How to Blow Up a Pipeline

No, the film is a fictional narrative adapted from Andreas Malm's 2021 nonfiction book of the same name, which argues for sabotage as a climate movement tactic. Director Daniel Goldhaber co-wrote the screenplay with Ariela Barer and Jordan Sjol, expanding the book's political arguments into a heist-style thriller.

The film premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival and received a theatrical release in the United States in early 2023. It generated significant critical discussion for its portrayal of climate activism and direct action as a response to the climate crisis.

The film features an ensemble cast including Ariela Barer, who also co-wrote the screenplay, Kristine Froseth, Lukas Gage, and Forrest Goodluck. The cast portrays young climate activists from diverse backgrounds who converge to sabotage an oil pipeline in West Texas.

Andreas Malm, a Swedish academic, published 'How to Blow Up a Pipeline: Learning to Fight in a World on Fire' in 2021 through Verso Books. The book argues that the climate movement should embrace property destruction as a legitimate tactic, drawing on historical examples of sabotage in social movements.