Wild & Scenic Film Festival 2019 - The Reluctant Radical
If a crime is committed in order to prevent a greater crime, is it forgivable? Is it, in fact, necessary? THE RELUCTANT RADICAL follows activist Ken Ward as he confronts his fears and puts himself in the direct path of the fossil fuel industry to combat climate change.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Lindsey Grayzel
Watch The Reluctant Radical on Kanopy, Vimeo on demand and Prime Video
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Character-driven documentaries are my passion, and when I met Ken Ward I realized pretty quickly that he would be a great subject for a documentary film. I met Ken in 2015, and at that time I was concerned about climate change, though not to the same degree that I am now. It is insane that the world has largely ignored the problem for decades, to the point that we are on the knife’s edge of disaster now with no effective plan in place . Conversations with Ken made me realize how dire the climate situation is, but it was Ken's personal story and his determination that drove me to make the film. Ken is steadfast and refuses to ignore or water down the implications of climate change. His personal experience is a great way to comment on the larger problem.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
The film is a portrait of courage. It is inspiring to get to know Ken personally, and then witness him taking action guided by his moral principles. He pays a heavy personal price for his dedication, yet has no regrets. To witness another person taking action with moral conviction, in the face of great odds, naturally leads the audience to imagine what we could accomplish if we all followed our convictions with such dedication. Despite the heavy topic, there is a lot of humor throughout the film, as Ken is a likable and quirky guy, with a dry wit. It’s also fascinating to have a front row seat to the actions in the film, watching as activists prepare and execute dramatic direct actions against the fossil fuel industry.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Some themes that run through the film include: ‘Is Ken crazy or is everyone else crazy for not seeing what he sees?’, the importance of community, and the David & Goliath theme of small group of activists vs the fossil fuel industry.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
When I began making this film, I was approaching it as a ten-minute short. I envisioned a piece that explained Ken’s background, and how we came to the conclusion that peaceful direct action was the most effective political tool for climate change, and then showcased his lobster boat direct action, which happened in 2013, two years before I met him. Literally two days after he agreed to me making the film, Shell Oil announced that they were bringing their ship, The Fennica, into Portland for repairs. The ship was needed on site for Shell’s Arctic drilling expedition and Ken told me he had a plan to keep it in Portland. I dropped everything else I was working on for a week and half to follow Ken in his preparations and the actions intended to try to stop the ship. After that action I figured, well, maybe it was going to be a 20 minute short instead of 10 minute short. Then Ken started his protests at the Exxon Mobil stations and the material from those actions was so intimate that I knew it had to be included in the film. After that, Break Free happened and Ken found a community of activists he worked with in a way that he hadn’t before. At that point I thought I had an hour long doc but it was shortly after that Ken informed me of his big plans with the tar sands pipelines and I finally realized that my ten-minute short had turned into a feature film.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
I have gotten lots of positive feedback from audiences, and know of a handful of people who have told me the film started a a process for them that led to them prioritizing their life around working on climate change. issues. My hope is that this reaction is more common than the six instances that I personally know of.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Publicity! It’s an uphill battle to get people aware that your film exists.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I have an educational distributor, and have decided to self distribute the film on-line in the US and Canada. I would love to find an international distributor, and am always looking for journalists, critics, bloggers etc who will write articles and reviews which will help get the word out that this is a film to see. We have had a successful campaign of community screenings, and we will continue to show the film to large groups at churches, 350 meetings etc. Anyone who is interested in hosting a screening can find information about how to do that on our website.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
The film isn’t trying to convince anyone that climate change is a real threat. I assume that the audience already understands that before they see the film. I think that most people who watch the film have at least a moment of self reflection about the climate crisis and their role in helping to avert the worst impacts. For some people, the film is a true catalyst that propels them to seek more information and to get involved in climate politics. My mission is to get the film seen as widely as possible, to help in whatever way possible to motivate people to action.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
If a crime is committed in order to prevent a greater crime, is it forgivable? Is it, in fact, necessary?
