Frances A. Conaway

Florida State University’s New York City-based “Sight, Sound & Motion” festival will be the venue for the first New York screening and a major announcement about “Fields of Fuel,” a Sundance Festival-honored film by FSU graduate Josh Tickell.

The feature-length documentary, which spotlights the use of sustainable energy sources like “biodiesel” as alternatives to America’s crippling reliance on foreign oil, won the 2008 Sundance Film Festival’s coveted Audience Award.

Tickell, who earned an MFA at FSU’s College of Motion Picture, Television and Recording Arts (best known as The Film School), wrote, directed and stars in the film, which was shot in the United States, Australia, Germany, Sweden and the UK.

“’Fields of Fuel’ unveils a curtain of deception covering America's crippling dependence on foreign oil as it explores solutions to the coming energy crisis,” says Tickell. The film shows economically sustainable, environmentally sound alternatives that are already widely used in Europe. These sustainable energy sources such as fuel from algae have the potential to reduce dangerous green house gases, boost America's sagging economy, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Film School Dean Frank Patterson calls “Fields of Fuel” “an emotionally compelling, fact-filled documentary that challenges the audience to become energy independent. With the national election upon us, and this topic at the top of the agenda, the film couldn't come at a better time.”

FSU’s “Sight, Sound & Motion” festival, entering its fifth year, will feature some of the best student and faculty ambassadors of FSU’s acclaimed visual and performing arts programs on New York City stages April 27-30. The screening of “Fields of Fuel” is scheduled for Wednesday, April 30, 8 p.m., at the Angelika Film Center. For more information, visit sightsoundmotion.fsu.edu.

The April 30 “Sight, Sound & Motion” screening in New York City will serve as a stage for Tickell to announce a multi-faceted 2008 “Change Your Fuel, Change Your World” USA Tour for his award-winning film. “’Fields of Fuel’” is a story about going back to our roots,” Tickell said. “FSU is where I got the tools to make this movie, and New York City is where the film begins and ends. For me, it’s a perfect circle.” Tickell and his producers plan to have the film screened in 50 cities around the country by Earth Day 2009.

Called one of the nation's leading experts on alternative fuels, Tickell began to look for alternatives to petroleum in college, when he discovered biodiesel while working on a farm in the former East Germany.

Through the film and through his 2006 book, "Biodiesel America - How to Achieve Energy Security, Free America From Middle-East Oil Dependence and Make Money Growing Fuel," Tickell challenges the status quo of the oil industry, the automakers and the government and offers an energy roadmap to wean the U.S. from fossil fuels.

Tickell enrolled at FSU’s Film School after the publication of his first book. “From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank -– The Complete Guide to Using Vegetable Oil as an Alternative Fuel.” His goal: to direct and produce a major theatrical documentary motion picture that both chronicles and is a catalyst in the biodiesel and green energy movement.

“Through the Film School, I learned that there’s always a solution to any complicated problem. You learn how to push your creativity to new levels. It’s what being a filmmaker is all about—using limited resources to tell your story in the most powerful way.”

Tickell began shooting footage for the documentary in 1997 during his first “Veggie Van” trip. Running on fuel he made from collecting free used fryer grease from fast-food franchises along the way, the “Veggie Van” completed a two-year journey zigzagging across the United States to promote the use of renewable, biodegradable biodiesel and other sustainable forms of energy.

According to Tickell’s web site, “Ten years, two books and millions of French Fries later, Tickell and the “Veggie Van” sparked a biodiesel revolution, and biodiesel industries in four countries followed.”

Today, the “Veggie Van Organization” is a unique educational entity that promotes the adoption of biodiesel fuel and other renewable energy solutions through hands-on demonstrations, school presentations, speaking engagements and road tours.

In 2003, Tickell began working full time on the production of “Fields of Fuel.” The film features appearances by Woody Harrelson, Larry Hagman, Neil Young and Willie Nelson among other celebrities and cultural icons.

Tickell founded the Biodiesel America Organization, which in 2005 was selected by President Bill Clinton to be part of his Global Initiative on Climate Change.

Tickell has appeared on The Today Show, Dateline NBC, CNN News, The National Geographic Channel and the Discovery Channel, NPR , the Jeff Rense and Jim Hightower radio shows and has been featured in the Los Angeles Times , The Independent (UK), The Smithsonian Magazine, Maxim Magazine and Mother Earth News.

Following the FSU festival, Tickell will lead a biodiesel-fueled caravan across the country to promote the film.