The Pipe
Big Oil. Small Village.
A compelling documentary film four years in the making, The Pipe tells the story of the small Rossport community which has taken on the might of Shell Oil and the Irish State.
The discovery of gas off this remote coastal village has led to the most dramatic clash of cultures in modern Ireland. The rights of farmers over their fields, and of fishermen to their fishing grounds, has come in direct conflict with one of the world’s most powerful oil companies. When the citizens look to their State to protect their rights, they find that the government has put Shell’s right to lay a pipeline over their own.
Already 5 locals have spent 94 days in jail rather than let the proposed Shell pipeline cross their lands. This once tranquil area is engulfed in turmoil, as huge numbers of police drafted in. Normal policing has broken down following baton charges, surveillance, arrests, and a hunger strike by a local schoolteacher.
With the imminent arrival of the world’s largest pipelaying vessel, the Solitaire, a massive security operation is put into action by the State to ensure that the pipe is laid without interference. When all hope seems lost, events take a dramatic turn…
Following the personal experience of three main characters at the height of local tension, The Pipe is a story of a community tragically divided, and the prospect of a pipeline that can bring economic prosperity or destroy of a way of life shared for generations.
Green Rose Award for the film which gives Global Message, Jaipur International Film Festival 2012
Grand Prix, Ile-de-France Eniviro Film Festival, France 2012
Best Audiovisual, Green Film Awards, London UK 2011
First Prize, Ecology & Tourism: XV International TV Festval, Montenegro
Environmental Film Award: Reykjavik International Film Festival, Iceland 2011
Best Film, Festival Insulaire, Groix, France 2011
Best Chronicle, Maverick Film Awards, USA 2011
Best Score, Maverick Film Awards, USA 2011
Best Feature: Green International Film Festival, Seoul, Korea 2011
Grand Prix CIRCOM: Association European Regional Broadcasters 2011
Best Documentary CIRCOM: Association European Regional Broadcasters 2011
Best Factual Single, Celtic Media Festival, Scotland 2011
Best Documentary Film, Wurzburg Film Festival, Germany 2011
Best Documentary Film, Boston Irish Film Festival, USA 2011
Best Feature Documentary, Irish Film & Television Awards (IFTA), Ireland 2011