LUNA Cinema Politica presents-Wiebo's War

Friday February 3rd

WIEBO'S WAR

Wiebo Ludwig is the prime suspect in a recent string of pipeline bombings. The bombings echo a campaign of sabotage he waged against the oil and gas industry in the 1990s – barricading roads, blowing up stuff, vandalism... culminating in the unsolved death of a sixteen-year-old girl on his family's farm.

Wiebo’s Trickle Creek Farm is off the grid and self-sufficient. It also sits atop one of the largest fields of natural gas on the continent. Despite the Ludwig family’s concerns and protests over the potentially harmful impact of sour gas on their health and sustainability, a series of wells were drilled in close proximity to their remote Christian community. Soon after, livestock began to die, and the family started to experience health problems, including a series of miscarriages. After five years of being dismissed and ignored by industry, politicians and the press, Ludwig went to war.

“Ludwig may well be an eco-terrorist and a charismatic cult leader — a biblical patriarch who goes to war against an industry that’s encroaching on his land with sour gas wells. But this documentary reaches beyond the headlines to find some credible sympathy for Ludwig. His self-sufficient farm is impressive, and so is his family… Without necessarily endorsing Ludwig’s tactics, WIEBO’S WAR presents a sympathetic portrait of the horrors his community has had to endure…” Brian D Johnson · Maclean’s

LUNA and Cinema Politica invited Wiebo Ludwig to talk at this screening, however Wiebo declined. His cancer has made him too ill to travel.

Post-film discussion will be led by Kim Slater, Environmental Coordinator for the Resort Municipality of Whistler. Kim holds an MA in International Relations from the University of Toronto and is training for the Edge to Edge marathon this June, which she is using to build awareness around proposed pipeline expansion projects and the impact they will have on Canadian values such as clean water, intact pristine boreal forest, sacred fishing grounds, climate change commitments, jobs and Canada’s reputation abroad. Slater plans to raise funds to protect the Great Bear Rainforest, which is being threatened by Enbridge’s Northern Gateway pipeline proposal. 

Cinema Politica Whistler screens independent documentary films covering important socio-political, environmental, cultural and economic issues in Canada and worldwide.

Admission is by donation and is open to everyone. Casual discussions follow each screening. BYO mug for a free organic, Fair Trade tea. Doors open at 6:30PM, films begin at 7:00PM with discussion and opportunities for action afterwards. Inspire the activist in you!

Cinema Politica (CP) is the largest grassroots documentary screening network in North America. CP’s main objective is to promote, disseminate, exhibit and promote the discussion of political cinema by independent artists with an emphasis on works that tell stories underrepresented by mainstream media, including narratives around political struggles within Canada, and stories that deal with oppression and/or identity politics.