If a crime is committed in order to prevent a greater crime, is it forgivable? Is it, in fact, necessary? THE RELUCTANT RADICAL explores these questions by following activist Ken Ward as he confronts his fears and puts himself in the direct path of the fossil fuel industry to combat climate change. Ken breaks the law as a last resort, to fulfill what he sees as his personal obligation to future generations.
Salem Film Fest Selection Committee member Shelley Sackett caught up with director Lindsey Grayzel ahead of the East Coast Premiere of THE RELUCTANT RADICAL, which will take place at 7:20pm on Sunday, March 25 at CinemaSalem.
SS: How did you get involved with this project?
LG: I met Ken in the summer of 2015 and found him to be a fascinating person who made me feel differently about climate change after our first conversation. I found his personal history compelling as he worked for over 20 years as a leader within environmental organizations and then transformed his approach to civil disobedience direct action as he realized that traditional lobbying was ineffective and far too little, too late to bring about the changes needed to avert catastrophe. When I asked him if he would agree to me making a film he readily agreed, because it was one approach he hadn’t yet tried.
SS: I understand Ken Ward's life has a Massachusetts connection?
LG: Ken lived in Massachusetts on and off for almost 30 years. He lived in Amherst from 1975-1981, in Boston from 2000-2003 and in Boston and Hull from 2006-2013.
SS: What do you hope audiences take away from the film?
LG: Ken speaks about climate change bluntly and honestly, in a way that almost everyone body else works hard to avoid doing. In fact, most of us work hard to avoid thinking about the devastation that is unfolding because it’s psychologically uncomfortable. Ken pays a price for facing it head on, and it’s his personal journey and commitment to act that I hope will challenge the audience to inspect the ways in which we are in denial about this crisis. We are not powerless to change the course ahead, yet we downplay the urgency of climate change in order to avoid our fears. I hope that audiences realize that we do indeed have power to slow down and prevent the worst case scenarios of climate change and commit themselves to joining the fight for our future.
SS: What are you looking forward to at SFF?LG: I’m most looking forward to hearing how the audience reacts to the film. So far we have had only had two public screenings, and so it still thrills me to hear a group collectively giggle or sigh during certain scenes. I’m looking forward to the Q&A because I’m curious what kinds of questions and issues the film brings up for people, and if my themes came across clearly. I’m also looking forward to connecting with other filmmakers and seeing some great films!
SS: Anything else you'd like to add?
LG: On October 11, 2016, my cameraman Carl Davis and myself were filming Ken undertake a big direct action to shut down the TransMountain tar sands oil pipeline. Ken waited for the police to arrive and we were filming to capture the scene of his arrest. To our surprise, the police then arrested us for filming and charged us with the same three felonies and misdemeanor as Ken was charged with, though we had broken no laws.
The same day my soon to be co-producer Deia Schlosberg was filming Michael Foster as he shut down the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline in North Dakota. She was also arrested and charged with felonies simply for filming. Our arrests contributed to the alarm that press freedom and First Amendment rights have increasingly come under attack as law enforcement and prosecutors favor corporate fossil fuel interests over citizens’ rights. All of our charges were eventually dropped, but not before we spent time in jail, posted bail, hired lawyers to file briefs, and fought for the return of our confiscated equipment and footage.
To this day Deia has been unable to get her footage returned to her. We feel that the police and prosecutors were attempting to squelch our work and intimidate filmmakers from getting these stories told. I’m happy to say that their tactics backfired, as Deia and I then began to work together and both of us are more determined than ever to make sure these stories are told.
