VALVE TURNERS chronicles a group of older, white Americans who push the limits of civil disobedience to protest the government's failure to address the climate emergency. In solidarity with Standing Rock, they carefully planned a bid to disrupt the entire flow of tar sands oil from Alberta into the United States. Reuters called it, “the biggest coordinated move on U.S. energy infrastructure ever undertaken by environmental protesters,” an act that “shook the North American energy industry.”

Charged with 27 felonies and 15 misdemeanors, the activists faced a protracted legal battle. Their team of attorneys, led by Lauren Regan of the Civil Liberties Defense Center, sought to use the climate necessity defense in Washington, Montana, North Dakota, and Minnesota. While the defense was rejected in the first three states, Minnesota’s judge accepted it, and the ruling was upheld by the Minnesota Supreme Court, setting a new legal precedent.

The film focuses on the valve turners' story, featuring interviews with Regan, journalist Michelle Nijhuis, and the activists. Expert witnesses Dr. James Hansen and Bill McKibben, who were prepared to testify at the Minnesota trial, discuss the long-standing warnings from scientists and the fossil fuel industry's influence that blocked decades of attempts to reach an international agreement to reduce emissions. Additionally, the film includes interviews with survivors of Hurricanes Michael, Dorian, and the Camp Fire, who recount their experiences and revisit their damaged homes, offering a poignant view of the aftermath of these disasters.