Bidder 70

Opening with a quotation from Martin Luther King, Jr., filmmakers Beth and George Gage's Bidder 70 follows the story of an act of nonviolent eco-resistance. In 2008, the Bush administration allowed a controversial auction of Utah wilderness to mining and energy concerns. After activists failed to halt the sale, Utah college student Tim DeChristopher—who attended—was mistaken for a bidder and given an identifying paddle, Number 70. DeChristopher decided—on the spur of the moment—to thwart the deal, “buying” all of the properties himself (with $1.7 million that he, of course, did not have). As a court date nears, VIP guests such as Robert Redford and Nobel Prize-winner Terry Root voice their approval of DeChristopher's act of monkey-wrenching (his detractors, especially in the present Department of the Interior, declined to be interviewed). Bidder 70 is not about future development plans for the state of Utah; rather, the emphasis is placed on the expressive DeChristopher and his young peers in the group Peaceful Uprising, who vow to fight global warming with creative acts of civil disobedience and...performance art. Granted, street-theater antics look strange out of context, but the point is well made that earlier environmentalists failed to curb mega-corporate influence when they tried to work proper channels within the system. Now DeChristopher and a new generation are ready to break the rules in innovative ways. Extras include a Q&A with DeChristopher. A thought-provoking documentary about the growing field of eco-activism, this is highly recommended. [Note: this is also available with public performance rights for $295 from Bullfrog Films at www.bullfrogfilms.com.] Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)