Synopsis

Baku in Azerbaijan, the site of the world’s first oil well, is once again becoming a focus for foreign investors eager to exploit the country’s vast oil riches. “Source” traces the pipeline from our commuter highways back to this surreal and sinister landscape on which our way of life depends, where cows graze on polluted land and children play in toxic gunge. With three quarters of the population living under the poverty line, the country’s post-Soviet government is promising oil will turn Azerbaijan into a ‘real country’, a prosperous and flourishing ‘New Kuwait’. But between big oil companies like British Petroleum and the corrupt government lining their pockets, what does this mean for the ordinary people of Azerbaijan? Is this “liquid gold” more of a curse than a blessing for this troubled country?