Shortly after the announcement by the multinational oil corporation, Shell, on 20 June 1995 that the Brent Spar could not be sunk »by overwhelming international opposition«, the legendary Greenpeace action it triggered regularly induced the use of superlatives: mass hysteria or victory for civil protest in the face of an immoral industry; media fraud or consumer power in an age of true ecological thinking.
It was not the arguments, it was the Greenpeace rubber dinghy confronting the oil platform that became the symbol of David wrestling with Goliath. Thanks in particular to the ingenuity and determination of the legendary English Greenpeace captain, Jon Castle, and his crew, the Brent Spar came to symbolise environmental sins and the arrogance of global companies. An unparalleled alliance was formed between the environmental movement, the press, politicians, churches and the general public. A new force appeared on the world stage – that of the consumers.
 

The panellists

From January 1994 till July 1998 Heinz Rothermund was a director at Shell EP International BV. During this time the dismantling of the Brent Spar oil platform was one of the biggest challenges he faced.
Jon Castle was captain on board Greenpeace’s legendary »Rainbow Warrior«.
Ludger Pfanz, head of the film studio at the School of Design in Karlsruhe, and Gülsel Özkan are freelance film-makers with a reputation for controversial documentaries.
Production: Planet Film und Fernsehproduktion, co-production with WDR, 2005

Organization / Institution

ZKM