The Cape Breton chapter of Cinema Politica will be screening the 2009 film H2Oil on May 14 at the McConnell Library in Sydney at 7pm. Admission is free of charge, with donations encouraged to cover the costs of promotional materials and to help Cinema Politica purchase the rights to show films. Screenings are typically followed by an informal discussion session.
H2Oil documents the relationship between water and petroleum resources as it relates to the Alberta Tar Sands. According to the film, the process of separating a single barrel of crude oil from the tar-like heavy bitumen material requires up to 4 barrels of fresh water. H2Oil explores the impact on the environment and communities living downstream from the mega project.
One of H2Oil‘s highlights is a focus on the residents of Fort Chipewyan. Located 300 kilometers north of Fort McMurray, the community deals with high rates of rare cancers and an increasingly polluted watershed as a result of the industrial pollution.
Cinema Politica is a Canada-Based organization with chapters located in communities throughout the world. The non-profit buys screening rights of educational and documentary films, with the intent of fostering knowledge, understanding, and discussion. The chosen films typically deal with subject matter that is underrepresented in mainstream news and arts media, and includes politically-oriented themes dealing with socio-political, cultural, environmental and economic issues.
Past Cinema Politica Cape Breton documentary screenings have included–among others–The Coca Cola Case, The Fight for True Farming, Refugees of the Blue Planet, and The World According to Monsanto.
For more information on Cinema Politica Cape Breton, visit cinemapolitica.org/capebreton.
