Black Tide: Voices from the Gulf Premieres TONIGHT

07/28/2011

Reblog

Please tune in to Animal Planet TONIGHT, Thursday, July 28th, at 9PM EST/PST for the premiere of BLACK TIDE: VOICES FROM THE GULF.  It's a two-hour documentary about the aftermath of the 2010 Gulf Oil Spill Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

On April 20, 2010, the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig left a tragic loss of life in its wake and devastated the culture and spirit of Gulf Coast businesses and residents. Together Animal Planet and Emmy award-winning filmmaker Joe Berlinger track the lives of Louisianans living in the aftermath of the largest offshore oil spill in American history in BLACK TIDE: VOICES FROM THE GULF. On July 28, from 9-11 PM (ET/PT), this two-hour special explores how 200 million gallons of oil forever changed a way of life and how the region is rebuilding and finding new ways to survive.

Over the course of the year following the spill, Berlinger and his crew embedded themselves with people from all walks of life in the region including commercial fisherman, an individual on the Deepwater Horizon rig, scientific experts and representatives from BP and the U.S. government to gain intimate access to their stories, in particular BP’s clean-up operation. Through these first-hand accounts, BLACK TIDE paints a picture of the short and potential long-term effects on the people and animals that call the rich Gulf waters home.

For decades the oil and fishing industries have co-existed along Louisiana’s Gulf coast, and locals have
relied upon them for generations. For a region that provides 30 percent of the nation’s seafood and oil
supply, having these industries grind to a halt compounds an already dire economic situation. The ripple
effect of the moratorium on drilling and people’s reluctance to eat Gulf seafood over safety concerns
permeates all facets of life on the Gulf coast. Through this lens, BLACK TIDE: VOICES FROM THE
GULF delves into the disaster’s impact on local businesses, the environment and on the health of residents and wildlife.