“Windfall” to Premiere in Newport

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Wednesday, October 27, 2010

GoLocalProv Lifestyle Editor Andrea E. McHugh

This Friday, director Laura Israel comes to Newport to showcase her debut documentary, Windfall, in its Rhode Island premiere. Presented by newportFILM, the critically-acclaimed documentary observes the deeply divided residents of Meredith, New York an Upstate farming community in decline, as they debate the pros and cons of allowing wind turbines on their land. Local proponents champion the promise of green energy and monetary compensation, while detractors question the efficiency of wind-generated energy and the drawbacks of living among 400-foot tall towers with gigantic rotating blades.

Sound familiar?

According to newportFILM founder Andrea van Beuren , Windfall seemed like a perfect fit for newportFILM and for Aquidneck Island. "I knew that there was a landowner on the island that was seriously considering the option of putting a fairly sizable wind turbine on her farm," said van Beuren. "I also knew that the issue was clearly both extremely divisive and contentious and I felt that the residents of Aquidneck Island could really benefit from watching a film about a town that had already been through a similar experience and had come out the other end more insightful about the whole decision making process."

Wind energy is a hot-button issue throughout Rhode Island. In January 2006, Gov. Carcieri announced in an initiative, RIWINDS (later renamed to Rhode Island Energy Independence), to supply 15% of the state's total electricity demand with wind power. Meanwhile, Providence-based Deepwater Wind has been working with the courts to make good on their proposal to build eight wind turbines a few miles off the coast of Block Island, a plight that has been appealed by R.I. Attorney General Patrick Lynch, the Conservation Law Foundation, Polytop Corporation and Toray Plastics, who claim the contract approval process unfairly favors Deepwater. For these reasons, and more, van Beuren found the documentary 's subject and timing especially poignant. "I have read that Ms. Israel did not set out to make a specifically 'anti-wind' film, but rather that she wanted to try to educate people about what could happen when wind turbines were built near residential areas. In my opinion, Windfall is more about people that have been directly affected by the wind industry than it is about the wind industry itself, and that's why the film works so well as a narrative."

Israel will host a question and answer session following the showing on Friday, October 29 from 7-9pm at the Jane Pickens Theater in Newport. For tickets and information, click here.

 

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