GIMME GREEN & THE WATER FRONT

A documentary that examines the American obsession with the residential lawn, and a film on the fight against water privatization.

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Douglas College (New Westminster, BC)
Tuesday February 26, 2008
Screening begins 16h30
Venue: Room 2201, Douglas College, New Westminster

USA / 2007 / 27 minutes & Canada / 2007/ 53 minutes

SYNOPSIS:
Lawns are undeniably an American symbol.
But what do they really symbolize?
Pride and prosperity? Or waste and conformity?

Gimme Green is a humorous look at the American obsession with the residential lawn and the effects it has on our environment, our wallets and our outlook on life. From the limitless subdivisions of Florida to sod farms in the arid southwest, Gimme Green peers behind the curtain of the $40-billion industry that fuels our nation's largest irrigated crop—the lawn.

Followed by The Water Front:What if you lived by the largest body of fresh water in the world but could no longer afford to use it?

Highland Park, Michigan – the birthplace of mass production is a post-industrial city on the verge of financial collapse. The state of Michigan has appointed an Emergency Financial Manager to fix the crisis. The Manager sees the water plant, which Ford built in 1917 to support his auto industry, as key to economic recovery. She has raised water rates and has implemented severe measures to collect on bills. As a result, Highland Park residents have received water bills as high as $10,000, they have had their water turned off, their homes foreclosed, and are struggling to keep water, a basic human right, from becoming privatized. THE WATER FRONT follows the personal story of Vallory Johnson, who transforms her anger into an emotional grassroots campaign, defending affordable water as a human right.

This community portrait is an unnerving indication of what is in store for residents around the world as cities look to update water systems and face increasingly complex issues such as water shortages and implications of the bottled water industry.

The film raises questions such as; Who determines the future of shared public resources? What are alternatives to water privatization? How will we maintain our public water systems and who can we hold accountable?

Isaac Brown and Eric Flagg spent a year and a half directing, shooting, and editing Gimme Green. The resulting film earned both a Master's degree from University of Florida's Documentary Institute.

The Water Front: Director, Producer, Cinematographer, Editor is Liz Miller.

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