Merry Bloody Christmas!

Here are some still images from the video, Revolt of the Christmas Trees,
produced by Wheels of Change Productions in Berkeley, California.

The documentary is told from the perspective of the FBI, the Forest
Burning Idiots.  

Parts 1 and 3 are now available on youtube:



UPDATE!!! PART 2 FINALLY AVAILABLE MORE THAN TEN YEARS LATER!!!! :D :D :D






Watch the video online!

Background:  Berkeley has long been a center of tree-love and tree-based activism.

Conflict:  The trees have come magically to life where they lay in the gutter, 
and begin to take to the streets.  They use their magical ability to inspire
Tree Love in passersby to fuse with human beings in their quest for
egalitarian, environmental revolution.

Plot:  We follow the tumultuous rise of the trees which is backed by a powerful
student solidarity movement.  All realize they are being displaced and killed
by the automobile and the asphalt swath which cuts down life, steals land that
could be used for housing or open space, and which extracts the richness from
the earth to be wasted.  Just as in the 1960's through present, People's Park
is the center of this uprising and then as now, the police and National Guard
are the forces which have been called out to crush the freedom movement. Then
as now, the City Council becomes the final battleground for the `wingnut fringe'.

Genre:  This film uses found footage, related demonstrations such as Reclaim
the Streets, unpermitted tree actions (art is life), and random interviews
and related snippets of the local culture.  Yes, the trees actually went to
the Berkeley City Council.

Specifications: 30 min. NTSC VHS.

At first, humans feared the trees which rose before them at the curb.

Terror!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

And who wouldn't fear trees when they chase after you? It's all so strange!

But once close enough to realize that the trees are gentle, citizens are overwhelmed by feelings of love.

Humans then embrace the trees with blissful unconditional love.

Soon, everybody's doin' it.

"If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your tree-volution."

True love inspires

a beautiful ballet

as the deadly motorcars are kept at bay.

Here another student is overcome with tree love and takes to the street.

His friend, also succumbing, takes the street as well.

The fusing begins! The FBI viewed this as worse than the drug crisis -- students playing dangerously in the street with no regard for their safety -- but in fact, a profoundly symbiotic relationship for the future of the planet had been born.

Soon everyone was filled with the excuisite joy of tree love.

"Trees revolutionizing turns me on!"

It was time for a tree backlash...motorists lashed out in violence.

Trees were crushed by cars left and right.

And callously left for dead like the earth that had been covered with asphalt.

Just as in everyday life when humans are crushed by cars, the police didn't care that the trees were being run over. This sparked a major riot on Telegraph Avenue.

Students joined the trees in revolt, overturning cars.

And pouncing all over them.

Smashing them with skateboards, feet and fists.

An army of Santas joined in for sTREEt justice, having just gathered together for their yearly Santarchy convention.

Santas got good'n rowndy and mounted up their sleighs to go into combat.

Many crossed state borders to join the riot.

The National Guard was called in and although the trees put up a good fight, soon the uprising was put down and many trees were burned or imprisoned.

This tree was lucky enough to be put in branch-cuffs, but not for long (the poor tree was destined for a mass mulching grave).

Riot police searched apartment buildings to find trees being hidden by their supporters, using specially trained pine-scenting dogs and traitorous informants.

In the days that followed, police used the same repressive tactics that they use against the homeless, targeting all trees as guilty with no chance to prove their innocence -- independent of any laws or ethics.

The trees made their way to City Council.

Tree leaders made a desperate, impassioned plea for amnestree.

Thanks to a broad coalition of both Pagans and Anti-consumerist Christians, the trees won consensus from the City Council.

Finally, they were free to bring their brand of "Eco-terrorism" to the roadways.

The trees are following the shiny path of pine needles in their pursuit of global justice, sustainability, and harmony amongst all living things. Watch for them in your neighborhood soon!


To order this film, send something nice to Wheels of Change Productions P.O. Box 15071 Berkeley, CA 94712-6071 (checks accepted, made out to Wheels of Change Productions).
Note, this film is packaged with four other pieces including Wheels of Change, a documentary about the local Bicycle-Friendly Berkeley Coalition, July 25th: the secret is out!, about the orchestrated police crackdown on San Francisco Critical Mass (version II), and the infamous cult classic, Whooping Weenies. "Bicyclists, whoop this car!"