THE OIL MACHINE meets Parliament:
Is the North Sea out of our control?

When

Monday, 04 Dec 2023 at 6:00 PM - 8:45 PM

Where

Attlee Suite, Portcullis House
1 Victoria Embankment
London SW1A 2JR
United Kingdom
Google map and directions

Contact

Ben Kempas, Film & Campaign Ltd. · · 0131 460 1600


  • Drinks and snacks will be provided from 6pm.
  • The programme will run from 6.30pm till 8.00pm.
  • Opportunity for more informal networking thereafter.

The event is hosted by Nadia Whittome MP in collaboration with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Climate Change.

RSVP now

The award-winning documentary THE OIL MACHINE raises the question if we can break our addiction to oil and gas. Independently produced and co-funded by BBC Scotland and Screen Scotland, the film has won international acclaim at some of the world’s most significant documentary festivals. Across the UK, the film has been shown at more than 180 events to date – many of them hosted by groups who use the film as a tool to spark discussion and instigate action in their own communities. As we speak, the film is also being released in the United States and Norway.

THE OIL MACHINE, directed by Emma Davie, is praised for offering an immersive experience of a highly complex issue, using a multi-stakeholder approach. The film brings together the voices of oil company executives, trade unions, climate scientists, historians, economists, investors, lawyers and young people. This sets it apart from other, more advocacy-focused videos, and has made it an ideal tool to start conversations between different interest groups.

We are inviting Members of Parliament, peers, their staff, and other policymakers in Westminster to get a taste of the acclaimed film through a selection of clips, and to hear directly from the stakeholders who are at the frontline of the struggle to find solutions to what’s arguably the most urgent issue of our times. Key people featured in the film will join us on the night, giving MPs the opportunity to meet and discuss with them:

  • Ann Pettifor, Economist and Author, Prime Economics
  • Jake Molloy, Just Transition team, RMT Union
  • Tessa Khan, Climate Lawyer, Uplift
  • James Marriott, Author and Campaigner, Platform London
  • Guy Prince, Senior Oil & Gas Analyst, Carbon Tracker

While taking a multi-stakeholder approach, the documentary makes it clear that we need to act urgently. Sir David King, the UK’s former Chief Scientific Advisor and Special Representative for Climate Change, says in the film: “I believe that what we do over the next five years will determine the future of humanity for the next millennium.”

So against the backdrop of COP28, we will ask the rather urgent question: “Is the North Sea out of our control?”

The panel will be hosted by writer Jen Stout, who has been reporting from the frontiers of oil (Shetland) and the frontlines of war (Ukraine), always with an emphasis on the human experience. A former BBC journalist, she freelances for outlets like The London Review of Books, Prospect and New Humanist. Her debut book Night Train to Odesa comes out in May 2024.

RSVP by 29 November.

Please note this is a private event, by invitation only. The RSVP form below is only intended for MPs and peers, their staff, and a number of external invitees. If you're not one of them, your RSVP may be cancelled.

Will you come?

Coming up...

Caia Park Environmental Group, UK

Monday, 13 May 2024 at 6:30 PM
The Caia Park Partnership in Wrexham, United Kingdom (on Google Maps)


Can we break our addiction? Join us at a screening of the award-winning documentary THE OIL MACHINE. This film delves into the North Sea oil industry, exploring its environmental and economic impact.

St Barnabas Church, Oxford

Tuesday, 14 May 2024 at 7:00 PM
St Barnabas Church in Reading, United Kingdom (on Google Maps)


Can we break our addiction? A screening of the award winning documentary THE OIL MACHINE followed by a discussion of the subject matter.

IDFA Institute, NL

Wednesday, 15 May 2024 at 8:30 PM
Het Documentaire Paviljoen: De Spiegel in Amsterdam, Netherlands (on Google Maps)
€12.00 EUR


The time when we described it as “liquid gold” may be over, but our economic, historical and even emotional connection to oil is still very much intact. Oil is in everything from the products in our kitchen cupboards to our pension funds. We are deeply dependent on oil. Let’s just admit it: we’re addicts.

This urgent film examines, from a range of perspectives, an industry that has crept into every pore of our society. But this must change: this polluting machine is causing sea levels to rise irrevocably. Directors of oil companies, economists and young activists all have their say about the conflicting interests around oil. Meanwhile, drilling permits are still being issued, despite the agreements made through the Paris Climate Accords.

While the focus is on the economy of the UK and its oil fields in the North Sea, all of us—politician, industrialist and consumer alike—will think twice after seeing this film and ask ourselves how to turn the tide. And how quickly?

Extinction Rebellion Glasgow

Tuesday, 21 May 2024 at 6:30 PM
Unison Building in Glasgow, United Kingdom (on Google Maps)


Can we break our addiction? Join Extinction Rebellion Glasgow at a screening of the award winning documentary THE OIL MACHINE, followed by a discussion of the film and the subject matter.

Southsea Green Film Festival

Wednesday, 22 May 2024 at 1:00 PM
Sotuhsea Community Cinema & Arts Centre in Southsea, Portsmouth, United Kingdom (on Google Maps)


Free screening for school children. This film delves into the North Sea oil industry, exploring its environmental and economic impact.

Free admission to Under 16's

Southsea Green Film Festival

Sunday, 26 May 2024 at 3:00 PM
Southsea Community Cinema & Arts Centre in Southsea, Portsmouth, United Kingdom (on Google Maps)
£7.50 GBP


From the discovery of huge oil fields off the coast of Scotland to their mass privatisation during the Thatcher era, The Oil Machine highlights how oil became the invisible engine driving UK economic and public policy. In the wake of COP26 in Glasgow, demand for climate action has become a key societal concern and the pressure on both oil companies and the government continues to mount. Bringing together a wide range of voices, from industry executives and economists to young activists, Davie offers a visceral and thought-provoking interrogation into how this insidious machine might be dismantled.

Naturvernforbundet i Fredrikstad og Hvaler, Norway

Wednesday, 05 Jun 2024 at 6:00 PM
Fredrikstad kino in Gamle Fredrikstad, Norway (on Google Maps)


Can we break our addiction? Screening of the award winning documentary The Oil Machine and discussion hosted by Naturvernforbundet i Fredrikstad og Hvaler (NiFH)

Sleaford Climate Action Network

Friday, 21 Jun 2024 at 7:15 PM
Sleaford Masonic Centre in Sleaford, United Kingdom (on Google Maps)


Can we break our addiction? A screening of the award winning documentary THE OIL MACHINE followed by a discussion of the subject matter.