CZFF Recipient: Blood and Oil
2008 / USA
Produced by the Media Education Fund
http://www.bloodandoilmovie.com/
Based on the book by Michael T. Klare, defense correspondent for The Nation magazine, this new documentary corrects the historical record about the role of the dirty three-letter word in American politics and foreign policy. The film unearths declassified documents and highlights forgotten passages in prominent presidential doctrines to show how concerns about oil have been at the core of American foreign policy for more than 60 years – rendering our contemporary energy and military policies virtually indistinguishable. In the end, Blood and Oil calls for a radical re-thinking of US energy policy, warning that unless we change direction, we stand to be drawn into one oil war after another as the global hunt for diminishing world petroleum supplies accelerates.
Support from the Conflict Zone Film Fund was allocated towards researching and acquiring some of the necessary archival footage, to support the films thesis about America’s 60-year dependency on foreign oil. Some of this hard to find footage is from government and industry promotional films and newsreels, historical and contemporary footage of everyday reality and violent conflict in the world’s most oil-rich regions, and declassified documents and tapes detailing the evolution of a consistently militaristic U.S. energy policy from World War II through to the current war in Iraq. Only by understanding the historical roots of our contemporary conflicts can we work to prevent future wars.
