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Show u u y vai u vza Xm La X 1 5 1 I, '1 t J. , r .4 t- ) i i y u u v. u yny it ft j TTJ ii - M f io m I t i I "x V 4 , by JEREMY MATHEWS lue Vinyl" is one of several politically charged documen taries in competition at the Sundance Film Festival. It is also the funniest film I've seen in any Sundance 2002 category so far. This film follows George Bernard Shaw's advice, "If you tell people the truth, make them laugh or 16) they'll kill you." The film kicks off as or Judith Helfand's Judith Helfand, director of "Blue Vinyl," began to research the danger of tht vinyl on her parents' house after she developed cancer due to a pharmaceutical company's thoughtlessness. parents add blue vinyl siding to their house. Fearful of toxins after a pharmaceutical company's thoughtlessness led to her developing ovarian cancer the subject of her debut film "A Healthy Baby Girl" Helfand began to research the PVC plastic to find out just how dangerous it was. The most telling factor is when vinyl reps tell her that PVC is the same thing as table salt. She knew there was something wrong then, she tells us in the voice-oveIn the film, Helfand's personal journey leads to some disturbing discoveries about dioxin, a cancer-causingas that PVC releases when it's being burned in the factory or in a house fire. r. g The RED Interview food-chai- his final credit. He worked on varying the film from hand-hel- d verite-styl- cam- e era work and fancier setups with better light and equipment. "I didn't want to make a film that basically said 'there's more poison in the world than we previously knew," Gold said. But he changed his mind when he was shcotir.g an interview with an Italian scientist who did early tests with PVC and warned the companies about the risk cf sneer. The doctor tc.Ui him about "People should learn about these toxins without having to get sick and connect the dots," the eager-to-tal- k Helfand told me as she raced through about 20 different thoughts on her work and the harms of PVC. "On some levels, consumers want to know, but on another level, they don't want to know because they think there's nothing they can do about it." This film makes it easier for them to listen. I wanted the viewers to laugh at all the absurdities and then open up to the information. The life cycles become theirs through humor, and they realize that this affects the average consumer." Daniel B. Gold originally came on as a temporary director of photography, then realized how important the film was and before became a he and Helfand decided on metamorphoses sequence shows all the different areas in which PVC comes into everyday life. A sequence shows what happens when dioxin gets in the air, then the water. "We didn't want to sound didactic, and I'm very scientifically challenged myself, so I really have to move everything down to the lowest common demoninator to get it," Helfand said. "We were trying to. show the audience the inside of my head as I went through the discovery of PVC, we wanted to impart scientific information like the difference between a resin worker and a fabricator vinyl factory jobs and show how vinyl is everywhere," she said. s 1 w mm 1 n m cthtr i.-- It t in C: 2 v- zzli, v - u.s.fs gc :rtg net. 1 U fcr r .v cn. '..P, 'You knew, y c u'r actu 3 T t."s f w'1 uid .,g it's a Vsth sU th h:: f scrae- - let mere f .'.nto or Cr.4 cxj.r.ii.!i hs J t-- do rlat i cc;.'ry lc:r.tf i cc:r.-cf ! ctr: tts Ccrthe r Ifh-- r gS M.t ly reach 6 million house- holds that have PVC in them, in one form or another,' Helfand said. This is an outlet that offers the film to an audience beyond those already interested in the subject. "We're reaching to the unconverted people that aren't going to go to environmental meetings." Helfand thinks it would be a "small disaster" if all homeowners took the vinyl off their houses, which is what Helfand eventually tries to convince her family m m rnc some tiling a was something hi the voice-ove- r. V" Jt-- ed people to have fun with it and not be intimidated by the facts and the figures." The large audience Helfand seeks may come her way on May 5, when "Blue Vinyl" premieres on HBO. The film is one of six documentaries from the festival that the cable channel has picked up. Showtime and Cinemax have also secured the rights to some. "I think it's a gift and a challenge to make films that have a message," Helfand said. "The film could potential- - mm- m g Ji-- vauso scsiu .... 5 "We didn't want it to look like a commercial. We want- getting burned and more and more is created because it's not being recycled," she said. Gold and Helfand are taking an active role in political filmmaking. They brought the Bucket Brigade, who take air samples and measure toxicity at various places in the film, along to the festival to go to the incinerator in Davis County and test the air. There was also a free screening for county residents in Layton. But that's not all. Judith Robinson from The Environmental Health Fund Foundation was also at the interview to talk to me about vinyl's toxins. She told me that if her organization had made a documentary, it would not focus on vinyl siding because the companies skillfully wiped out siding competition to the point d that there are few alternatives. Instead, they would have attacked hospital supply and toy manufacturing aspects of PVC. I learned that elements like lead must combine with PVC for it to become flexible, and when the elements separate, children and others can get sick. She said the American Medical Association already passed an initiative to phase out the use of certain PVC medical products. Countries in Europe outlawed the used of soft, pliable PVC in children's toys. This is the kind of film that encourages you to act after seeing it. And the filmmakers are trying to set an example. For more information, visit www. myhouseisyourhouse. is rm t3d3Li"C:-VlrjL"Inth- film, fhs calls the ecyciir.g centers listed ty the Vinyl Trd t relations' Y.'cb pje. tut none cf thrni actu- ally recytl; FVC because it's too difficult rss:r.!i:,,7( thtit, everyone is stjllir cr.t.I ti" is j evcr.tu-Lrcir.- .r I. cr "Oncie.tM: t'r? tell cn : it is : -- that viryl ill-i- : '3 .tyoufjtitvpsrd II?: far. i l:.: t re f.ise 1, Ua'Jy sMij) t. a;:..:.cvt,itcnt f : "IV b ? r c, i r - J ill cv s 1 ;" I ? v: r Tier ir-;- i r;M ::- - zSit crJy -- T-- j -- c .t'!.np:ci- - low-price- jeremyred-mag.co- m .jri r" 11.. . 4 TVn s y v . i RD MAGAZINE I JANUARY 17, 2002 R13 |