mayors and victims of Sandy trying to find out their thoughts on how to protect the beaches they call home. It showed both the positive and negative sides of using fake sand and bulldozers to make a fake beach.

The movie's call to action is to get people to understand how our coastal communities are being affected by rising sea level. Throughout the last few years, more and more hurricanes and tropical storms have occurred and caused millions of dollars in damages. With higher waves comes higher amount of damages to both the land and the homes. Global warming and climate change has caused a significant rise in sea levels and this threatens our coastal cities and businesses. How long with these manufactured beaches can we keep the power of the ocean at bay? We must fight and ask the real questions to be able to protect our seaside cities for generations to come. 

[npeters13]

Uranium: the Grim Reaper of Colorado

This film did a very good job of doing more then just making us aware of problems with Uranium that we already know about. It connected real life people with problems like our own. We saw the entire situation from their point of view and this really made you not want to pick a side. I felt like both sides had very valid points for and against the mill and I felt like I was caught in the middle of this feud with people that I didn't even know but felt like I was now connected with. The director did an amazing job with showing both sides of the story and there was little to no bias in the film.

By connecting the story to real life people and their families you really get to see things from their perspective. People like Ayngel and Ed and their family desperate for the jobs provided by the mill and the money it would bring into their lives. Or like Tarri the mayor of the small town of Naturita and her need to protect and provide for her people. These are the people who need this mill to survive and choose to ignore the danger uranium mining presents for not only the community but the environment as a whole. Then there is the people who are against this mill. The protesters of the Sheep Mountain Alliance fear for their safety and the safety of their water from the mill. They work hard against the mill and try to convince the town people that they are being tricked by the company and that this mill will only bring death.

Overall this film was very well done. It really made it obvious how big of a problem uranium mining is and the dangers that we all face from it. Still though it didn't make you hate or strongly stand against one side in particular, you felt sorry for both. Suzan Beraza's vision for this movie was to show both sides of this extremely controversial topic while not showing a bias for either side and she succeed beyond measure!