Julian T. Pinder’s Trouble In The Peace is about a natural gas flare-up in more ways than one – with flaming wells, fire-bombs, and a population divided with many feeling themselves getting sicker with every flare of sour gas.
The provincial government depends on massive revenue from the fossil fuel industry and the sale of sub-surface mineral rights. It offers little solace to increasingly angry Peace River citizens, short of advice to duct tape their windows. Petitions and lobbying are ignored. The province finally takes notice when a series of mysterious pipeline bombings take place. A bounty of $1 million is offered up, one that threatens to create a rift in the community.
“This film inhabits similar territory to my last film, Land,” says director Pinder, “where personal dreams, failures, motivations, and intentions are the focus within a much greater context. Individuals make up the world. And people, not oil, nor the environment, nor territory, are at the core of every conflict, global or local.”
I had the opportunity of meeting Pinder back in 2010 to discuss Land. During our chat, he shared with me he was working on this yet-to-be-named film. He conceded that the topic would contain personal stories but also a bit of controversy. And if like me, you’ve seen other documentaries like Wiebo’s War and Gasland, the issues discussed in Pinder’s latest film will not be ‘news’ to you. But the film can, at least, add another perspective.
As North American citizens are being uprooted by industry, the film tries to establish a metaphor of corporate dominance and its effects on a global and human level. Many see the social, cultural and environmental struggles of the people in developing nations, but do not recognize that these same struggles are happening right here in their own ‘backyard’.
The TVO-produced film has a companion piece with the release of a video game called Pipe Trouble. The game takes a new spin on an old arcade classic and uses satire to prompt larger mainstream discussion for ongoing real-world issues surrounding the exploitation of natural gas. Tasked with building their own pipeline, players try to balance the financial demands of using the least pipe to make the most money against the impact on the local environment and neighbouring farms.
Trouble In The Peace screens in Toronto at The Royal Cinema starting tonight, Friday, March 8th, and continues until March 10th. For screening times, click here.
TROUBLE IN THE PEACE trailer for a documentary 1:43
from Six Island Productions on Vimeo.
