NEWS RELEASE
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| Josh Tickell |
Josh Tickell, a documentary director who focuses on sustainable energy and environmentally conscious films with a social impact, will present a special lecture and screening of his film, "FUEL," on Tuesday, Oct. 19, at Park University's Parkville Campus.
The event, held in the University's Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel, will begin at 11:30 a.m. with a free viewing of the film, followed by an hour-long educational presentation by Tickell and the producer of the film (and his wife), Rebecca Harrell Tickell, starting at approximately 1:30 p.m. A question-and-answer session will follow. The event is free and open to the public.
"FUEL" won the 2008 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for Best Documentary. The film also added the Best Screenwriting Award and Most Compelling Documentary Award at the Sedona (Calif.) Film Festival, and the Current Energy Environmental Award at the AFI Dallas Film Festival.
The documentary is a comprehensive and entertaining look at energy in America: a history of where we have been, our present predicament and a solution to our dependence on foreign oil. Rousing and reactionary, "FUEL" is an in-depth, personal journey of oil use and abuse as it examines wide-ranging energy solutions other than oil, the faltering U.S. auto and petroleum industries, and the latest stirrings of the American mindset toward alternative energy. It is a powerful portrait of America’s overwhelming addiction to, and reliance on, oil.
"I was taught more than 20 years ago that oil supplies were expected to run out around 2070," said Scott Hageman, associate professor of geology and chair of Park's Department of Natural and Physical Sciences. "That date made an impression on me then but it sounded so far away when it was still the 20th century. Today, just the fact that oil companies are now calling themselves energy companies shows that even they do not expect oil to last forever and are retooling for the future."
Among the celebrities/environmental activists highlighted in the film are Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group of companies; actors Larry David, Larry Hagman, Woody Harrelson and Julia Roberts; and singers Sheryl Crow, Willie Nelson and Neil Young.
In addition to his directorial work, Josh Tickell is the author of two books on sustainable energy: From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank -- The Complete Guide to Using Vegetable Oil as an Alternative Fuel, and Biodiesel America. Having grown up in the polluted bayous of south Louisiana, Tickell was extensively involved in hurricane disaster relief efforts. His nonprofit organization was selected by President Bill Clinton as a part of the Global Initiative on Climate Change.
For more information about the film, visit http://thefuelfilm.com. For more information about the Tickells, visit http://joshtickell.com. In addition, check out a clip from Josh Tickell's "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" appearance in February 2009 at http://blip.tv/file/1793573.
