Oil on Ice wins prestigious documentary award

International Documentary Association’s 2004 Pare Lorentz Award Goes to Oil on Ice for Film’s Democratic Sensibility and Activist Spirit

WOODSIDE, CALIF. – The International Documentary Association (IDA) today awarded Oil on Ice, a documentary about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the controversy over drilling for oil there, the 2004 Pare Lorentz Award in the 20th annual Distinguished Documentary Achievement Awards competition. Oil on Ice is co-produced and co-directed by Dale Djerassi and Bo Boudart in association with Lobitos Creek Ranch, and is presented by Sierra Club Productions.

(Photos available here.)

The Pare Lorentz Award, which is presented by the Pare Lorentz Foundation, was earned by Oil on Ice for best representing the “democratic sensibility, activist spirit and lyrical vision of the legendary documentarian.” The award presentation will be made on December 10 at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Theatre in Hollywood during the IDA Awards Gala Benefit. Fahrenheit 9/11, Born into Brothels, Mighty Times Vol. 2: The Children’s Mark, The New Americans, American Masters and Imelda also received awards. The winning documentaries were chosen by a jury of peers out of hundreds of films from every part of the world.

“The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which is currently at the center of the national energy debate, has been called ‘snow-covered and lifeless’ by proponents of opening the Refuge to oil drilling,” said Dale Djerassi, Oil on Ice co-director and co-producer. “We are proud to be recognized by the IDA and the Pare Lorentz Foundation for our efforts to dismantle that myth by showing a land that is teeming with wildlife, enriched by centuries of Native American and Eskimo culture, and linked to the migratory wildlife of much of the rest of the world.”

Oil on Ice can be seen at various film festivals and other screenings across the country. For more information, or to purchase an educational WebDVD, visit www.oilonice.org.

About Oil on Ice

OIL ON ICE (www.oilonice.org) is a multi-faceted media project about the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge in Alaska and the conflict over drilling for oil there. The one-hour
documentary film, WebDVD and Website examine the battle over one of America’s last great
wild places, which is currently at the center of a national energy debate. OIL ON ICE shows
how the fate of the refuge is inextricably linked to decisions our nation makes about energy
policy, transportation choices, and other seemingly unrelated matters. And as the film concludes,
the culture and livelihood of the native Gwich’in Indians and the survival of migratory wildlife
are caught in the balance.