New Movie ‘How to Blow Up a Pipeline’ Raises Questions about Climate Activism

KQED's Forum

KQED

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.6 • 656 Ratings

🗓️ 26 April 2023

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The new movie ‘How to Blow up a Pipeline’ is a heist thriller about a group of young, mainly Gen Z, climate activists who decide to detonate a Texas pipeline in protest against Big Oil. They strive to risk no lives besides their own and for minimal environmental impact. But the questions remain: is this a valid form of protest? Are they eco-terrorists or activists? As climate change becomes more urgent and systemic solutions remain bogged down, viewers are left wondering what the limits are of effective action. We’ll hear from the filmmakers and from you: Are you an activist? What line do you refuse to cross? Guests: Dan Garber, film editor, "How to Blow Up a Pipeline" Jordan Sjol, co-screenwriter and executive producer, "How to Blow Up a Pipeline" Ariela Barer , co-screenwriter, producer and actor, "How to Blow Up a Pipeline" Forrest Goodluck, actor, "How to Blow Up a Pipeline" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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1:31.2	Coming up on forum, the film How to Blow Up a Pipeline, depicts young climate activists, led
1:36.8	by two from Long Beach, deciding to learn, well, what the title says.
1:41.3	The pulsing thriller has caught the eye of critics and reportedly the FBI
1:45.3	too. We'll hear from the film's creators and talk about the debates the movie portrays, climate
1:50.7	action through the eyes of millennials and Gen Z, and where we draw the line between climate
1:55.9	activism and eco-terrorism. That's next after this news. This is Forum. I'm Guy Marzarati in from Mina Kim. The new movie, How to Blow Up a Pipeline,
2:19.9	is a fictional heist thriller about a group of young, mainly Gen Z climate activists who decide
2:25.5	to detonate a portion of a Texas pipeline as a form of direct action against big oil. There's lots of
2:31.3	high stakes wire splicing, boat cutting, and chemical mixing, but also
	...

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