The Price Of Progress

Winner of a Red Ribbon at the American Film & Video Festival, this investigatory film about the projects which are funded by the World Bank--often with accompanying ecological disasters--is hosted and narrated by Bob Geldof, the former rock singer turned human rights activist. The Price of Progress focuses on the results of projects in Brazil, Indonesia, and India where large scale development has almost always resulted in increased ecological problems and/or the removal of indigenous peoples to substandard settlements. It is estimated that during the years 1979-1983 some 25 projects have been funded by the World Bank which ultimately involved the displacement of people. Many of the interviewees are bank employees, who offer various explanations and reasons for the bank's actions, ranging from the argument that the bank lends but does not dictate how the money is to be used, to the assertion that the bank is doing everything in its power to examine the ecological consequences of proposed projects. In its convincing portrayal of the bank as an institution that deals in millions, not chump change, the film is quite persuasive in its argument that the interests of big business are being placed before the true economic, sociological, and ecological repercussions of the numerous Third World projects financed by the World Bank. A disturbing film. Highly recommended for those libraries who can afford it. (Available from: Bullfrog Films, Oley, PA 19547. 1-800-543-FROG.)