Would you like to add anything else?
In addition to the usual challenges of making an independent film, three of us who worked filming the pipeline direct action were arrested, jailed and charged with felonies, though we broke no laws and were careful not to trespass on pipeline company property. The charges were all eventually dropped by the prosecutors, but they took their time to do so and our work came to a screeching halt as we hired lawyers and mounted a legal defense. It was an extremely stressful time. This was in October-November of 2016 and since then, of course, the trend of intimidation toward the media has increased substantially. Out of personal interest I have been following most of the cases of medial professionals in the in the US who are charged with felonies. These include drone operators, videographers and photojournalists at Standing Rock, and at the Inauguration Day protests in Washington DC in January of 2017. In every case, the media folks either had their charges dropped or were acquitted if their case went to trial. In September 2017 in St. Louis, two filmmakers were arrested and charged and one of them was beaten until he went unconscious by the police. (They are now suing the city of St. Louis.)
I think it’s important that filmmakers working on these stories learn how to assess risk in protest situations, and take whatever precautions we can, but it’s also extremely important that we don’t let these intimidation tactics scare us away from doing our jobs.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Since the premiere, I have been focused on getting the film out into the world. We just released the film online on Vimeo, Amazon, iTunes and Google Play and I’m looking forward to getting back to making films again very soon. I don’t currently have a project I’m attached to. The co-producer, Deia Schlosberg, is making “Bootstraps," a film about Universal Basic Income.
Interview: January 2019
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The Reluctant Radical
If a crime is committed in order to prevent a greater crime, is it forgivable? Is it, in fact, necessary? THE RELUCTANT RADICAL follows activist Ken Ward as he confronts his fears and puts himself in the direct path of the fossil fuel industry to combat climate change.
Length: 77 minutes
Director: Lindsey Grayzel
Producer: Lindsey Grayzel, Deia Schlosberg
Writer: Lindsey Grayzel
About the writer, director and producer:
LINDSEY GRAYZEL is an editor, director and producer of non fiction films. She makes independent films and works for hire for museums and non-profit organizations.
DEIA SCHLOSBERG is a producer and director of documentary films. She has worked on many environmental film and is currently working on Bootstraps, a story of basic income.
Key cast: Ken Ward (as himself)
KEN WARD is a long-time climate and environmental activist, who lives in Corbett, Oregon with his son. He served in leadership positions for 25 years with several major environmental and public interest organizations - including Deputy Executive Director, Greenpeace USA, President, National Environmental Law Center, Executive Director, NJ Public interest Research Group - before becoming at at-home dad in 2000. In 2013, Ken took part in the “Lobster Boat Blockade” at the Brayton Point coal plant in Somerset, MA, and, in 2016, the “Shut It Down” Valve Turner action, which closed all 5 pipelines carrying Canadian tar sands oil into the US, recounted in the video documentary “The Reluctant Radical.”
Looking for: sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists
Facebook: The Reluctant Radical
Twitter: @TheReluctantRad
Instagram: @TheReluctantRadical
Funders: Kickstarter, my savings
Made in association with: Goodwin Grayzel Productions
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? ONLINE: Vimeo, Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, SCREENINGS: Wild & Scenic Film Festival 1/19 & 1/20, Community screenings coming up in Lincoln, NE 1/26, Spokane, WA 1/29, Townsville AUSTRALIA 1/30, World Community Film Festival in Courtenay BC CANADA 2/1, Arcata, CA 2/3, Salem, OR 2/5, Melbourne, AUSTRALIA 2/5, Vashon, WA 2/12, Parry Sound, Ontario, CANADA 2/12, Bellingham Human Rights Film Festival 2/23, Public Interest Environmental Law Conference 3/2, Bremerton WA 3/8, Fremont, CA 4/13, Empress Theater Vellejo, CA 4/18. For an up to date list of all screenings, see https://www.thereluctantradicalmovie.com/screenings.