The Strand Theatre will host 2 special screenings of WINDFALL, the new documentary by Laura Israel about the future of renewable energy.
Wind power… it’s sustainable … it burns no fossil fuels…it produces no air pollution. What’s more, it cuts down dependency on foreign oil. That’s what the people of Meredith, in upstate New York first thought when a wind developer looked to supplement the rural farm town’s failing economy with a farm of their own -- that of 40 industrial wind turbines. WINDFALL, a beautifully photographed feature length film, documents how this proposal divides Meredith’s residents as they fight over the future of their community. Attracted at first to the financial incentives that would seemingly boost their dying economy, a group of townspeople grow increasingly alarmed as they discover the impacts that the 400-foot high windmills slated for Meredith could bring to their community as well as the potential for financial scams. With wind development in the United States growing annually at 39 percent, WINDFALL is an eye-opener that should be required viewing for anyone concerned about the environment and the future of renewable energy.
Director Laura Israel was named one of Filmmaker Magazine's 25 New Faces of Independent Film. Laura is currently working on her next film, a documentary about Robert Frank.
"I began to realize that WINDFALL needed to be a feature length film in order to properly convey the complexities of the issue. The subject of wind energy ends up becoming a backdrop for revealing how a community can become extremely divided over an issue, struggle to work through it and negotiate to move forward together despite their differences." - Laura Isreal, Director
"The film isn't agenda-driven advocacy, but an invitation to think critically about an alternative energy source often presented as a panacea." - Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Fascinating, insightful, and fair. An intimate portrait of one New York community in heavy battle." -Stewart Nusbaumer, Huffington Post
"Provides a much-needed view of the growing backlash against the rapid expansion of the wind industry." -Robert Bryce, Energy Tribune
"Emotionally charged human conflict that results in a genuine cliffhanger."
-Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
"Chilling." -Stanley Fish, New York Times
NY Times CRITIC'S PICK ‘Windfall,’ NYTimes.com
Read a review of the film by Roger Ebert.
Portland Press Herald, 'Windfall' Makes Landfall In Maine
2012/Documentary/USA/82mins
Directed by Laura Israel
Starring Scott Alexander, Frank Bachler, Ron Bailey, Sue Bailey, Rick Beyer, Tara Collins, Eve Kelley, Rosemary Nichols, T. Boone Pickens, Rachel Polens, Marge Rockefeller, Bob Rosen, and Marc Schneider
