Sweet Crude trailer 2009
Sweet Crude is a documentary film about the Niger Delta of Nigeria — the humanitarian and environmental devastation there in the wake of 50 years of unregulated oil extraction, the history of non-violent protest by Niger Deltans demanding control of their own resources and the emergence of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND).

Sweet Crude Documentary Synopsis

In the summer of 2008, militants from the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) declared an “oil war” in Nigeria. This was one of the biggest spikes yet on a radar screen dotted with conflict and tragedy. The documentary film Sweet Crude is the story of the Niger Delta; of the villagers of Oporoza, headquarters of the insurgency; and of members of the armed resistance who, in the three years since the filmmakers met them as college students, became the young men of MEND.

The Niger Delta is a powder keg. Escalating unrest and kidnappings by militants have shut down as much as 40% of oil production in the region. The Nigerian government continues to make and break a long string of promises to resolve the crisis. The international community is standing by while impending war looms.

Meanwhile, the people of the Delta are suffering as they have for half a century. Billions of dollars of crude oil are pumped out from beneath their feet, while they live in desperate poverty – without means of livelihood in a decimated environment. Oil spills, dredging and acid rain from gas flaring have destroyed habitats, killed the fish population, fouled the soil and poisoned the villagers. Their villages lack potable water, sanitation, infrastructure, healthcare and schools. Job prospects are bleak and people die young.

There is a long legacy of non-violent protest in the Delta. But it has consistently been met by the Nigerian government with violence – not only against individuals who spoke out, but against entire communities. By late 2005, the people had had enough. A new armed resistance, MEND, emerged. They began kidnapping oil workers to bring international attention to the crisis and in the years since, the region has become increasingly unstable. Yet they have repeatedly stated their desire to negotiate. In this moment, there is an opportunity to tip the scales toward peace.

Sweet Crude is about the humanitarian, environmental and economic devastation in the wake of 50 years of oil extraction – and the opportunity for the international community to do something. The film also raises broader issues of oil politics, mass media agendas and the role of independent journalists in getting the truth out.

POSTSCRIPT
The Sweet Crude film crew made four trips to the Niger Delta. In April 2008, while traveling by boat on their way to
a shoot, they and their Nigerian colleague were detained by the Nigerian military. They were imprisoned for a week
and finally released after an international outcry, including a letter to the Nigerian president signed by 14 U.S.
lawmakers. The footage from that last trip remains in the hands of the Nigerian government.

CRUDE – Official Trailer

Three years in the making, this cinéma-vérité feature from acclaimed filmmaker Joe Berlinger is the epic story of one of the largest and most controversial legal cases on the planet. An inside look at the infamous $27 billion Amazon Chernobyl case, CRUDE is a real-life high stakes legal drama set against a backdrop of the environmental movement, global politics, celebrity activism, human rights advocacy, the media, multinational corporate power, and rapidly-disappearing indigenous cultures. Presenting a complex situation from multiple viewpoints, the film subverts the conventions of advocacy filmmaking as it examines a complicated situation from all angles while bringing an important story of environmental peril and human suffering into focus.

A Combined Gallery of images from Sweet Crude and Crude

Check NetFlix for availability.

Those Who Dance
about Shell Oil Company’s crimes in Ireland and Nigeria, and the people who fight back. Shot & edited by Mayyasa Al-Malazi with original music by Camilla Cancantata Additional Footage by Paul Brewster & William Dick of Wavebob, Glenn Ellis, Michael Flanagan & Friends of the Earth London Microscopic Images, Shelley Burgoyne Nancy Elan, violin Ippy Femonic. electric bass Tim Hand, technical assistance Voice Over, Isobel McKenna
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6183325813995181497#

Links to Related Oil/Energy Documentaries and Resources:
Sweet Crude Documentary Website
Crude Documentary website
Crude Impact Documentary
The end of Surburbia
A Crude awakening – The Oil Crash
Who Killed the Electric Car
Platform London

WARNING: NAUGHTY LANGUAGE

Mrs. Betty Bowers, America’s Best Christian, spoofs the misleading television propaganda ads by Big Oil, which attempt to make America feel comfy and cozy about being financially raped. Shill, baby, shill!
MUSIC: (c) Joni Mitchell from the CD “Shine”

Visit Betty at:

www.bettybowers.com

“Hear rare footage of Ken Saro-Wiwa’s last televised interview, juxtaposed with contemporary footage from Channel 4′s Unreported World from the Niger Delta and the creation of a memorial to Saro-Wiwa in London.
Also featuring a photomontage of the remember saro-wiwa project and music by Nigerian-European artist and spectacular singer, Nneka.
Learn more & get active at http://www.remembersarowiwa.com.“

The Anglo-Dutch petrochemicals giant will be accused of asking Nigeria’s military dictatorship to silence Mr Saro-Wiwa and other activists campaigning against ecological damage allegedly brought about by oil extraction.

Mr Saro-Wiwa and eight other campaigners were executed by hanging in November 1995 after being found guilty of what were widely seen as trumped up murder charges.

If found liable, Shell would be forced to pay damages that amount to hundreds of millions of dollars.

More

The Wiwa vs Shell case is scheduled for trial on May 26th, 2009 in federal court in New York City.

Shell Hell - Test for a large scale digital print

The pump jack breathes life into the oil industry and powers the ambulance that rushes grandma to hospital while simultaneously sucking breath out of communities that supply oil. In what has been termed, “the resource curse,” the paradox of oil is that it fuels economies, wealth, exploitation, environmental degradation, poverty and conflict.

Planet in Peril 6:16
Lisa Ling travels to the Niger Delta, where the thirst for oil has created a deadly situation.