Event Start:
Thursday, November 19, 2009 - 7:00pm St. Anthony Park Library, the event is free with refreshments
A Toxic Comedy Look at Vinyl, The World’s Second Largest Selling Plastic
With humor, hope and a piece of vinyl siding firmly in hand, Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Judith Helfand and co-director Daniel B. Gold travel from Helfand’s hometown to America’s vinyl manufacturing capital and beyond in search of answers about the nature of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Her parents’ decision to “re-side” their house with this seemingly benign cure-all for many suburban homes turns into a toxic odyssey with twists and turns that most ordinary homeowners would never dare to take. The result is a humorous but sobering and uniquely personal exploration of the relationship between consumers and industry.
Although the film reveals a complex web of alleged corporate conspiracies and the tragic loss of human life from chemical exposure, Blue Vinyl also poses a refreshingly simple question: “Is it possible to make products that never hurt anyone at any point of their life cycle—when manufactured, when used, or when disposed of?”
Helfand leads the audience on an international journey using a scrap of blue vinyl siding left over from her parents' renovation as a calling card and conversation starter. The film's quirky, fun and irreverent style—coupled with its clear mission for environmental health and justice—uniquely places it at the nexus between the worlds of entertainment and corporate accountability.
Winner of the Excellence in Cinematography Award at the Sundance Film Festival
