H2Oil

Ever wonder where America gets most of its oil? If you thought it was Saudi Arabia or Iraq, you’d be wrong. America’s biggest oil supplier has quickly become Canada’s oil sands. Located under Alberta’s pristine boreal forests, the process of oil sands extrac­tion uses up to 4 barrels of fresh water to produce only one barrel of crude oil.

It goes without saying that water — its deple­tion, exploit­a­tion, privat­iz­a­tion and con­tam­in­a­tion — has become the most important issue to face humanity in this century. At the same time, the war for oil is well underway across the globe. A struggle is increas­ingly being fought between water and oil, not only over them.

Alberta’s oil sands are at the centre of this tension. As the province rushes toward large-scale extrac­tion, the social, eco­lo­gical and human impacts are hitting a crisis point. In only a few short years the con­tinent will be a cris­scross of pipelines, reaching from the Arctic all the way to the southern US, leaving toxic water basins the size of Lake Ontario, and surface-mines as large as Florida.

H2Oil follows a voyage of dis­covery, heart­break and politi­ciz­a­tion in the stories of those attempting to defend water in Alberta against tar sands expan­sion. Unlikely alli­ances are built and lives are changed as they come up against the largest indus­trial project in human history.

2009 / Canada / Colour / in English with optional French or Spanish subtitles / 1.78 anamorphic presentation / Dolby Digital 2.0 / 76 minutes

Director: Shannon Walsh

"Top 10 Independent Docs of 2009!" - Melora Koepke, CBC's The Hour

"Hard hitting…demands to be seen." - Matthew Turner, View London (UK)

SPECIAL FEATURES

• 1.78 anamorphic presentation
• Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack
• Additional scenes and animated segments including extended and updated interviews
• Optional French and Spanish subtitles
• Theatrical Trailer

Product Number: KNS 50166

UPC Number: 8-81751-50166-0