Directed by ML Lincoln
Captures the generations of eco-activists, from the 1960s to the present day, inspired by Edward Abbey's passionate defense of wilderness in The Monkey Wrench Gang.
From Upton Sinclair's The Jungle to Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, American literature has a history of being in the vanguard when it comes to activism about controversial issues. The books of Edward Abbey carry on that tradition, with memoirs like Desert Solitaire and the classic comic novel, The Monkey Wrench Gang, taking on the degradation of the American Southwest.
WRENCHED reveals how Edward Abbey's anarchistic spirit and riotous novels influenced and helped guide the nascent environmental movement of the 1970s and '80s. Through interviews, archival footage and re-enactments, the film captures the outrage of Abbey's friends who were the original eco-warriors. In defense of wilderness, these early activists pioneered "monkeywrenching" - a radical blueprint for "wrenching the system." Exemplified by EarthFirst! in the early '80s, direct action and civil disobedience grew in popularity.
WRENCHED captures a new generation of monkeywrenchers who use Abbey's books as a source of inspiration. They are personified by Tim DeChristopher, who single-handedly stopped the sale of 100,000+ acres of public trust lands in southeastern Utah. The fight continues to sustain the last bastion of the American frontier - the spirit of the West. And WRENCHED, following in Abbey's footsteps, asks the question: How far are we willing go in defense of wilderness?
Awards
~ Jury Award, Frozen River Film Festival
~ People's Choice Award, Flagstaff Mountain Film Festival
~ Best Editing of a Documentary, Santa Fe Film Festival
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