Pickaxe

It was really good to see how people power can make a difference; they set up a camp fort in Oregon woodland to help protect the trees and woodland from the loggers.

This excellent documentary takes us into another world; the world of rogue loggers and firefighters turned eco-warriors. This documentary is on par with Manufacturing Consent, Waco: The Rules of Engagement, and Breaking the Spell: The Anarchists, Eugene, and the WTO Here is the summary from the promotion: "An arsonist burns 9000 acres of protected old-growth public forest in Oregon that can not be logged unless it burns. To stop the proposed "salvage" logging of this incredible ancient forest, citizens are moved to blockade a road and keep the government out. After facing down a bulldozer and the State Police, the fort now known as the gateway to the Cascadia Free State becomes the focus for a developing community dedicated to protecting ancient forests throughout the mountains of Oregon.

The film shows confrontations with disgruntled loggers, mass arrests and a 75 day hunger strike. Back at Warner Creek activists build teepees and remain a living blockade on the logging road through the winter and ten feet of snow. Political pressure begins to shift and the White House promises a deal but not before Federal Agents come to bust the camp and destroy the fort. The story resolves with incredible footage of a mass jail break-in and unconditional victory for the forest. This inspiring documentary is two years in the making, and crafted from footage shot by more than two dozen people involved in the struggle to save Warner Creek. Principal photography and direction are by guerilla videographer Tim Lewis, award winner at WorldFest in 1998. Codirector/producer Tim Ream was involved in the action on and off the screen. Running Time: 95 minutes"

The message of this film was solid but the delivery was a bit unfocused at times.

They could have made it more educational by showing maps of threatened acreage to emphasis what was at stake, but that's not a big flaw. This is not a staid NOVA style documentary. It's more of a free-form film and the point about soulless land grabs was clear throughout.

Some of the "hippie antics" were overwrought for my taste, though I fully agree with their cause. Someone has to get out there and make a physical stand. It wasn't made clear how many loggers-turned-protesters were there, if any.

It's too bad such protests are rare in much of the world, where poor, overpopulated people are cutting trees themselves with no government bogeyman to blame.