Despite the recent economic meltdown of real estate development, Laura Dunn’s film reminds us that the true cost of unchecked land development has yet to be paid, at least in environmental terms. The film follows a land use dispute in Austin, Texas, quickly spinning a local confrontation between business and resident into a global issue. Featuring gorgeous shots of natural landscapes alongside interviews with Robert Redford, Willie Nelson, Wendell Berry and Ann Richards, The Unforeseen is at once meditative, poetic, thoughtful, and rigorous.

Presented as part of the Depth of Field 2009-2010 Series: Adaptology: Natural Selections on Humans & the Environment

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