If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front

If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front

Promotional poster for If a Tree Falls
Directed by Marshall Curry (director), Sam Cullman (co-director)
Produced by Marshall Curry, Sam Cullman
Written by Marshall Curry, Matthew Hamacheck
Music by James Baxter
Cinematography Sam Cullman
The National
Edited by Matthew Hamacheck, Marshall Curry
Distributed by Oscilloscope Laboratories
Release dates
  • January 21, 2011 (2011-01-21) (Sundance)
  • June 22, 2011 (2011-06-22) (United States)
Running time
 85 minutes
Language English

If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front is a 2011 American documentary film by filmmaker Marshall Curry. It tells the story of eco-terrorist Daniel G. McGowan of the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), from his first arson attacks in 1996 to his 2005 arrest by the Department of Justice. The film also examines the ethics of the ELF at large and how terrorism is to be defined.

Premiering at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, If a Tree Falls was rapidly acclaimed by critics. Many considered it one of the best documentaries of 2011 for its thought-provoking portrayal of complex environmental and political issues. It won a number of awards, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Plot

Daniel McGowan first became involved with the ELF in 1996.

The Department of Justice launched Operation Backfire to find the arsonists.

In 2006, McGowan was arrested. Signing a plea agreement, he was sentenced to 7 years in prison.

Production

Director Marshall Curry knew Daniel McGowan through his wife's work.[1] McGowan did not strike him as the terrorist type, so after his 2006 arrest, he was intrigued to find out what led him to his radical course of action.

Release

If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the award for Best Documentary Editing. Oscilloscope Laboratories would subsequently pick it up for theatrical distribution.

PBS broadcast the film on September 13, 2011, as part of its POV series.

Reception

Kenneth Turan at the Los Angeles Times called it "one of the best documentaries of the year"[2] and the New York Times said it was "an extraordinary documentary... [a] fearless exploration of complexity in a world drawn to oversimplified depictions of events and problems, heroes and villains."[3]

The organisms involved also responded favorably.[1]

Awards

If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front won the award for Best Documentary Editing at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and earned director Marshall Curry his second Academy Award nomination.

References

  1. 1 2 "If a Tree Falls-Press Notes" (PDF). ifatreefallsfilm.com. 2012-11-13.
  2. ↑ Turan, Kenneth. "Kenneth Turan's film picks: 'If a Tree Falls,' 'Honeymoon Killers'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  3. ↑ Revkin, Andrew. "If a Tree Falls, Can it Win an Oscar?". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  4. ↑ "The 84th Academy Awards 2012". Oscars.org. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  5. ↑ "If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front". Sundance Institute. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  6. ↑ "2011 DALLAS International Film Festival Announces Award Winners". Vimooz. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  7. ↑ Smith, Nigel M. ""Weekend" & "If a Tree Falls" Win Big in Nashville". Indiewire. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  8. ↑ "Santa Cruz Film Festival Awards". Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 14 May 2015.

External links


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/14/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.