28 September: The Oil Machine (film)

Continuing our series of environmental themed films and talks, Calstock Arts is pleased to show the thought provoking The Oil Machine. The distributors have not charged for the film hence the free admission and the film will be followed by a discussion on the themes raised.

Oil has been an invisible machine at the core of our economy and society. It now faces an uncertain future as activists and investors demand change. Is this the end of oil?

By highlighting the complexities of how oil is embedded in our society – from high finance to cheap consumer goods – The Oil Machine brings together a wide range of voices from oil, company, executives, economists, young activists, workers, scientists, and pension fund managers. It considers how this machine can be tamed, dismantled, or repurposed.

We have 5 to 10 years to control our oil addiction, and yet the licensing of new oilfields continues in direct contradiction with the Paris climate agreement. This documentary looks at how the drama of global climate action is playing out in the fight over North Sea oil.

Oil companies are convinced that they can continue to keep drilling while keeping to Net Zero ambitions through adopting new technologies, such as carbon capture But climate scientists are deeply sceptical of the Net Zero concept and the time it would take for these technologies to be effective.

The Oil Machine explores the complexities of transitioning away from oil and gas as a society and considers how quickly we can do it.

Directed by Emma Davie, produced by Sonja Henrici

Rating PG