For Immediate Release June 12, 2004 High Plains Films set to release Libby, Montana, the new non-fiction feature by Drury Gunn Carr and Doug Hawes-Davis Contact: High Plains Films (406) 541-3456 or yak@highplainsfilms.org ************************************************ What advance reviews are saying about Libby, Montana “Incisive and unrelenting.” Mother Jones "Emotionally gut-wrenching...To call this film a sprawling and ambitious documentary is an understatement. One can hardly avoid feeling like two hours isn’t long enough to devote to these people who gave their lives to the company mine." Missoulian "Compelling…Libby residents find themselves beleaguered by medical and economic questions in the wake of the mine shutdown and the bankruptcy proceedings of the former owners (as they try to dodge legal liability and the massive cleanup costs). Abandoned by their former employer, residents are divided over where to lay blame - on greedy company officers, or on government officials charged with regulating mining to ensure the public health and safety in Libby and in the 30 states and six countries where products were shipped." Real Screen "Carr and Hawes-Davis have never shied away from eliciting strong emotional responses, but this film reaches a new level. Its depth and pace, as well as the fantastic archival footage, give it gravitas." High Country News "Excellent...the film accurately tells the tale of Libby with…home movies of local families with industry fluff pieces about mining and logging in northwest Montana. That eventually segues into the asbestos story. It paints a picture of a loving, caring family town where something went amiss." The Western News “The film allows viewers to realize what’s going on at the same time the characters do. It enables viewers to have a greater level of empathy for the characters, because there’s the sensation that viewer and subject are going through the troubled times together. The length also allows the filmmakers to abandon the clichés demanded by sound-bite reporting.” Missoula Independent ************************************************ With a true story that unfolds like a Hollywood thriller, Libby, Montana chronicles what the EPA calls the worst case of community-wide exposure to a toxic substance in U.S. history. Through its Zonolite subsidiary, multi-national corporation W.R. Grace for years employed residents of the bucolic mountain town of Libby, Montana to mine and process vermiculite. Used widely in products from home insulation to potting soil, what W. R. Grace and government officials knew -- but failed to reveal to its workers or the citizens of Libby -- was that the vermiculite dust, which coated nearly everything in the town as a result of the industry, contained a particularly lethal form of asbestos. Nearly 1500 people in the small town of Libby (pop. 4,500) have been diagnosed with some form of asbestos-related lung disease, and the U.S. Public Health Service estimates that approximately one third of the population has some type of lung abnormality. Asbestos exposure may still be occurring throughout the town - in homes, schools, playgrounds, and yards. While the filmmakers documented the history of the town and the clean-up efforts of the federal government, the story grew beyond Libby as Congressional leaders in Washington, DC, began debating what to do about the millions of homes and businesses in the U. S. that still contain vermiculite from Libby. Libby, Montana is a journey into a hard-working, blue-collar community that personifies the American Dream gone horribly wrong. Ronald Reagan, the Bush Administration, the E.P.A., Montana politicians and ordinary citizens of the small community of Libby all play a role in this American tragedy. The film is the fourth feature-length project from Montana-based High Plains Films. It was produced, directed, shot and edited by Drury Gunn Carr and Doug Hawes-Davis and features an original score from Alabama musician Ned Mudd. Libby, Montana will soon be released to theatrical, broadcast and educational markets. More information, still images, 2-minute trailer, poster art and more are available at: http://www.highplainsfilms.org/fp_libby.html Advance DVD and VHS copies are available for review by the press, exhibitors and distributors. High Plains Films
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