The director and co-producer of the controversial documentary Planet of the Humans are hosting a virtual live event on Oct. 27, one that Victoria residents will have access to via an exclusive link.
The event, Battle For the Planet of the Humans, will be hosted by writer-director Jeff Gibbs and co-producer Ozzie Zehner, whose environmental documentary — which was executive-produced by Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore — drew cheers and jeers in equal measure upon its release on Earth Day in April.
Planet of the Humans is critical of the green power and clean-energy movements, and suggests it has pulled the curtain back on renewable energy and its often-overlooked carbon footprint, including by such companies as Tesla.
The 100-minute film is currently streaming for free on YouTube, and has been viewed 9.3 million times.
More than 70,000 comments have been posted on the film’s YouTube page, the majority of which are supportive of the filmmakers. But the director says others from the energy industry have lobbied against the film.
Gibbs told the Times Colonist that he and Zehner will be “sharing some things that are not in the movie that advance the conversation.”
“We’ll react to some of the criticism we’ve had, and some of the controversy.”
Gibbs has worked as a producer on many of Moore’s films, dating back to 2002’s Bowling For Columbine. He said the virtual event for Victoria audiences will spotlight the hypocrisy of the critics who attacked his film.
“Planet of the Humans has created more discussions than any other film I’ve seen. Period. The discussion is the most important part, and giving some insight into some of the things in the film that we want to go a little deeper into.”
Battle For the Planet of the Humans is set for 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 27. Tickets ($15) go on sale at 8 a.m. on Sept. 8 through ticketmaster.ca.
- Mike Devlin, Times Colonist