Eco Pirate

Meet the original bad boy of the environmental movement. The guy who thinks protest without action is too submissive. The guy who co-founded Greenpeace and then split when he decided they were too soft. The guy who stalks the waters off Antarctica in a raven-black titanium pirate ship waiting to ram whaling vessels. The guy with so much charisma, he has his own TV show in the United States (fittingly titled Whale Wars). Meet Paul Watson, his colorful crew, his sympathetic supporters and his many detractors in this definitive documentary of a one-of-a-kind rebel and his no-holds-barred quest to save the oceans.

If you thought environmentalists were a bunch of tree-hugging, Muir-spouting wimps, think again. Like another film at ADFF this year, Marshall Curry's documentary about the Earth Liberation Front, Eco Pirate takes us to the most controversial end of the environmentalist spectrum. Director Trish Dolman gives an abridged history of Greenpeace, an organization whose practices have been labeled radical, but her focus remains on Watson. He serves a dual role as captain of his high-tech pirate ship: He is the tough-as-nails leader who will risk his crew's lives in battle, but we also see him suit up to wine and dine big-name supporters like Martin Sheen and Red Hot Chili Peppers singer Anthony Kiedis in the hope of raising money for his mission.

Dolman captures some extraordinary footage on the open seas. Gazing on mighty whales meeting a graceless end as they are skinned whole is hard to swallow, but such gruesome sights provide jolting support for the immediacy of Watson's method.

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  Film & Animation