Chris Paine

Chris Paine's award winning documentary feature film Who Killed the Electric Car? premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006 before its worldwide release by Sony Pictures Classics. Nearly 5,000 pure electric cars were collected and destroyed by GM, Ford, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and many others despite the efforts of activists to save them. Three years in the making, the film's murder mystery spin on an almost unreported story captured public attention and stimulated substantive change in the industry.

Five years later, electric cars are back… with a vengeance. Revenge of the Electric Car  (Spring 2011) is the new documentary from director Chris Paine — who took his film crew around the world to chronicle the resurgence of electric cars. From backyard mechanics converting Porsches to electrics, to the multi-million dollar Silicon Valley startup Tesla Motors, to deep behind closed doors at two of the world’s biggest car makers; Revenge of the Electric Car tells the electrifying story of the race to bring EVs back from the dead — just as the perils of the oil age are the deepest they’ve ever been.

Chris will share the journey that became Marrakesh House - an original Mid 20th Century Modern home that he purchased in 2007 and transformed  into a model for sustainable living in the 21st century. Marrakesh House is a private residence that doubles as venue for art, music and culture in the surrounding community. Paine rarely wavered in his commitment to remodel the 4,300 square-foot house using environmentally friendly guidelines. 

He will be joined by project manager, noted LEED AP, Shellie Collier of Homagedesign. Their team succeeded in making most changes to the house in accordance with the motto ‘reduce/reuse/recycle’. According to Collier, this motto means “using as much existing material as possible in order to significantly lower the carbon footprint during the remodeling process.” Paine ensured that measures were taken to harness the renewable, sustainable energy of the bright Southern California sun by installing roof panels to generate solar power for both plug-in electric vehicles and the residence itself.