Film on Summerland Oil Shows at Santa Barbara International Film Festival
Click HERE to watch the trailer.
"Greetings from Summerland" is a documentary premiering at the 39th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF), exploring the history and detrimental impacts of offshore oil wells along the coast of Summerland, CA. Directed and produced by Harry Rabin and Joey Szalkiewicz of On the Wave Productions, the film is the first in a series of short films about managing leaking legacy wellheads around the world.
As Program Director at Heal the Ocean (HTO), Rabin has firsthand seen the urgent environmental issues facing Summerland, CA. In 2017, HTO tackled the daunting task of capping the leaking oil wellhead, Becker. It is only one of over 200 offshore wellheads, many of which have been leaking since 1896, in an area of the world's first offshore wellheads.
During this journey, Rabin had an epiphany. Through monitoring and documenting these wells, he realized the need to educate the public about the harmful effects of methane emissions from leaking abandoned wells. With millions of wells globally, including a staggering one million in the USA, he felt that it was crucial to raise awareness. Hence, "Greetings from Summerland" was born – a film aimed at global communication.
Thanks to former State Senator Hannah Beth Jackson, Senate Bill 44 was passed, allocating funds to cap leaking wellheads. This allowed the State Lands Commission to successfully cap 7 oil wells over the past 7 years. Currently, HTO is conducting a Summerland Oil Mitigation Study (SOMS), led by Rabin and Ira Leifer of Bubbleology Research International, to better understand Summerland's geology and improve oil well capping efforts.
Join us this Friday night (2/16) at the Metro 4 Theater at 5:40 pm for the screening. Given the anticipated high demand, arriving an hour early is recommended. Tickets can be purchased here.
Read Local News Coverage:
From all of us at HTO to all of you, thank you. Please stay safe.
Hillary Hauser, Executive Director
HTO thanks the Poehler-Stremel Charitable Trust
for providing funds to publish our newsletters and e-letters!