Films: Split Estate

Split Estate

USA, 2009, 76 Minute Running Time
Genre/Subjects: Colorado, Documentary, Political, Social Issues
Programs: Documentary Films, The Environment in Focus
Language: English

DIRECTOR: Debra Anderson
Producer: Debra Anderson
Editor: Debra Anderson
Screenwriter: Jean Wendt, Joe Day, Rene Garrett
Cinematographer: Debra Anderson, Doug Crawford, Dave Bowden

A split estate is a property owned by one party, for instance a private citizen, that is situated atop stores of underground minerals owned by other parties – in many cases the federal government. Issues surrounding such properties have become contentious in the past several years, especially in the Rocky Mountain West, because of the huge jump in oil and gas drilling. Energy companies that hold leases to mineral rights may drill wherever they choose – and in many recent cases have done so within just a few hundred feet of homes. This practice not only devastates the landscape but is blamed for a number of major environmental and health problems. 

Colorado-born filmmaker Debra Anderson decided to make a documentary on the subject after reading a magazine article about the struggle of one resident of her home state who had developed a rare form of cancer as a result of the drilling near her home. Journeying to the towns of Rifle, Silt, and Paonia, Anderson gathered the stories of people caught up in estate disputes, often with energy companies whose financial and legal resources far outweighed their own. The project became personal eight months into filming, when she discovered that Tecton Energy had begun drilling just a few miles from her own home near Santa Fe, New Mexico. By providing a rough cut of the film to her community, Anderson helped build a grassroots coalition that was successful against Tecton, which ultimately closed its well. Supporters of Split Estate include New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson.

In cooperation with the Colorado Environmental Coalition, Environment Colorado, and the Natural Resources Defense Council

The following short films will screen before this film...

• 

  Battle for the Xingu

  USA , 2009 , 11 min.
  Director: Iara Lee The Xingu, a tributary of the Amazon, is about to be dammed. If plans continue, more than 10,000 indigenous people will be affected.... more

You might also enjoy...

• 

  A Film from My Parish - 6 Farms

  Ireland , 2008 , 7 min. Using minimal equipment, available light, and a bicycle for transportation, director Tony Donoghue visits six sustainable farms in Ireland. The filmmaking is green, the farmers traditional, and the storytelling magical.... more
• 

  American Faust: From Condi to Neo-Condi

  USA , 2009 , 89 min. MUST END Thursday, February 4 Digital presentation - British documentarian Sebastian Doggart’s scathing portrait of Condoleezza Rice takes the former US Secretary of State to task for ruthless ambition, opportunism, and incompetence. But the most damning charges against Rice concern t... more
• 

  Garbage Dreams

  Egypt , 2009 , 82 min. For nearly as long as anyone can remember, the Zaballeen, a Coptic Christian community, have served as Cairo’s garbage collectors. This winning documentary reveals the pride they deservedly take in a job well – and sustainably – done.... more
• 

  So Right So Smart

  USA , 2009 , 93 min. Business bigwigs and ecoactivists alike share the passion of Ray Anderson, CEO of carpet manufacturer Interface, Inc., for examining his change of heart about environmental stewardship and his subsequent work to dispel the myth that profit and sustainability are mutually exclusive.... more