In autumn 2013, the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise—sailing under a Dutch flag—was seized by the Russian coast guard during an attempted protest centered on an offshore oil drilling rig operated by giant Russian energy firm Gazprom in the Barents Sea. The 30 activists and crew onboard were charged with piracy and threatened with prison terms of up to 15 years, until foreign pressure—including a ruling by the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea—led to an amnesty initiated by President Vladimir Putin, who was anxious to resolve the matter before the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Filmmaker Maarten van Rouveroy's Black Ice recounts this politically-charged episode, combining footage taken at sea by the Greenpeace protesters (as well as film shot at detention centers and courtrooms in Russia), overlaid comments from Greenpeace activists, news reports (including official statements and demonstrations against the Russian action), and audio recordings of the communications between the parties involved during the initial face-off. Naturally, the story is told from the perspective of Greenpeace, but even casual observers will conclude that the Russian reaction to the provocation was patently excessive, and a postscript noting that Arctic exploration continues (with a potential for devastating accidents) is obviously designed to encourage continued support for Greenpeace's efforts. An interesting study of contemporary geopolitical brinksmanship, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)
Black Ice
(2014) 52 min. DVD: $295. DRA. Filmakers Library (dist. by Alexander Street Press). PPR. Volume 30, Issue 1
Black Ice
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