White Water, Black Gold

In order to explore a side of Canada that we do not know, filmmaker David Lavallee undertakes a journey down the Athabasca River. He does not show us a country of pristine nature; on the contrary, we see a country which is one of the top producers of toxic waste in the world. Lavallee presents us with two problematic results of the oil extraction from the so-called tar sands in Alberta province. The first problem is the waste of water. In connection with rapid climate change this can lead to a scarcity of water resources. The second problem is the pollution that is spread over great distances through the river systems and soil. Not only do these toxic substances affect nature, they also reach the plates of the fishermen and hunters who live in the region. Nevertheless, these people’s desperate fight against the oil companies seems in vain and cancer rates are rising. In order to make oil production efficient and to avoid toxic substances, new approaches to the process are needed. On the other hand, it may be better to invest the effort and finances into research in the field of alternative solar and wind energy which, according to Lavallee, have the potential to replace oil entirely. (Academia Film Olomouc)