#timdechristopher

[paxlupo]

Upper class gas. #boston #timdechristopher #resistthebackbaypipeline (at Copley Square)

[clathrop2616]

Environmental Justice for Utah

This week at the Unity College Centre for Performing Arts we watched the documentary film, Bidder 70. This film was about a young gentleman named Tim DeChristopher who made a distinguished act that changed his life. DeChristopher attended an illegal auction that was being held to sell off parcels of land surrounding the Canyonlands National Park in Utah. The buyers of this land, BLM oil companies. They wanted to buy the land and then turn it into oil drilling facilities that would wreck the Canyonlands. So what did Tim DeChristopher do? As he was sitting there watching all the parcels being sold off he started to bid, buying up pieces of land and racking up 22,000 acres of land that was worth $1.7 million dollars. In my personal opinion DeChristopher did all of us a favor, not just those in Utah but anyone who has ever dreamed of seeing the canyons and rock plateaus of the west. After the auction DeChristopher had to go through a trial that kept getting put off and put off over a span of two years. SPOILER ALERT, the trial resulted in Tim being found guilty and sentenced two years in jail with 750,000 worth of fines. Through the two years of the trial DeChristopher founded Peaceful Uprising, a group that empowers and defends the American people through non-violent actions. Because the auction wasn’t legal in the first place Tim DeChristopher should never have faced prison time rather fines and a hefty amount of community service project that helped the environment. I think that the purpose of this film was to get the awareness out of the truth behind the story and also get others thinking about how we need to start standing up against these big industries that think it is okay to take what isn’t theirs and just destroy it for future users. Though I can honestly say, I didn’t really like this film. Compared to the other documentaries we have seen this semester I couldn’t fathom why you needed to stretch the story so long to take up 73 minutes. It seemed to drag on much longer than needed. Not to mention there wasn’t a real good plot. I mean yes it was basically a biography of this kids actions but it just didn’t get anyone interested enough. We were interested and moved, but not enough. I think if I were the film maker I would definitely shorten it up some, and maybe get a little more of the court story, add the oil companies plans and story? Perhaps interview some folks that were there at the auction. But overall personal opinions aside the film was about a 6.

[divinedocs]

We're finishing off our Divine Docs project this month with a few final screenings across Canada, and even one international screening!

  Tomorrow evening: Cinema Politica Gothenburg & the Society of International Affairs Gothenburg present BIDDER 70 in Sweden, with a discussion to follow.

[divinedocs]

[not-the-destination]

http://everettruesswildernesssong.com/