Petropolis has won the “Prix du jury du jeune public de la Société des Hôteliers de la Côte” at Visions du Réel!

The award was received by Peter at the festival in Nyon, and all of us connected to the production couldn’t be happier!

Thanks to the jurors, the viewing public and all the wonderful staff at the festival. We had an amazing time and loved the experience.

Our first reviewer, Swissinfo.ch, had this to say about the film in yesterday’s edition:

“Petropolis: Aerial Perspectives on the Alberta Tar Sands is an aesthetic shock. Against the backdrop of a heavy stretch of music, we see paintings of iridescent brown, grey and yellow alongside roads where voracious excavators crawl and monstrous trucks come to feed.

The effectiveness gains with each visual blow. Swarms of mechanical insects, liquid vomiting, chimneys exhaling fumes and undefined sulfur complexes, these visions that Mettler filmed in less than four hours are unforgettable. They are images that prick the emotions and associate ideas more than reason can.”

It’s a rough translation, but you get the idea. For the original, please visit this page.

And last but not least, S. Holck sent in this great comment:

“I had the fortune to be at the film’s premiere showing in Nyon yesterday. I was affected in a very deep way, and want to congratulate all those who worked to make this brilliant, stunning, shocking film possible. I am not in the film industry or a particularly active environmentalist; I am a public health doctor at the World Health Organization. This film has provoked me to find ways to become more of an activist on environmental protection issues, as well as to be more responsible in my personal actions. I am sharing the website with all my friends, and I thank you deeply.”

Thank you so much!

Peter Mettler chats about Petropolis at film's first screening

The loud, appreciative applause told the story. The first screening of Petropolis at the Visions du Réel was a success. Sitting in the front row, I could turn around and see the reaction on the 350 faces that packed the Salon Communale last night in Nyon, Switzerland.

The screening was followed by a Q&A with director Peter Mettler and we didn’t have enough time to handle all the questions (ranging from a query on Prime Minister Harper’s support of the tar sands to the shooting process). We did, however, gather outside afterwards and chat with a number of people and received invitations to other film festivals, which was quite encouraging.

The film next screens on Tuesday.

In other news, Greenpeace activists in Norway met Statoil employees in Oslo this morning with a 40-feet long container and information pamphlets talking about the company’s investment in the “dirty” tar sands. Statoil will hold a vote on the company’s future in the tar sands on May 19th.

Welcome to the Petropolis blog. This space will update information on the tar sands and the film with contributors ranging from production to campaign and creative.

In just three short days the film will debut at the Visions du Réel film festival. I expect to post reaction from Nyon, Switzerland as well as Alberta, Canada where the film is certain to generate some discussion.

But before we get ahead of ourselves, I’d like thank a few of the inspiring people who made this film, the webisodes and website a reality. First and foremost, my thanks go to Peter Mettler. His resolve, enthusiasm and filmmaking genius are singular.

To my colleagues at Greenpeace, I thank them for their support. Laura Severinac in particular played a large role by first introducing us to Peter and then lending her talent to every aspect of production. Sandy Hunter doesn’t work for Greenpeace, but for one year he contributed enough energy and expertise to transform the organization into a successful production company.

Please take a moment to visit our Credits page for all the amazing, talented individuals and companies who deserve more praise than I can acknowledge here.

Spencer Tripp
Executive Producer