Discover
In December 2005, Daniel McGowan was arrested by Federal agents in a nationwide sweep of radical environmentalists involved with the Earth Liberation Front-- a group the FBI has called America's "number one domestic terrorism threat."
For years, the ELF-operating in separate anonymous cells without any central leadership-had launched spectacular arsons against dozens of businesses they accused of destroying the environment: timber companies, SUV dealerships, wild horse slaughterhouses, and a $12 million ski lodge at Vail, Colorado.
With the arrest of Daniel and thirteen others, the government had cracked what was probably the largest ELF cell in America and brought down the group responsible for the very first ELF arsons in this country.
IF A TREE FALLS: A STORY OF THE EARTH LIBERATION FRONT tells the
remarkable story of the rise and fall of this ELF cell, by focusing on the transformation
and radicalization of one of its members.
Part coming-of-age tale, part cops-and-robbers thrilller, the film interweaves a verite chronicle of Daniel on house arrest as he faces life in prison, with a dramatic recounting of the events that led to his involvement with the group. And along the way it asks hard questions about environmentalism, activism, and the way we define terrorism.
Drawing from striking archival footage -- much of it never before seen -- and intimate interviews with ELF members, and with the prosecutor and detective who were chasing them, IF A TREE FALLS explores the tumultuous period from 1995 until early 2001 when environmentalists were clashing with timber companies and law enforcement, and the word "terrorism" had not yet been altered by 9/11.
Original Release
05/12/2011
US Release
06/22/2011
Links
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
Daniel McGowan | Self - Earth Liberation Front Activist |
Lisa McGowan | Self - Daniel's Sister |
Tim Lewis | Self - Activist & Filmmaker |
Kirk Engdall | Self - Assistant U.S. Attorney |
Jim Flynn | Self - Former Editor, Earth First Journal |
Jenny Synan | Self - Daniel's Girlfriend |
Susan Synan | Self - Jenny's Mother |
Bill Barton | Self - Native Forest Council |
Leslie James Pickering | Self - Former ELF Spokesman |
Greg Harvey | Self - Detective, Eugene Police Department |
Directors
Writers
Marshall Curry, Matthew Hamachek
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
Daniel McGowan | Self - Earth Liberation Front Activist |
Lisa McGowan | Self - Daniel's Sister |
Tim Lewis | Self - Activist & Filmmaker |
Kirk Engdall | Self - Assistant U.S. Attorney |
Jim Flynn | Self - Former Editor, Earth First Journal |
Jenny Synan | Self - Daniel's Girlfriend |
Susan Synan | Self - Jenny's Mother |
Bill Barton | Self - Native Forest Council |
Leslie James Pickering | Self - Former ELF Spokesman |
Greg Harvey | Self - Detective, Eugene Police Department |
Chuck Tilby | Self - Captain, Eugene Police Department |
Suzanne Savoie | Self - Daniel's Ex-Girlfriend |
Steve Swanson | Self - President, Superior Lumber |
Chuck Wert | Self - Executive Vice President, Superior Lumber |
Don Rice | Self - Manager, Jefferson Poplar Farms |
Jake Ferguson | Self - Earth Liberation Front Activist |
Dan McGowan | Self - Daniel's Father |
Lauren Regan | Self - Daniel's Legal Team |
Stephen F. Peifer | Self - Assistant U.S. Attorney |
Alberto Gonzales | Self |
Producers
Name | Role |
---|
Steve Bannatyne | Executive Producer |
Marcia Carver | Executive Producer |
Sally Jo Fifer | Executive Producer |
Nick Fraser | Executive Producer |
Simon Kilmurry | Executive Producer |
Sam Cullman | Producer |
Marshall Curry | Producer |
Bill Gallagher | Producer |
Jo Lapping | Producer |
Editors
Year | Type | Category | Won |
---|
2012 | Oscar | Best Documentary, Features | Nominated |