The release of the global-warming documentary “Greedy Lying Bastards” on Friday marks a turning point for environmental advocates, as the filmmakers decided to go for a more in-your-face title.

“While the title is provocative and a bit outrageous, after consultation with our PR team we concluded that in order for the project to obtain as wide a distribution as possible we needed to stand out from other films,” said director Craig Rosebraugh. His film, an exposé of the fossil fuel industry’s international attempts to defeat laws and regulations targeting global warming, opens in Washington and nationally on Friday.

It was a part of the 2012 United Nations Association Traveling Film Festival and will also be screened on March 18 at Georgetown University as part of the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital. Actress Daryl Hannah is its executive producer. Rosebraugh and his team felt that, even with the subject matter and the film’s relatively high-profile production, the contentious title was worth it.

“Being as we live in a very sensationalist age where sound bites and reality television appear to prevail, we felt that a memorable title would be the best for the project. That being said, we spared no expense on the project and have completed a professional and marketable film that we hope makes a difference in terms of public opinion on the issue,” he told HOH.