Although they snubbed fantastic films like Senna, Into the Abyss and The Interrupters, the Academy has selected a solid batch for their Best Documentary Feature. My personal pick is the excellent football documentary Undefeated, but today we have another contender, the environmental doc If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front.
PBS has now put up Marshall Curry’s film up to stream for full on their site. The mix of terrorism threat portrayed in the film seems to be a fascinating twist and I’ve only heard great things about this one. If you want to catch up on some of the under-seen Oscar nominations, check it out below in full until March 4th.
Synopsis:
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front explores two of America’s most pressing issues — environmentalism and terrorism — by lifting the veil on a radical environmental group the FBI calls America’s “number one domestic terrorism threat.” Daniel McGowan, a former member of the Earth Liberation Front, faces life in prison for two multimillion-dollar arsons against Oregon timber companies. What turned this working-class kid from Queens into an eco-warrior? Marshall Curry (Oscar®-nominated Street Fight, POV 2005) provides a nuanced and provocative account that is part coming-of-age story, part cautionary tale and part cops-and-robbers thriller.
The Academy Awards air on Sunday, February 26th. Check out more info on If a Tree Falls on the official site.