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Turning Down The Heat: The New Energy Revolution
“I must tell you this is one of the sweetest pieces of work
I've seen in a very long time. You've made a real concerto out
of a potentially dry and pretty lifeless subject. It's smooth
as can be. It never flags. It never ceases to be interesting.
In short, I am awed by your artistry.”
Ross Gelbspan, 1984 Pulitzer Prize Winner and author of “THE
HEAT IS ON: The High Stakes Battle over Earth’s threatened
Climate”.
"It's a gift - an extraordinary opportunity,
not just economic but for the environment, for ecosystems, for
people, for cultures, for societies, and of course, a gift by
us back to the entire earth."
Donald Aitken, Union of Concerned Scientists
It is very rare to hear people talk about a major global environmental
problem in this kind of way - especially a problem so huge, so
threatening and so complex as global climate change. Where's all
the doom and gloom we're supposed to be feeling ?
In stark contrast to many environmental films, the 49-minute
(CBC Version 44:30) documentary film Turning Down The Heat,
(narrated by Dr. David Suzuki and co-produced with the NFB) approaches
the problems of global warming in a manner that leaves the viewer
feeling positively excited about the energy revolution that is
sweeping the world, rather than worried about yet another environmental
horror story. From the thousands of Danish farmers who have struck
co-operative agreements to install windmills on their land to
the Vancouver schoolchildren who are saving money by saving energy,
Turning Down The Heat speaks to the optimist in each
of us.
The problem is the burning of fossil fuels, which release carbon
dioxide, which warms the global atmosphere, which leads to all
sorts of concerns, such as increased floods, droughts, hurricanes
and other nasties. Director Jim Hamm demonstrates that the solutions
lie with the new energy revolution, based around solar and wind
energy, energy efficiency, hydrogen fuel and other breakthroughs.
In Denmark, which is leading the wind-power revolution, wind turbine
manufacturers have quadrupled their production over the past four
years, a rate faster than the growth of cellular phones or internet
servers, generating 13,000 new high-paying jobs.
Turning Down The Heat shows that the same story is emerging
all around the world, from solar energy in Japan, Holland and
Sacramento, to biogas energy in Vietnam and wind energy in Tamil
Nadu, India, to hydrogen fuel and ground source heat in Vancouver.
By exploring the look of the future, the director provides a reassurance
that solutions do exist : it's just a matter of making the policy
commitments to make progress with them. Here in Canada, the government
has provided massive subsidies to the Hibernia oil field and the
oil sands projects in northern Alberta, but almost nothing to
renewable energy. The future is waiting for us, with new jobs
and new technologies : why are we waiting for it?
Key Credits:
Producer & Director - Jim Hamm
NFB Producer - Gillian Darling-Kovanic
Writers - Pj Reece and Jim Hamm
Narrator - David Suzuki
Editor - Shelly Hamer
Cinematographers - Rudy Kovanic, Glenn Taylor and Neville Ottey
Sound - Mark Edwards, Keith Henderson and Eric Davies
Music Composer - Bruce Ruddell
For CBC Nature of Things - Michael Allder
Corporate Credits:
In Association with the CANADIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION with
the participation of the CANADIAN TELEVISION FUND created by the
Government of Canada and the Canadian Cable Industry CTF: Licence
Fee Program and the assistance of ENVIRONMENT CANADA, NATURAL
RESOURCES CANADA, and the CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY.
A co-production of Jim Hamm Productions Ltd., and the National
Film Board Of Canada
>> Interested
in purchasing this film, click here <<
Copyright 1999, JIM HAMM PRODUCTIONS Limited
Awards:
Bronze Plaque, Columbus International Film & Video
Festival
Leo Award nominee for Best Screenwriting in a documentary, Vancouver,
B.C.
Invited to screen at:
Conscientious Projector Film Festival, Bainbridge Island, Washington
EarthVision Environmental Film & Video Festival, Santa Cruz,
California
Hazel Wolf Environmental Film Festival, Seattle, Washington
Planet in Focus, Toronto Environmental Film & Video Festival
Siskiyou Environmental Film Festival, Portland, Oregon
Reviews:
"Now that the debate about global warming is over, Turning
Down the Heat offers a wonderful and hopeful examination of alternative
energy sources -- from hydrogen fuel cells to wind energy. Presented
in clear language, this film is perfect for any K-12 or university
level course that broaches environmental topics."
Mike Sosteric, Managing Editor, Electronic Journal of Sociology
"A super introduction to the field of renewable energy
as a solution to global warming...Compelling and upbeat, Turning
Down the Heat is ideal for schools, colleges, and anywhere a nontechnical
audience can be assembled for a glimpse into the future of clean
energy."
Renewable Building News
"Illustrate(s) the need for humanity to change its...energy
sources...Besides being utilized in environmental classes, this
film is ideal for many others...including...Asian Studies, World
Politics, etc...I highly recommend this monumental film."
Ceferina G. Hess, Political Science, Lander University
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