WKU News

WKU’s International Year of Ecuador is coming to Elizabethtown in November with a film presentation and discussion about the extraction of oil from the Amazon.

The film Crude, directed and produced by Joe Berlinger, will be presented Nov. 17 in Elizabethtown as part of WKU’s International Year of Ecuador series. (Photo by Juan Diego Pérez)

Crude: Exploring the Complexities of Oil Extraction — A Film and Dialogue Event will begin at 7 p.m. (EST) Nov. 17 at the Historic State Theater, 202 W. Dixie Ave., Elizabethtown. Admission is free and open to the public.

One of the most contested issues in Ecuador is the extraction of oil in the Amazon. The film Crude tells the story of extraction in the Ecuadorian Amazon from multiple angles, including indigenous residents, Chevron, members of the judicial system and celebrities, of what some call “the Amazon Chernobyl.” Additional information about Crude is available at http://firstrunfeatures.com/crude_press.html.

Following the film, community members will have an opportunity to discuss the global complexities of oil extraction.

Co-sponsors of the event are WKU Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, Office of International Programs and Department of Sociology.

The International Year Of… program is an ongoing series intended to provide the campus and community multiple and varied opportunities to engage with a single country or region for an entire academic year. Beyond the 2014-15 celebration of Ecuador, WKU will continue its annual country exploration with South Africa in 2015-16, South Korea in 2016-17, and Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2017-18.

Contact: Donielle Lovell, (270) 706-8870.