Vapor Trail (Clark) (2010)

Filmmaker John Gianvito examines one side of the bitter legacy of America's military presence in the Philippines in this documentary. In 1991, the Philippine government requested that the United State... read more s close its military bases in the country; the request was honored, and the Clark Air Base on Luzon Island was shut down by the United States Air Force in November of that year. The Clark Air Base was one of the USAF's largest bases outside the United States, with a population of 15,000; when the Air Force abandoned the facility, little was done to prevent possible environmental after effects, and in the last months of operation large amounts of chemical contaminants (including petroleum products, pesticides and lead) were dumped into the local water supply. Also, when refugees made a home on the former air base, they were contaminated with asbestos used in the original construction but never properly cleared away. Since then, cancer rates have skyrocketed on Luzon Island and chemical contamination has had a profound impact on the ecosystem. Vapor Trail (Clark) examines how and why the former USAF base became an environmental disaster area and what can be done to help the people of Luzon Island. Vapor Trail (Clark) was an official selection at the 2010 Rotterdam International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi