In May 2024, in collaboration with the Spore Initiative, we showed four short documentaries on ecology and activism. The films were accompanied by brief virtual messages from the filmmakers, offering insights into their films, the depicted struggles, their perspectives on eco-cinema, and potential avenues for more ecological filmmaking practices. Following the screening, a discussion was held with Berlin-based choreographer, dancer and curator Martha Hincapié Charry and Lisa Hoffman from the open, autonomous and transdisciplinary collective Klasse Klima.
The documentaries in the screening program show the catastrophic effects of profit-oriented interventions on ecosystems, climate and water on the one hand, and the fight against environmental destruction and possible solutions on the other. The films also illustrate the role of documentary film as a possible instrument of ecological activism and as a medium through which we can gain insights into our collective struggles. What unites the people and communities portrayed in the films shown is the conviction that nature is not an inexhaustible supply of resources and that they question the promise of limitless growth and prosperity.
The selected films show different places, themes and use different sub-genres of documentary film. We are showing an observational documentary that shows the defense of the land and water against hydroelectric dams and mining in Honduras and Guatemala; a documentary portrait that illustrates the energy crisis in Lebanon and a community’s creative resistance to it; a video essay that examines the impact of mega-construction projects in Istanbul on the environment and the people living there and shows emerging alliances between activists and local communities. Our fourth film is a manifesto-like call to action that combines music and poetry to create Afrofuturist, activist performance art.
The Films:
Two Rivers, 2023
Directed by Anaïs Taracena & Laura Bermúdez, 44 minutes
Honduras/Guatemala
Language: Spanish and Q’eqchi’
30 Days of Sun, 2023
Directed by Jude Chehab, 12 minutes
Lebanon
Language: Arabic
All the Forests of the World are Zones to Defend, 2019
Directed by Julia Lazarus, 18 minutes
Turkey/Germany
Language: Turkish
Terra Mater, 2023
Directed by Kantarama Gahigiri, 10 minutes
Language: English / Swahili
Rwanda/Switzerland
For more information, see event webpage: https://spore-initiative.org/en/programming/participate/okologische-widerstandigkeit-im-film-mai
Following the screening, a 4-hour workshop on video activism, tailored for environmental advocacy, was held. Facilitated by video activist, documentary filmmaker and artist Özlem Sarıyıldız, it aimed to balance theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and interactive elements by engaging participants of varied experiences and backgrounds. The goal was to empower participants with the essential tools for effectively using the camera as a potent tool for documenting, advocating, and disseminating environmental justice struggles. The workshop provided numerous examples of videos used for environmental activism to serve as practical guides. Moreover, the workshop sought to explore how films can be employed to activate conversations and foster dialogues on issues that affect us collectively.