''Greedy Lying Bastards'' is a 2012 American documentary film directed by

Craig Rosebraugh Craig Rosebraugh (born April 15, 1972) is an American writer, filmmaker and activist advocating for political and social justice, and environmental and animal protection. Activism A political activist since the early 1990s when he opposed the ...

. The film explores the phenomenon of

climate change denial Climate change denial, or global warming denial, is denial, dismissal, or doubt that contradicts the scientific consensus on climate change, including the extent to which it is caused by humans, its effects on nature and human society, or th ...

Content

''Greedy Lying Bastards'' investigates the climate change misinformation campaign waged by the petroleum industry and its funded think tanks. The film exposes how a small number of well-paid spokespeople have worked to confuse the public and lawmakers on the issue. Both

ExxonMobil ExxonMobil Corporation (commonly shortened to Exxon) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is the largest direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, and was formed on November 30, ...

and Koch Industries are identified in the film as two of the worst culprits funding the denial campaign. In addition to exposing the denial campaign, ''Greedy Lying Bastards'' tells the stories of those currently impacted by changing climate. These include residents of

Kivalina Kivalina ( ik, Kivalliñiq) is a city and village in Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska, United States. The population was 377 at the 2000 census and 374 as of the 2010 census. The island on which the village lies is threatened by rising sea ...

, Alaska who are faced with relocation due to erosion of shorelines caused from rising temperatures and those in Tuvalu facing sea level rise. "The film also covers the

2012 Colorado wildfires The 2012 Colorado wildfires were an unusually devastating series of Colorado wildfires, including several separate fires that occurred throughout June, July, and August 2012. At least 34,500 residents were evacuated in June.Coffman, Keith (June 2 ...

, drought in Kansas art of the wider 2010–13 Southern United States and Mexico drought">2010–13 Southern United States and Mexico drought">art of the wider 2010–13 Southern United States and Mexico droughtand Hurricane Sandy."

Production

''Greedy Lying Bastards'' was directed, produced and narrated by

. He co-wrote the film with two-time

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

winning editor Patrick Gambuti, Jr., who also served as editor. Daryl Hannah was an executive producer and Michael Brook, who wrote the score for An Inconvenient Truth, was the composer. In making the film Rosebraugh sought to "undertake a project that would uncover the hidden agenda of the oil industry and provide answers as to why we as a nation fail to implement clean energy policies and take effective action on important problems such as climate change." The film began production in 2009 and finished late in 2012.

Release

''Greedy Lying Bastards'' was released theatrically in North America on March 8, 2013, where it grossed $45,000. Disinformation released it on home video January 14, 2014, and it grossed another $73,537 in North American sales.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 69% of 35 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating is 6.2/10. The site's consensus reads: "It's not particularly subtle, but ''Greedy Lying Bastards'' is effective in questioning the motives of

climate change denier Climate change denial, or global warming denial, is denial, dismissal, or doubt that contradicts the scientific consensus on climate change, including the extent to which it is caused by humans, its effects on nature and human society, or the ...

s." Metacritic rated it 56/100 based on 14 reviews.

Awards

* 2012

Burbank Film Festival The Burbank International Film Festival (BIFF) is an annual film festival held since 2009 in Burbank, California, United States. It was founded by Val Tonione, and awards are distributed to filmmakers that have focused on social and environmental i ...

Best Documentary Feature * 2012

Boston Film Festival Boston Film Festival (BFF) is an annual film festival held in Boston in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It has been held annually since 1984, usually in early September. The Boston Film Festival premiered such notable films as '' The Last Kiss'' ...

Eco Award

Other festivals

* 2013 Reykjavik International Film Festival, Official Selection * 2013 Beijing International Film Festival, Official Selection * 2013 Environmental Film Festival (Washington D.C.), Official Selection * 2012 United Nations Association Film Festival, Official Selection * 2012 Bahamas International Film Festival, Official Selection * 2012 Costa Rica International Film Festival

References

External links

* * * * * {{Metacritic film 2012 films 2012 documentary films American documentary films Documentary films about business Documentary films about global warming Films scored by Michael Brook Films set in 2012 Films set in Alaska Films set in Colorado Films set in Kansas Films set in Tuvalu Hurricane Sandy Petroleum industry 2010s English-language films 2010s American films