Worldchanging ally and supporter, Ed Burtynsky, has reason to celebrate today. Last night, Manufactured Landscapes -- the phenomenal documentary about his work -- won The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television's Genie Award for Best Documentary. The film follows Ed on an incredible tour of land and industry in Asia. It was directed by Jennifer Baichwal and produced by Gerry Flahive and Peter Starr, with cinematography by Peter Mettler. You can read the full Worldchanging review of the film here.

Congratulations to Ed and the whole team. Well deserved!

Does the film cover the viability — or lack thereof — of such centralized manufacturing systems in the face of peak oil? Unless a truly enormous public works program building rail and upgrading Ports breaks out worldwide, reminiscent of a WW2 emergency economy, won't these centralized places of manufacturing just be empty warehouses waiting for components that never arrive?

Maybe James Howard Kunstler is right, and everything is going profoundly local after all. The Australian Senate committee on peak oil has found that oil will probably peak some time in the next 20 years. Yet the interesting thing is this rated hardly a blip in the media. It's been filed in the dustiest old cabinet in the "Department of Shutting-up Special Interest Groups".

Anyway, I look forward to seeing this movie, and recognize it for what it has achieved.

Posted by: Dave Lankshear on February 14, 2007 3:05 PM

We saw Manufactured Landscapes last night as part of the Austin Film Society's Documentary Series. It is a remarkable film and shows both the environmental impact of massive manufacturing and energy consumption. Long term viability and peak oil are both discussed. Ed Burtynsky's photographs are stunning.

Posted by: John Moore on February 15, 2007 12:56 PM