A blockbuster documentary directed by Emma David exploring the oil industry and its impact on the biosphere and human society will be in Sheffield DocFest Saturday, June 25, 2022.
The Oil Machine explores our economic, historical and emotional entanglements with oil by looking at the contradictory imperatives of oil in the North Sea.
Director Emma David told ecologist: “This documentary was created out of a sense of urgency to solve the oil problem in our backyard. We wanted to express an emotional and analytical view of where the North Sea Oil Company stands.
Complexity
“There seems to be a need to understand how oil is intertwined and embedded in many fundamental aspects of our lives, so we want to bring together the different voices in the interconnected worlds of oil, finance, activism, etc., which don’t usually talk.
“Global oil production is barely mentioned in the COP agreement, yet it accounts for 60% of emissions. We have only five years to make significant changes,” Sir David King noted – how do we address the critical issue of oil in our backyard? “
Filmmaker Sonja Henrici said: “The global oil environment has radically changed since COP26, with greater pressure on local production and energy security, but steps still need to be taken to avoid climate catastrophe.
“We’re not looking for easy answers, but we think the problem needs to be clearly identified and explored so we can move forward.
“By hearing dissenting opinions about the future of North Sea oil, we hope to see the real complexities of transitioning from an oil society.”
