Wiebo's War

Documentary filmmaker David York examines the explosive conflict between Reverend Wiebo Ludwig - the leader of an Alberta-based religious community that has turned its back on modern society - and the big oil companies that seek to exploit the massive natural gas field that was discovered on Reverend Ludwig's land. Twenty-five years ago, Reverend Ludwig and his followers retreated to Trickle Creek to practice their faith on their own terms. But they couldn't escape progress, because when the oil companies discover an undeveloped gas field right under the community, their buyout offer is flatly rejected. Meanwhile, the government remains unresponsive to Reverend Ludwig's claim that sour gas wells have caused miscarriages in animals and humans, as well as a host of other health and safety issues. When someone begins bombing the gas lines, big oil attempts to paint Reverend Ludwig and his followers as eco-terrorists, citing their fierce resistance to the oil industry in their region 10 years prior.