GREEN GREEN WATER (2006)
Directed by Dawn Mikkelson
Co-Directed by Jamie A. Lee
DP - James M. Fortier
“Green Green Water follows U.S. consumer, Dawn Mikkelson, as she traces the source of her ‘green energy’ back to the displacement of the indigenous Cree and Metis in Northern Manitoba. Whitewashed under auspices of renewable energy, power suppliers Xcel Energy and Manitoba Hydro provide cheap hydro-electric power to Minnesota – energy that comes at the price of mass flooding, destroyed land and devastated communities, a far cry from the ‘clean and green’ tranquility of the energy company’s posters. Dating back to pressured agreements signed in the 1970s, the hydro-electric dams harshly disrupted the sustainable practices of indigenous life. Now, as a new set of dams are being proposed, the communities stand at the crossroads, divided. Some advocate partnership in the development of new projects, hoping to spark the economy and a new way of life; others continue to resist government pressure, choosing to maintain the integrity of indigenous tradition. A cautionary tale of consumer consciousness, Green Green Water exposes the important story of displacement, resistance and insidious public relations that lie beyond the energy grid.” — Anita Wong, Planet In Focus Environmental Film Festival, 2006.
Broadcast History
Free Speech TV & WDSE, PBS-Duluth, MN
Festival/Screenings
World Premiere: 2006 imagineNATIVE Film Festival (Toronto)
U.S. Premiere: 2006 American Indian Film Festival (San Francisco)
Other festival screenings: Planet In Focus International Film Festival (Toronto), Cambridge Film Festival (England), City Pages: Get Real Documentary Film Festival (Minneapolis), the Washington DC Environmental Film Festival, Yukon International Film Festival, Environmental Film Festival (Saskatoon, SK), The Native Spirit Film & Video Festival (London, UK), See the Light Energy Festival (Minneapolis), Northern Lights Film Festival (Ely, MN), Duluth Environmental Film Festival, Nit-Aski: An Environmental Awareness (Moose Factory, ON), One World Film Fest (Ottawa), Red Fork Native American Film Festival (Tulsa, OK).
Special invite screenings: Zaragoza International Water Expo in Spain, American University (presented by NRDC, Washington, D.C.), National Film Board of Canada’s Citizen Shift “Water” Tour, Society for the Study of Social Problems Annual Conference & Film Exhibit (New York, NY), Bell Museum of Natural History (Minneapolis), Ottawa University (KS), Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College (Cloquet, MN), Macalester College (St. Paul, MN), Vermillion Community College (Ely, MN), & Mesabi Range Community & Technical College (Virginia, MN).
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