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UID:Indybay-18825490
SEQUENCE:18974016
CREATED:20190814T220900Z
DESCRIPTION:The Great Invisible: A Documentary About the Real People Behind a 
 Disaster\n\nThe explosion and sinking of the “super” drilling rig, the 
 Deep Water Horizon, caused the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Huge 
 amounts of raw petroleum were released continuously into the Gulf of Mexico 
 for eighty-seven days before it was finally capped. The Great Invisible, a 
 documentary by filmmaker Margaret Bowen, is the first full-length attempt 
 to examine the disaster in its social, business, political, and personal 
 contexts.\n\nThe presentation of the first three such contexts is competent 
 and thorough, if not surprising. There are no surprises offered here. 
 People whose memories of the incident have faded in the nine years since it 
 occurred will quickly remember the “macro” aspects of the event: the 
 suspense and danger of the explosion itself, the anxious wait for news of 
 the crew. Later, the self-serving testimony of the British Petroleum 
 executives hauled before Congress, and the stories of ignored safety 
 warnings, foolish corner cutting, and almost universal minimizing and 
 outright lying by industry representatives. Bowen provides many new details 
 that flesh out the above, reinforcing what we already know rather than 
 leading us anywhere unexpected.\n\nIt is the fourth context, the personal 
 dimension, where the tale becomes fascinating. Bowen has lots of interviews 
 with people who have not previously talked publicly about what the spill 
 meant to them, and in many cases, appear to never have been asked about it 
 before. There are parents grieving the loss of sons (11 people were 
 killed), the walking wounded struggling with physical injuries that haven't 
 gone away and PTSD they have no idea how to heal. There are countless 
 workers from the tourist and (especially) fishing industries whose 
 livelihoods died in the oil spill along with the fish and seagulls. There 
 are the long-time residents of the many coastal towns who, despite the 
 promises of visiting politicians, seem to know that things will never 
 “get back to normal.” These are real people struggling to give adequate 
 expression to huge pain and loss that never made it into the media accounts 
 of this unnatural disaster. \nBowen is to be congratulated on seeking out 
 these people and letting them give voice to truths deeper than the 
 “public facts.”\nThe Great Invisible will be screened at Niles 
 Discovery Church (36600 Niles Blvd. in Fremont) at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, 
 September 14, and will be followed by a facilitated audience 
 discussion.\n\nThe Second Saturday Documentary Series is co-sponsored by 
 Niles Discovery Church and the San Jose Peace and Justice Center. Learn 
 more about the series at bit.ly/nilesssds. \n 
 https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/14/18825490.php
SUMMARY:Documentary Screening: "The Great Invisible"
LOCATION:Niles Discovery Church\n36600 Niles Blvd\nFremont, CA 94536
URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/14/18825490.php
DTSTART:20190914T203000Z
DTEND:20190914T233000Z
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