If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front (2011)

A rare behind-the-curtain look at the Earth Liberation Front, the radical environmental group that the FBI calls America's 'number one domestic terrorist threat.'

Directors:

Marshall Curry, Sam Cullman

Writers:

Marshall Curry, Matthew Hamachek

Stars:

Lisa McGowan, Tim Lewis, Kirk Engdall

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lisa McGowan	...	Herself
Tim Lewis	...	Himself
Kirk Engdall	...	Himself
Jim Flynn	...	Himself
Jenny Synan	...	Herself
Susan Synan	...	Herself
Bill Barton	...	Himself
Leslie James Pickering	...	Himself
Greg Harvey	...	Himself
Chuck Tilby	...	Himself
Suzanne Savoie	...	Herself
Steve Swanson	...	Himself
Chuck Wert	...	Himslf
Don Rice	...	Himself
Jake Ferguson	...	Himself

Storyline

IF A TREE FALLS is a rare behind-the-curtain look at the Earth Liberation Front, the radical environmental group that the FBI calls America's 'number one domestic terrorist threat.' With unprecedented access and a nuanced point of view, the documentary tells the story of Daniel McGowan, an ELF member who faced life in prison for two multi-million dollar arsons against Oregon timber companies. The film employs McGowan's story to examine larger questions about environmentalism, activism, and terrorism.

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Plot Keywords:

earth liberation front | arson | terrorism | terrorist | activist | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | Crime | Drama | History | Thriller | News

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

January 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

An pesei ena dentro: To metopo gia tin apeleftherosi tis Gis

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$5,634 (USA) (24 June 2011)

Gross:

$61,153 (USA) (19 August 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), Independent Television Service (ITVS)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

References Pickaxe (1999)

User Reviews

Terrorists-U-Like

What do you do if you feel something terrible is happening, and the cause of that terrible thing is systematic? - that is, the systems for governing our world offer no possibility of change, because they themselves are part of the problem. Either you accept the system, or you fight it - and if your methods include violence, you thereby become a terrorist, and (in a sense) an enemy of those who chose to work within the system instead. The Earth Liberation Front were a group of ecological activists who took to arson; and whose members eventually wound up in gaol. This film allows them to present their case, and interestingly, they come over as intelligent and thoughtful and not in the least wild or woolly in their thinking. To its credit, the film also interviews some of their targets and those responsible for their prosecution, who are not demonised and who also come over as human. The only thing I struggled with was the insistence of front members that they weren't terrorists. I rather think they were - but this thought-provoking documentary raises the question of whether being a terrorist is always wrong, and doesn't offer easy answers in either direction.