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Film Challenges Climate Skeptics

POSTED: October 10, 2012, 12:00 am

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As climate change gets the attention of more Americans due to volatile shifts in weather patterns and the unpredictability of seasonal weather, a new documentary film is set to premier October 19 to challenge climate change skeptics. Produced by filmmaker Craig Rosebraugh and executive director Daryl Hannah, "Greedy Lying Bastards" relentlessly uncovers a trail of environmental destruction, illness and death.

"Greedy Lying Bastards" investigates the reason behind stalled efforts to tackle climate change despite consensus in the scientific community that it is not only a reality but also a growing problem that is placing us on the brink of disaster. The film details the people and organizations casting doubt on climate science and claims that human behavior has no affect on greenhouse gases.

The documentary makes its premier against the backdrop of extreme weather conditions in parts of the United States. There are deadly wildfires in the west and “brown-outs” in the east, and a prediction of wild weather swings in the northeast for the winter. Farmers continue to lose crops due to the worst drought since the Dust Bowl and flooding plagues the nation’s coastal regions and some inland areas. A far different story about climate change is told by the residents of Kivalina, a small Alaskan island above the Arctic Circle. Over the last fifty years, winter temperatures have risen nearly seven degrees and the ice that once protected the land is not forming properly leading to increasing erosion. As one tribal administrator notes: "The debate is over, we are dealing with the realities of climate change."

Between 1998 and 2012, "Greedy Lying Bastards" reports ExxonMobil spent over $25 million to dispel claims of global warming. The Koch brothers, who run the conglomerate Koch Industries, also provide significant funding. From 1997 through 2012, they spent over $60 million. The film reveals that the Koch brothers are bankrolling the Romney campaign contributing an estimated $400 million dollars adding a new dimension to Romney's mocking of Obama's 2008 promise to heal the planet. 'Greedy Lying Bastards' urges Americans to take back the democratic voting process and to boycott Koch Industries and their products – including:

• Georgia Pacific building and paper products
• Angel Soft toilet paper
• Brawny paper towels
• Dixie plates, bowls, napkins, & cups
• Quilted Northern toilet paper
• Vanity Fair napkins

"Greedy Lying Bastards" also presents a shocking analysis of the U.S. Supreme Court decision, Citizens United. According to the film, not only did this 2010 ruling pave the way for unlimited corporate contributions to political campaigns, it has additionally highlighted the blatant corruption of the country's highest Court and its cozy relationship with top corporate interests – including the Koch brothers.

The documentary was filmed in the United States, Tuvalu, Peru, England, Uganda, Kenya, Belgium, Denmark and Germany. It includes interviews with scientists, industry experts and leading international figures, including: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, Rep. Henry Waxman (CA), top U.S. climate scientists Dr. Pieter Tans (NOAA), Dr. Mark Serreze (NOAA), Dr. Michael Mann (Penn State) and Dr. Kevin Trenberth (NCAR), UN Environmental Program Executive Director Achim Steiner, and victims of the 2012 Colorado wildfire and U.S. drought.

Emmy-Award winner Patrick Gambuti Jr. is the co-writer and editor. Executive producer Daryl Hannah sits on the boards of the Environmental Media Association, Eco America, the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance and the Action Sports Environmental Coalition. Grammy-nominated Michael Brook is the composer.

"Greedy Lying Bastards," in advance screenings, won the 2012 EcoFilm Award at the Boston Film Festival and the 2012 Best Feature Documentary Award at the Burbank Film Festival. For more information about the United Nations Association Film Festival go to www.UNAFF.org.

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