Meet the filmmakers at April 27 event

As part of CSU Monterey Bay’s celebration of Earth Week, the award-winning environmental documentary “Fuel” will be screened at 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 27, at the World Theater on Sixth Avenue.

After the screening, writer-director Josh Tickell and producer Rebecca Harrell Tickell will be on stage to discuss the film and answer questions.

Though the film’s premise is simple enough – we are too reliant on oil – its ramifications (economic, environmental and political) are enormous.

The film is a highly critical, in-depth, personal journey that examines a host of energy answers to America's oil addiction, as well as offering a critique of the U.S. auto and petroleum industries' role in resisting change.

Tickets are $10, or $5 for people willing to sign an Earth Day pledge to make an effort to go green. “Your Earth Day pledge will be signed on magnolia leaves that will be composted after the event,” World Theater Executive Director Joe Cardinalli said. “We hope everyone will sign the pledge.” Tickets can be reserved by calling the World Theater box office at 582-4580 or can be purchased at the door.

Tickell, a first-time director, began the journey resulting in the film after watching members of his family suffer from pollution-related cancers as a result of living near petroleum refineries in Louisiana. In 1997, he set out on the road with a biodiesel powered "Veggie Van" and a video camera and began filming what would eventually become known as “Fuel.”

"I wanted to make a film about the serious challenges we face and ultimately about the power of every individual to make a difference," Tickell said. He routinely travels to screen the film using biodiesel vehicles. His goal, Tickell said, is to "green the vote" of America by getting everyday people, along with elected officials and energy companies, to support a 10-year plan that will transition America to renewable energy.

Harrell Tickell is a veteran producer and musician who specializes in youth activism, education and the environment. She co-directs The Veggie Van Organization, a national nonprofit dedicated to education about sustainable energy.

“Fuel” has won numerous awards since its release, including the audience award for best documentary at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.

New York Times reviewer Jeannette Catsoulis called the film "sweeping and exhilarating . . . Thanks to an informative, buoyant tone and the director's own restless intelligence, the film preaches to the unconverted with passion, energy and graphics so clear that they would make Al Gore weep all over his PowerPoint."

Other reviewers have said:

"IMPRESSIVELY COMPREHENSIVE" . . . "Fuel" is a vital, superbly assembled documentary that presents an insightful overview of America's troubled relationship with oil and how alternative and sustainable energies can reduce our country's – and the world's – addictive dependence on fossil fuels." – Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times

"SWEEPING AND EXHILARATING" . . . Tickell's passionate film goes beyond great storytelling; it rings out like a bell that stirs consciousness and makes individual action suddenly seem consequential. – Caroline Libresco, The Sundance Institute

"THE UNOFFICIAL SEQUEL TO AL GORE'S 'AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH' " . . . Tickell gets points for intellectual honesty for directly addressing critics who are concerned that increased use of biofuels will impact the global food supply, possibly pricing poor countries out of the market for such staples as corn. He doesn't dismiss the argument but offers some next generation technological solutions, from algae farms in the desert to "vertical farms" in the cities. – Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic