Press contact: Julia Pacetti (917) 584-7846 jpacetti@earthlink.net.

Documentary by Environmental Activist and First-Time Filmmaker James Wood up for Social Justice Award

Sneak Preview to air on LINK TV Friday, February 9 & 25 at 8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT and February 17 and March 1 at 11 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. PT

New York, NY, January 25, 2007 – The highly anticipated feature documentary CRUDE IMPACT, by environmental activist and first-time filmmaker James Wood will screen at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on January 28 at 7:00 pm and on January 30 at 10:00 am. This incendiary, taughtly shot and exhaustively researched filmmaking debut uncovers the consequences of our deep-rooted dependency on oil, and the dangers of oil drilling to cultures around the world – including our own. These issues have been of particular concern to the citizens of Santa Barbara since the 1969 oil spill in their community sparked a nationwide environmental movement which, with other environmental events, led to the passage of the National Evironmental Policy Act. CRUDE IMPACT has been nominated for the Santa Barbara Social Justice Award, to be announced on January 28th.

On the making of his film, Wood states, “I just felt so inspired coming back from a trip to the Amazon rainforest. I had to do something and this was it. It was amazing to me that I knew so little about the impact oil extraction – and use – had on the human race and the planet, even though I thought I kept abreast of world events. But this stuff just doesn’t get reported, and since it made such an impact on me I thought other people would want to know about it as well. I felt film was the most universal medium to communicate the information, so I set about learning how to make a film and CRUDE IMPACT is the result of that effort.”

CRUDE IMPACT explores how deeply our current existence depends on fossil fuels, including food production and distribution, and how we might look to the future to deal with the very real possibility of a world without fossil fuels. The film also exposes the concept of Peak Oil, the point in time when the amount of available petroleum declines irreversibly while demand continues to rise. Journeying from the West African delta region to the heart of the Amazon rainforest, from Washington to Shanghai, and from early man to the unknown future, this utterly unique documentary chronicles the collision of our insatiable appetite for oil with the rights and livelihoods of indigenous cultures, other species and the planet itself.

Wood drew his inspiration for the film from his work with the Pachamama Alliance, whose mission is to preserve the Amazon rainforest by empowering its indigenous people and promoting a new global vision of sustainability.

CRUDE IMPACT won the award for best environmental feature film at the Artivist Film Festival, and was chosen as an official selection at both The International Documentary Festival Amsterdam and the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival.

A sneak peek excerpt from the 98-minute, full-length documentary film Crude Impact will air on LINK TV Friday, February 9 & 25 at 8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT and February 17 and March 1 at 11 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. PT. LINK TV is available on DIRECTV channel 375 and DISH Network channel 9410, and on select cable stations. Select programs are streamed on the internet at www.linktv.org.

For complete background information on CRUDE IMPACT, go to www.crudeimpact.com.

ABOUT THE PACHAMAMA ALLIANCE The Pachamama Alliance is based on the recognition that those of us in the modern world share a deep connection with the people who call the rainforest their home, each of us having a critical stake in the health and well being of this vital element in our global life support system. The organization recognizes that indigenous people are the rainforests’ natural custodians, and therefore, key strategies of The Pachamama Alliance focus on strengthening their culture and empowering their ability to stand for and represent their own interests. Form more information, visit www.pachamama.org.