Thirty Fifth Toronto Intrnational Film Festival: Blog 2

Tiff continues and last night's film was The Pipe a documentary on the Shell gas pipeline that was planned to be built on the west coast of Ireland.

Last night's film was screened at the AMC at Yonge and Dundas so at least the waiting was inside. In line my iPod shuffle feature clearly knew I was thinking about home because only Irish songs appeared in my ears. So I drank my coffee and listened to Thin Lizzy, U2 and The Pogues as I was waiting.

When we were ushered into the cinema the tiff director of documentaries whose name still escapes me took to the stage and introduced the film. In his thanks he was unable to pronounce the name of the Irish production company who made the film so invited the film's director, Risteard O Domhnaill, so read it out. There were a few comments and then film began.

FILM TWO: THE PIPE

The first thing in the film is a caption that reads: Shell declined to be interviewed for this film.
The film begins in 2005 with a small community in Rossport, County Mayo, Ireland. Through the experiences of a few key people in the community director O Domhnaill follows the film, his camera documenting their fight closely as it included protests, prison, trips to both the Irish and European parliaments and in one case a hunger strike.

A few key characters tell the story without voice-over or a present filmmaker, O Domhnaill's voice appears a few times from behind his ever present camera. Local people Willie Corduff, Pat 'The Chief' O'Donnell, Monika Muller, Mary Corduff, and Maura Harrington tell their stories and explain their points of view with candor and are wonderful funny and assertive people to spend 80 minutes with.


Shell discovered the gas off the coast of Mayo in 1996, the plan was to build a well and funnel the gas to a refinery 9 kilometers inland. The pipeline to the refinery would cross the lands of farmers and fisherman in the area without any consultation with the local people.

The fact that this screening took place on the day a gas pipeline exploded in California was frighteningly relevant. It brought the arrangements of the people of Rossport to the fore.

Following the screening I managed to have a few words with Risteard O Domhnaill. Humble and soft spoken he was gracious as we spoke.

During the Q&A the director spoke about the history of the film, the pipeline and why he decided to make the film. A former TV cameraman who reported on the protests for News, O Domhnaill felt it was being ignored by the mainstream media and with the government on Shell's side the stories weren't being heard.

The film also does not shy away from showing the divisions in the movement itself and how some of the people took compensation from Shell and others wanted to have nothing to do with it.

I urge people to see this film if you can. In the wake of the California gas explosion and the spill in the Gulf of Mexico it is shockingly relevant.

If you're in the TO the film will screen at tiff again on

• Sunday September 19
• 12:15:00 PM
• AMC 9

Tiff continues tonight will my first Midnight madness screening.