You’ve Been Trumped is a documentary film which examines Donald Trump’s plans to construct a luxury golf resort on one of the most environmentally sensitive stretches of land in Europe which has been described as ‘Scotland’s Amazon rain forest’, the stretch of untouched coastal wilderness north of Aberdeen has Britain’s top convservation ranking yet the police and government would prefer it if the film wasn’t shown. The film makers need to raise more funding to pay for post production costs before its official release. jónsi of Sigur Rós is doing his part by offering his music for the film.
What’s at Stake
Described as ‘Scotland’s Amazon rain forest’ by the country’s leading climate change expert, the stretch of untouched coastal wilderness north of Aberdeen has Britain’s top convservation ranking.
No large scale development is supposed to take place there. Yet Donald Trump is now building a millionaire’s playground – 1500 houses, a 450 bed hotel and two golf courses.
Donald Trump claims he has ‘great support’ from the environmental groups. However, the film reveals how every major conservation group in Scotland has come out against the plan – including Scottish Natural Heritage, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the Scottish Wildlife Trust, and the Ramblers Association. Scottish Natural Heritage – the Government’s own environmental agency – says the resort will destroy the “the crown jewels” of Scotland’s natural heritage. And Scotland is bursting with golf courses already.
Yet Mr Trump has convinced the Scottish Government to upend the planning process and its own environmental laws on the pretext that the project is “in the national interest”.
The documentary calls into question this extraordinary decision. And follows a cast of real-life “Local Heroes” (the classic film was made just up the coast) as they battle against the odds to protect the ancient, globally important landscape that has been the backdrop to their lives. Their homes are under threat too – the authorities could level them to improve the view from the Trump hotel.
During the course of filming we became amongst the first journalists ever jailed in the United Kingdom simply for conducting an interview. Our crime? Investigating the cutting off of an 86-year-old woman’s water by crews employed by Mr Trump. Our footage and camera equipment was confiscated too. According to the National Union of Journalists, this police action was ‘unprecedented’. You can read about it here in The Guardian.
If you care about our planet, human decency, and freedom of speech, then please help us finish this film.
What We Need
You’ve Been Trumped will get its world premiere at North America’s biggest film festival – Hot Docs in Toronto – on Tuesday 3rd May at 9pm. We’re nearly there! Please check out our new website with full details.
We’ve paid for all the filming and almost all of the editing ourselves. But now we have to come up with almost $20,000 for what people in the business call “post production”. Stuff like the final sound mix, colour correction, and titling. And there’s insurance, rights clearances and the like.