Bidding for the Future
The film Bidder 70 chronicles the story of Tim DeChristopher. In the final stages of the Bush presidency, the Bureau of Land Management hosted a controversial Oil and Gas leasing auction. DeChristopher attended the auction as Bidder 70 and bid on the land, purchasing the 22,000 acres for $1.7 million. He had non intention of drilling on the land however, and his act of Civil Disobedience landed him in prison for 2 years following many lawsuits and trials.
This film brought light to issues in government corruption, the land was being sold at the very end of Bush’s administration, and the procedure was rushed to get done before Obama came into office. More than that though, It shed light on the problem of what is done with those charged with Civil Disobedience, After Obama came into office, the plans to auction off the land were dropped, but DeChristopher the charges were not dropped along with them. It was an interesting decision and one which still leaves me puzzled.
In this film I enjoyed that they brought in other people to voice their opinions on issues which were brought up, like Terry Tempest Williams and Bill McKibbon, both of whom’s work I’ve read for other classes. I also like the usage of music, like that of U2 to add to the message because I think music is a powerful tool for this. If I were directing though, I would have put more effort into getting an interview from someone on the opposing side, like someone from the BLM, to get more insight into the issue. I understand it was difficult for the directors to do this, but I think it would have made the film that much better.
