The Electric Valley

Synopsis

The Tennessee Valley Authority--the TVA--was a project like no other, and it continues to shape life in the South to this day. In 1933, the TVA was given the broadest possible mission: to tame the forces of nature, create cheap energy, and produce a lasting prosperity in the Depression-wracked Tennessee Valley, a region the size of Great Britain. For better or worse, it touched peoples' lives in innumerable ways. THE ELECTRIC VALLEY, the first independent documentary film about the TVA, is both political parable and human drama; it is a narrative journey through fifty years of American history with this controversial institution as its focus. The film explores both the issues and the people who give these issues their power and poignance. THE ELECTRIC VALLEY puts a human face on one of the most remarkable institutions of our time. At its best, the TVA has embodied America's belief in its ability to solve severe problems through democratic processes. At its worst, the TVA has been the very embodiment of hubris. In the present era of economic-environmental-energy crisis, the TVA story is more interesting and valuable than ever.