''Catching the Sun'' is a 2015

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

on the growth of the

solar power Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovoltaic e ...

industry that premiered on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

in April, 2016. Directed by

Shalini Kantayya Shalini Kantayya is an American filmmaker and environmental activist based in Brooklyn, New York, whose films explore human rights at the intersection of water, food, and renewable energy. Kantayya is best known for her debut feature documentary, ...

, the film features portraits of diverse personalities and their roles in the transition to solar power. Unemployed workers in

Richmond, California Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was municipal corporation, incorporated on August 7, 1905, and has a Richmond, California City Council, city council.

, businessmen in China,

Tea Party A tea party is a social gathering event held in the afternoon. For centuries, many societies have cherished drinking tea with a company at noon. Tea parties are considered for formal business meetings, social celebrations or just as an afternoon ...

activists, and a would-be

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

adviser are all featured in the film. The film debunks a

false dilemma A false dilemma, also referred to as false dichotomy or false binary, is an informal fallacy based on a premise that erroneously limits what options are available. The source of the fallacy lies not in an invalid form of inference but in a false ...

that

clean energy Clean may refer to: * Cleaning, the process of removing unwanted substances, such as dirt, infectious agents, and other impurities, from an object or environment * Cleanliness, the state of being clean and free from dirt Arts and media Music Al ...

requires sacrificing economic prosperity.

Synopsis

The film begins with the 2012 Chevron refinery fire in

and contrasts the possibilities for Richmond of an energy sector based on solar installation versus continued pollution and economic stagnation from an

energy industry The energy industry is the totality of all of the industries involved in the production and sale of energy, including fuel extraction, manufacturing, refining and distribution. Modern society consumes large amounts of fuel, and the energy indu ...

rooted on the

oil refinery An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into useful products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, lique ...

. The film gives a short history of solar technology in the United States, and the road not taken when, on his first day in office,

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

removed the solar panels

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

had placed on the White House, and abandoned policies to further solar development. The film features unemployed workers in Northern California receiving Green-collar job training from

Solar Richmond Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. "solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indicate ...

to work in the emergent field of solar installation.

Van Jones Anthony Kapel "Van" Jones (born September 20, 1968) is an American news and political commentator, author, and lawyer. He is the co-founder of several non-profit organizations, a three-time ''New York Times'' bestselling author, a CNN host and c ...

features prominently in the documentary, which depicts his early work in Green for All, his family's relocation from Oakland to Washington, DC to take advantage of a White House job offer, and Jones's subsequent resignation in the face sustained attacks from conservative media. Conservative Debbie Dooley from

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

rejects an ideological divide between the left and right on clean energy. Through her organization, Conservatives for Energy Freedom, she advocates for

by breaking down barriers that favor the incumbent energy industry and restrict a true free market. While ideological gridlock weighs on American energy policy, other countries move forward. A profile on Zhongwei Jiang, a Chinese entrepreneur based in

Wuxi, China Wuxi (, ) is a city in southern Jiangsu province, eastern China, by car to the northwest of downtown Shanghai, between Changzhou and Suzhou. In 2017 it had a population of 3,542,319, with 6,553,000 living in the entire prefecture-level city ar ...

gives perspective on solar growth in Germany, India, and China. Jiang, who grew up without electricity until the age of eight, founded the solar company WesTech in 2003. Jiang conducts an international business in solar products and dreams of a "Solar City" in Texas.

Director

The film is the documentary debut for Indian-born and Brooklyn-based, eco-activist and filmmaker

. Kantayya had a career breakthrough when she became a finalist in the 2007 reality TV show ''

On the Lot ''On the Lot'' is a single season reality show and online competition for filmmaking, produced by Steven Spielberg, Mark Burnett and David Goffin. The show, which aired on Fox, featured filmmakers competing in weekly elimination competitions, wit ...

''.

Release

The film debuted at the 2015

LA Film Festival The LA Film Festival was an annual film festival that was held in Los Angeles, California, and usually took place in June. It showcased independent, international, feature, documentary and short films, as well as web series, music videos, episod ...

and had a limited theatrical release in the United States in Spring 2016. ''Catching the Sun'' made its public debut on Earth Day 2016 on

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.catchingthesun.tv/ 2015 films Documentary films about alternative energy 2010s English-language films