NEWS RELEASE

The communitywide, nondenominational Social Justice Film Series continues its ninth year on Sunday, January 11, 2015, at 7 p.m., with “Bidder 70,” a 2012 award-winning documentary centering on an extraordinary, ingenious and effective act of civil disobedience demanding government and industry accountability in the name of climate justice.

The series is free and open to the public at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Vero Beach; no reservations or tickets are required but donations to cover costs are gratefully accepted. There will be discussion following the film.

In December 2008, University of Utah economics student Tim DeChristopher disrupted a highly disputed Utah BLM Oil and Gas lease auction, effectively safeguarding thousands of acres of pristine Utah land that were slated for oil and gas leases. Not content to merely protest outside, Tim entered the auction hall and registered as bidder #70. He outbid industry giants on land parcels (which, starting at $2 an acre, were adjacent to national treasures like Canyonlands National Park), winning 22,000 acres of land worth $1.7 million before the auction was halted.

Two months later, incoming Interior Secretary Ken Salazar invalidated the auction, and DeChristopher was indicted on two federal felonies with penalties of up to 10 years in prison and $750,000 in fines.

“Bidder 70″ was the winner of 20 major film festival awards. Reviewers called it: “powerful, intelligent and very entertaining,” “a well-paced, well-edited, compelling, inspiring film energized by a courageous American,” “topped my list for the most inspiring film,” “a film everyone needs to see, even if you think you’re well-informed about political issues, environmentalism, and global climate change.”

The Fair Trade Corner will be open one-half hour prior to “Bidder 70.” The public is invited to this free screening; friends and neighbors are welcome.

The UU Fellowship, offering a liberal religion on the Treasure Coast, has easy parking and is handicap accessible. It is located at 1590 27th Avenue on the southeast corner of 27th Avenue and 16th Street. For more information, call 772-778-5880.