“When the mainstream media packed up and moved to the next disaster, it gave the world the false impression that everything was back to normal… the people of the Gulf still face enormous consequences from the spill.”– Filmmaker Joe Berlinger
For decades, oil and fishing industries coexisted on Louisiana’s immaculate shoreline. But, on April 20, 2010, the explosion of British Petroleum’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig changed everything – devastating the ecosystem, the culture and spirit of Gulf Coast businesses and residents, and shocking millions around the world. BLACK TIDE: VOICES FROM THE GULF tracks the lives of Louisianans living in the aftermath of the largest offshore oil spill in American history. Premiering Sunday, September 25 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, Animal Planet teams up with Emmy Award®-winning filmmaker Joe Berlinger for a not-to-be-missed two-hour special exploring how 200 million gallons of oil forever changed a way of life and how the region is rebuilding and finding new ways to survive.
It’s not just about a livelihood for residents of the Gulf – the oil and fishing industries help define their identity. 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: VOICES FROM THE GULF paints a picture of the short-term and potential long-term effects on the people and animals that call the rich Gulf waters home.
For a region that provides 30% of America’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.
