Product Description
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Product Description
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THE LAST AIN is a spellbinding tour along the frontlines of
America's most spirited battle over the environment and the
economy. Set deep in the heart of Appalachian West Virginia, this
consciousness-raising film captures a rowdy band of citizens as
they try to stop a giant coal company from blowing up a pristine
ain for its coal. A tale of greed and courage, folly and
forward-thinking, THE LAST AIN is brimming with the coal
hard facts and vivid testimony from the hardscrabble people whose
lives are intertwined with coal.
Featuring environmental activist and lawyer Robert Kennedy Jr.
and the stunning visuals of Appalachia, THE LAST AIN is
informative, stirring, and most importantly, inspiring (Hollywood
Reporter). Not only a searing indictment of America's energy
policy, this powerful film also points the way to a brighter,
greener future.
Special Features
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* Outtakes and Deleted Scenes
* Artist PSAs in support of The Last ain: Emmylou Harris,
Naomi Judd, Kathy Mattea
* Official Trailer
.com
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The Last ain is an environmental documentary about
ain-top-removal coal mining, but it is also an exploration
of the threat that strong corporations can pose to democracy. Set
in the stunning Appalachians, The Last ain chronicles how
coal company Massey Energy is currently blowing the tops off of
ains to collect coal, dumping the waste into local gullies
and man-made storage lakes, and then "reconstructing" the
ain tops. The negative effects of this coal-mining practice
are huge, including everything from deforestation, increased
local flooding, and deteriorating water quality to negative
impacts such as increased rates of cancer, autism, asthma,
and premature death in local populations. The process even
contributes to job loss, thanks to its highly mechanized nature.
The film goes on to describe the extensive influence Massey
Energy has over local government, and the even wider influence of
the coal-mining industry on countrywide government, highlighting
the negative environmental and political ramifications of such
unchecked power. Juxtaposed with that enormous political clout
are a host of local citizens, among them a waitress, a former
marine, a 92-year-old grandmother, and a school-age child and her
grandher, who've banded together with the help of
environmental activist and lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to se
ain-top-removal coal mining. They are joined in their
protest by Climate Ground Zero, a group of environmentalists from
around the United States who are committed to using nonviolent,
civil disobedience to fight what they consider to be a crime
against humanity. The film features interviews of individuals
from Massey Energy, local government, the Appalachian community,
and Climate Ground Zero, as well as Kennedy. Local citizen
Lorelei bro's proposal for an alternative, completely
sustainable and renewable wind-energy project is explored, along
with a similar project that's been highly effective in the
community of Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Reference is also made to
the recent gains for sustainable energy made under the Obama
administration, but while the film celebrates the power of a few
individuals to make a difference, it ends with the disheartening
reality that mining continues and current government efforts are
simply not enough to protect the last remaining ain in
Appalachia. The footage of Appalachia in this film is both
stunningly beautiful and horrifically disturbing, and the message
that everyone on earth is connected to, and affected by, this
issue is crystal clear. Bonus features consist of 51 minutes of
outtakes and deleted scenes that include many powerful interviews
with local individuals and Kennedy, as well as a closer look at
the Portsmouth wind-power project. The "Question and Answer"
segment with director Bill Haney and Kennedy was taped following
a June 9, 2011, screening of the film and is really
misnamed--it's actually two roughly 12-minute speeches by Bill
Haney and Kennedy, followed by a discussion sparked by one
audience member's fear that America's reliance on coal might
someday be replaced by the equally dangerous prospect of nuclear
power. The DVD also includes artist public service announcements
by Emmylou Harris, Naomi Judd, and Kathy Mattea, as well as the
official film trailer, a filmmaker biography, and basic
information about film company Docurama. --Tami Horiuchi
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Review
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A moving portrait. --Los Angeles Times
A skillful and highly compelling enviro-documentary. --Salon.com
Eye-opening and infuriating. --LAWeekly.com
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