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Continental Drift

A captain on a tanker faces moral dilemmas as his fate intertwines with global conflicts.

synopsis

In a small European town a female trader is hired by Globetrade. To maximise profits she proposes to buy cheap oil and upgrade its quality on a tanker at sea. After the unrefined oil has been washed at sea no facility is prepared to accept the resulting waste. The more she tries to solve the problem, the more complicated the situation becomes. Adrift at sea, the captain of an oil tanker struggles to keep his bored and rebellious crew under control. Tension grows as the wait becomes unbearable after months of sailing in international waters. The captain finally resolves to dump the toxic residue just off the Ivorian Coast. Soon after, he informs the press. As Ivory Coast dissolves into civil war, a government press agent is asked to use the media in order to exaggerate the effects of the waste dump in an attempt to blackmail Globetrade. The agent gets embroiled in a case where there is neither right nor wrong. No one is guilty. No one is innocent.

Director’statement

I believe that we live in what the Italian philosopher Toni Negri has called “The Empire”, namely a capitalist world régime in which anything is linked to everything and against which revolt is hardly possible. The economy causes conflicts around the world, but the responsibilities often remain undetermined and the truth often remains invisible behind a misty wall of rumours. Continental Drift is a film about three individuals who are caught up within this logic they do not control, yet cannot escape. The captain adrift at sea, the trader in her office and the press agent in Africa are confronted with moral dilemmas forcing them to make potentially fatal choices. Will they be able to maintain their integrity and at what price? Even though Continental Drift is inspired by true events, I do not want to play the role of a missionary educating people about corporate crimes and scandals. The film deals with people who cannot be easily judged. They are complex characters living in extreme circumstances. Therefore the film will be more existential than a bearer of messages. My intention is to make a visually striking film that explores human souls adrift in three different continents.

TFL PROGRAMME:
ScriptLab 2014
Discover more details here:
Download
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TFL Catalogue 2014

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