Description:

In 1988 the oilrig Piper Alpha exploded, killing 167 men. Only 62 people survived. The well-recorded, tragic incident was the world’s worst offshore disaster. Ten years later, survivor Ed Punchard returns to Scotland to confront the demons that haunt him still. In a powerful and deeply moving documentary, Paying for the Piper examines the issues of corporate greed and injustice. In it Punchard travels the world with activist and 2000 presidential candidate Ralph Nader, bringing their confrontation with the past to a culmination in a meeting with Occidental, the oil company responsible for the disaster.


Biography:

Producer Ed Punchard formerly worked in the North Sea as an offshore oilrig diver, engineer and company representative. The explosion of the Piper Alpha ended Puchard’s eight-year career in offshore oil and began his role as a documentary filmmaker. He moved to Perth and established Prospero Productions with Julia Redwood in 1991.

Director Julia Redwood graduated with honors from the University of Warwick, England. There she studied English and Theater Studies before moving to Australia. Her directing credits include Home of the Blizzards, and the multi-award winning wildlife series Hutan-Wildlife of the Malaysian Rainforest.


Contact Information:
Melanie Annan
Prospero Productions
1/34 Henry Street
Fremantle 6160
Western Australia
Phone: 61 89336 6006
Fax: 61 89336 6007
E-mail: mail@prospero.com.au
Web site: www.prospero.com.au