MOVIE

About
Cape Spin! An American Power Struggle is a tragicomic tale of the 10-year battle over America's largest proposed clean energy project - and a microcosm of the obstacles the country faces in the larger struggle to move towards more sustainable forms of energy on a broader scale, or build any large-scale project. When energy entrepreneur Jim Gordon first proposed Cape Wind, a project to put 130 wind turbines in fabled Nantucket Sound, he had no idea that a huge firestorm of opposition would erupt. Cape Spin! tells the incredible tale of how America's first proposed offshore wind farm triggered an unexpected schism in this idyllic coastal region. Neighbor was pitted against neighbor, environmentalist against environmentalist, and unexpected alliances were forged - including Kennedys and Kochs on the same side. Cape Wind supporters claimed that the project would launch a new American clean energy industry; while opponents countered, it would ruin a natural treasure and enrich a private developer. Shot over five years, the filmmakers enjoyed unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to the key players on both sides of the controversy. As a result, the film shows it all -- the hearings, the protests, the science, the complexity of the debate, the passion, and often the absurdities that went into each sides arguments. After 10 years, $70 million and 8,000 pages of analysis the Federal Government approved the wind farm, but the project is still not up and running, as the controversy and debate continues.
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Reviews
"Cape Spin! Aims to separate facts from distortion and let viewers decide about Cape Wind for themselves. (The film) alternates between the sober, lighthearted and even wacky as it breaks down its complex subject and follows debate and protest around the Cape."
Associated Press
"The film is exasperatingly funny, as it features politicians who often exhort the public to embrace 'green' energy projects such as wind farms - but who also happen to own homes with ocean views of Nantucket Sound - arguing against the project."
Boston Globe
"Turns a tragicomedic lens on screaming dissent at public hearings, protests by costumed demonstrators, caustic advertising campaigns against the project and dueling op-ed articles during Mr. Gordon's pursuit of regulatory approval from various layers of government."
New York Times
Extended Details
- Closed CaptionsEnglish