The 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster might seem like history to some, but this documentary chronicles the continuing fallout from the environmental disaster. When the Exxon oil tanker crashed on Alaska's Prince William Sound, spilling millions of gallons of... less. The 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster might seem like history to some, but this documentary chronicles the continuing fallout from the environmental disaster. When the Exxon oil tanker crashed on Alaska's Prince William Sound, spilling millions of gallons of oil into the ocean, Exxon pledged responsibility and a thorough cleanup.

What's shown by director Rob Cornellier in this exposé is far less and considerably more maddening: a history of callous behavior that has left ordinary people paying the cost while an oil company reaps billions. In the early hours of March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil supertanker runs aground in Alaska. It discharges millions of gallons of crude oil. The incident becomes the biggest environmental catastrophe in North American history. Dramatic images shoot across the planet, showing thousands of dead seabirds and sea otters covered in oil.

A black tide covers the beaches of Prince William Sound. For 20 years, Riki Ott and the fishermen of Cordova, Alaska, have waged the longest legal battle in U.S. history against the world's most powerful oil company Exxon Mobil. They tell us all about the environmental, social and economic consequences of the black wave that changed their lives forever. This is the legacy of the Exxon Valdez. Almost twenty years after the massive Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska the citizens of the town of Cordova are still dealing with the environmental and social impacts, as well as the financial and legal fallout of the spill.

Black Wave: The Legacy of the Exxon Valdez is a poignant reminder that the effects of North America's biggest environmental catastrophe are still with us. Over the years they have profoundly altered the lives of tens of thousands of people, reducing many of them to poverty and despair. A Macumba Doc Production.