Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth' Sequel to Open Sundance
The sequel will screen as part of Sundance's New Climate program, which revolves around a dozen environmentally focused feature films and shorts. Other documentaries in the program include Chasing Coral about the disappearing coral reefs, Trophy about big game hunting and conservation and Water & Power: A California Heist, a documentary on the state's water barons.
"My own engagement on climate change began more than 40 years ago, and the urgency I felt then has only grown stronger given its very real and increasingly severe consequences," Sundance founder Robert Redford said when the Sundance lineup was announced. "If we're going to avoid the worst-case scenario, then we must act boldly and immediately, even in the face of indifference, apathy and opposition."
Redford added in a new statement Friday, "I believe that storytelling is the greatest platform for getting people to care and take action on some of the most pressing issues of our time. Amid escalating threats to our environment, independent perspectives are adding the depth and dimension needed for us to find common ground and real solutions."
While Davis Guggenheim helmed An Inconvenient Truth, Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk, the tandem that previously worked on documentaries like The Island President, Audrie & Daisy and The Rape of Europa, directed the sequel.
At Sundance, Gore will also take part in a Power of Story panel on January 22nd alongside President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives – the subject of The Island President – as well as producer Heather Rae and environmentalist Dr. David Suzuki.
An Inconvenient Truth, which debuted at the 2006 Sundance festival, won Best Documentary Feature at the 2007 Academy Awards. Melissa Etheridge's "I Need to Wake Up" also won Best Original Song, marking the first and only time a song from a documentary had captured that Oscar.