Planet in Focus International Environmental Film & Video Festival 2010

After hearing about a library built by the Nigerian government, oil companies and the local community, Cioffi sets off to the Niger Delta region to film a documentary. An organized protest breaks out over exploited resources and the local community during the library’s opening ceremony and the documentary turns into a different topic altogether. A far larger, more complex story is revealed and the result is the award-winning Sweet Crude. From corrupt news reporting by Nigerian and U.S. TV stations, oil interests by Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron (Nigeria produces over 10 per cent of the world’s oil) and a history of divide and conquer colonialism, the Nigerian people have been left to pick up the pieces. With compelling characters, high-production values and a memorable score, Sweet Crude tells both the political legacy of the region and the human story that goes along with it. Kathleen Mullen