RIVERBLUE
- Directed by: Roger Williams & David McIlvride
- Released: 2017
- NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IN CANADA
SYNOPSIS
Following international river conservationist, Mark Angelo, RIVERBLUE spans the globe to infiltrate one of the world’s most pollutive industries, fashion. Narrated by clean water supporter Jason Priestley, this groundbreaking documentary examines the destruction of our rivers, its effect on humanity, and the solutions that inspire hope for a sustainable future.
Through harsh chemical manufacturing processes and the irresponsible disposal of toxic chemical waste, one of our favorite iconic products has destroyed rivers and impacted the lives of people who count on these waterways for their survival. RIVERBLUE brings awareness to the destruction of a some of the world’s most vital rivers through the manufacturing of our clothing, but will also act as a demand for significant change in the textile industry from the top fashion brands that can make a difference.
SELECTED SCREENINGS & EVENTS
- Vancouver International Film Festival – Nominated for the Impact Award
- Cleveland International Film Festival
- Sarasota Film Festival
- DC Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital
- Wild & Scenic Film Festival, Nevada City
- Voices from the Waters, Bangalore, India
- San Francisco Green Film Festival
- San Diego Film Festival
- Reel Earth Film Festival, New Zealand
- The London School of Economics and Political Science
- Nigeria Fashion Revolution
- The Climate Festival, Oslo
- Vatavaran – International Environmental & Wildlife Film Festival, New Delhi
- Turkish Sustainable Living Film Festival
- Cine’Eco, Portugal
- Caribbean Fashion & Arts Feature Festival, Trinidad
- Fashion Film Festival, Tallinn, Estonia
- Berlin International Film Festival
- Borneo Eco Film Festival, Malaysia
- Raindance Film Festival, London, UK
- Patagonia Eco Film Festival, Argentina
- Planet On Film Festival, Bogota, Columbia
- Iran International Green Film Festival
- Green Film Fest, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- FIDM, Los Angeles
- Madrid International Film Festival
- Calgary International Fashion Film Festival
- EarthxFilm Festival
... +70 More Screenings Worldwide
"Recommended" by Video Librarian - Full Review
Jason Priestley narrates this documentary by Roger Williams and David McIlvride centered on the ghigh environmental cost of produing fashionable but inexpensive clothes like pre-distressed jeans. The film follows activist Mark Angelo as he visits various countries–India, China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and locales in Africa–where tanneries and textile factories use toxic chemicals in garment production and pour the waste into rivers, resulting in severe pollution. Angelo talks with owners and workers who usually deny that processes they employ are doing ecological damnage, although the visual evidence indicates otherwise, as do witnesses who testify to the harmful impact that the pollutants have had on nearby residents, including children. Riverblue also includes interviews with some designers who were instrumental in concocting the chemical cocktails used in producing the clothing (and now regret the result), researchers who are devising safer (if more expensive) means of achieving the same effects and supporters of a Greenpeace campaign to detoxify polluted rivers. The question the film inevitably raises is whether consumers will be willing to spend more for clothes in order to protect the environment–laying down a challenge to viewers to join a crusade to save the planet. Presenting both the full-length version and a 52-minute abridgement, this is recommended.