Before The Spill
To this day - the drinking water for 40 million people is still unnecessarily at risk due to an out-of-date oil pipeline running through the open waters of the Great Lakes.
The film Before the Spill was a grassroots effort aimed squarely at raising awareness in Michigan and the Great Lakes region during the November 2018 Midterm Elections.
We were successful in seeing a new Governor and Attorney General elected who have been willing to begin the legal battle to combat this egregious threat to one of our planet’s most precious freshwater resources.
However, 23 million gallons of oil still pump through the heart of the Great Lakes daily.
Detroit, Michigan
October 2018
Special thanks to the many hands that were involved in making the film:
Director: Adam Wells
Editor: Sam Hedlund
Executive Producer: Andy Cochrane
Associate Producer: Sarah Lewis
Associate Producer: Colin McCarthy
Camera, Assistant Editor: August White
Aerial DP (ice footage): Tom Gunnels
Title Graphics: Famous Charm
Animation: Lunar North
Sound Engineer: William Lake Springstead
B-Roll Footage: Great Lakes Bad Lines
Dive Footage: National Wildlife Federation and Dr. Ed Timm
Photographer: Beth Price
And many thanks to the organizations who helped bring this project to life, including but not limited to:
For Love Of Water
Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa
National Wildlife Federation
Great Lakes Business Network
Patagonia
Great Lakes Bad Lines
To learn more about the Great Lakes
or to get involved with regional efforts to protect our freshwater visit: