Action group California Coastal Protection Network (CCPN) said they will screen the film by the former US vice president tonight to raise public awareness of their opposition to the LNG terminal 14 miles (22.5km) off the coast of Malibu and Oxnard.

Several California-based celebrities who oppose the project are expected to attend, including actor Pierce Bronson, who will give an introduction to the film.

BHPB’s proposed $US800 million ($A1.05 billion) Cabrillo facility has met with sustained resistance from local councils and residents and the California State Lands Commission earlier this year found it posed unavoidable safety and environmental risks.

The commission identified 19 potential “class one” impacts that could not be “mitigated to below their significance criteria”.

It said the project would increase smog levels, and the LNG terminal and its attending fleet of ships would be visible at elevations along the coast. State law disallows industrial intrusion on highly scenic areas.

It also found there was a very remote possibility of a 20km-wide flash fire reaching to within 10km of the Malibu and Oxnard city limits, which are among negative impacts that cannot be corrected or avoided.

BHPB has defended the facility, arguing the plant’s location of more than 14m from the closest point to shore and 21m from the nearest high-density population provides a “safety assurance that no other proposed LNG facility can match”.

It has also said the company plans to use the best-available technology so the operation does not degrade air quality on the mainland.

Resident celebrities that have so far signed on in support of CCPN’s program in addition to Brosnan include Barbara Streisand, Mary Steenburgen, Ted Danson, Danny DeVito, Kenny G, Tom Hanks, Jane Seymour, Martin Sheen, Dick Van Dyke and Sting.