The Bob Graham Center for Public Service provides a wide variety of programs for students and the larger public on topics related to public service, public leadership and civic engagement.
- This event has passed.
Fuel, The Film: A Conversation with Josh Tickell and Rebecca Harrell Tickell
February 15, 2011
The award-winning environmental documentary “Fuel” was screened at the Bob Graham Center followed by a conversation with the film’s writer-director, Josh Tickell, and producer, Rebecca Harrell Tickell.
The film is a highly critical, in-depth, personal journey that examines a host of energy answers to America’s oil addiction, as well as offering a devastating critique of the U.S. auto and petroleum industries’ role in resisting change.
Tickell, a first-time director, began the journey resulting in the film after watching members of his family suffer from pollution-related cancers as a result of living near petroleum refineries in Louisiana. In 1997, he set out on the road with a biodiesel powered “Veggie Van” and a video camera and began filming what would eventually become known as “Fuel.”
“I wanted to make a film about the serious challenges we face and ultimately about the power of every individual to make a difference,” said Tickell, whose stop in Gainesville is part of a multi-city tour with the film. He routinely travels to screen the film using biodiesel vehicles. His goal, Tickell said, is to “green the vote” of America by getting everyday people, along with politicians and energy companies, to support a 10-year plan that will transition America to renewable energy.
Harrell Tickell is a veteran producer and musician who specializes in youth activism, education and the environment. She co-directs The Veggie Van Organization, a national nonprofit dedicated to education about sustainable energy.
“Fuel” has won numerous awards since its 2008 release, including the audience award at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.
The showing follows the release of the final report of the presidential commission investigating the BP oil spill, which was co-chaired by former U.S. Sen. and former Florida Gov. Bob Graham. The spill, which released an estimated 205 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, is considered the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history.