WHEN ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM TURNS TO TERROR THE OSCAR-NOMINATED DOCUMENTARY IF A TREE FALLS AIRS ON CBC NEWS NETWORK'S THE PASSIONATE EYE, SUNDAY, FEB. 19 AT 10 P.M. ET/PT

How did a mild-mannered kid from a working-class family end up an “eco-terrorist”  facing life in prison?

CBC News Network’s THE PASSIONATE EYE presents If a Tree Falls, Sunday, Feb. 19 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Nominated for a 2012 Academy Award for Best Documentary, the film tells the riveting,  complicated story of how Daniel McGowan found himself at the crossroads of environmentalism and terrorism, and chose a path that led him to join a radical environmental group the FBI has branded the No. 1 domestic terrorism threat in the United States. Directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Marshall Curry, If a Tree Falls examines why McGowan joined the radical Earth Liberation Front and participated in two multi-million dollar arsons, and asks a question that resonates widely in today’s political climate: when you’re fighting for your beliefs, how far is too far?

Also airing on THE PASSIONATE EYE in February:

Concrete Circus
  (Sunday, Feb. 12 at 10 p.m. ET/PT)
They are the hottest extreme street sports stars on the planet, and their films have attracted more than 50 million online views. Now, in Concrete Circus, director Mike Christie is bringing them together to try to top their jaw-dropping achievements of unsurpassed beauty and danger. The documentary follows urban trail-rider Danny MacAskill, skateboarding virtuoso Kilian Martin, U.K.  parkourist Paul “Blue” Joseph, and BMX flatlander Keelan Phillips as they set about making four new films in the U.K. Can they top their earlier spectacular feats? Can they jump further, move faster, risk more? And why do they push their minds and bodies to such extremes? Featuring a cameo by renowned Canadian parkour/skating star Mathieu Ledoux, who is available for interviews.
 
Love Addict: Not a Love Story
(Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 10 p.m. ET/PT)
Throughout history, human beings have fought, conquered, killed and been killed in the name of love. But when does so-called “love” become an obsession, a destructive addiction, or even a fatal attraction? Love Addict: Not a Love Story is a revealing examination of what it’s like to be a “love addict” and the origins of this strange disorder, told through six stories involving people for whom the feeling of love becomes an absolute necessity for survival—people who will do anything for a “fix.” Directed by Pernille Rose Grønkjær, this is a disturbing, fascinating insight into the vicious cycle of love addiction—an addiction that can lead to depression, despair and, in extreme cases, suicide and murder.

Waking the Titanic
(Monday, Feb. 20 at 10 p.m. ET/PT)
No mere retelling of the Titanic story, this emotional docudrama revealsthe hopes,  dreamsand the loss suffered by the people of a tiny Irish village whose sons and daughters went in search of a better life only to be subsumed by the tragic destiny of the world’s greatest ship. Based on the testimony of three villagerswho survived the sinking of the Titanic, it dramatizes the storyof the 14 young men and women fromNorth Mayo, Lahardane whohad the misfortune to be travelling insteerage onApril 15,  1912 on a ship that had been billed as “unsinkable.” The rural Irish hamlet lost a greater proportion of its people in the Titanic disaster than any other community. Directed by Frank Delaney and Gillian Marsh.

CBC NEWS NETWORK DOCUMENTARY SCHEDULE

  Feb. 12 - Feb. 25

(Click on the hyperlink for information)

About CBC/Radio-Canada
  CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, Internet,  and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages. For more information, visit www.cbc.ca.

For further information, contact:
  Melissa Prince, Veritas Communications
  P) 416-482-2669
  C) 416-704-8733
prince@veritascanada.com