Lights, camera… change?
Grace Matu
Lights, camera… change?
A look at Climate Justice through the lens
I know everyone has watched a film at least once in their life. I even dare say that we all have a favorite film, whether it’s by Disney, Marvel, Studio Ghibli, Pixar or an independent production company.
The role of film
Film has always played a significant role in entertaining the masses with some grossing as much as 2.9 billion dollars (Avatar) and 2.7 billion dollars (Avengers endgame). That’s power right there!
It also plays a huge part in educating the masses. That is where film and the climate justice movement beautifully collide. Since the 2010 era, climate justice films have been on the rise. Before this, films were more data and science oriented but afterwards they focused on centering the voices of activists. The film Youth V Gov which follows 21 American activists is a great example that has influenced global youth-led constitutional climate lawsuits. Others have done a great job in raising our awareness.
Notable examples are The boy who harnessed the wind, Academy Award nominated All That Breathes, Thank You for the Rain, How to Blow Up a Pipeline and the Emmy nominated film Bring them home.
Challenges faced
One of the major concerns is the lack of marginalized voices in the films. Even though the films highlight environmental issues affecting certain communities, they often showcase these people as victims instead of highlighting their expertise in
coming up with the solutions. In 2024 Indonesian journalist and film director Endah Wahyu Sulistianti conducted a study that discovered how major western based companies and producers such as National Geographic and BBC Earth dominated the Indonesian film market, not only making it difficult for local productions to make it to the limelight but also upholding western scientific outlooks and solutions which often times disregard indigenous wisdom, knowledge and lack local context.
A similar study highlights how westerners are depicted as ‘experts’ with their names and professional honors on screen while showing the locals as passive victims, which is a classic form of racism and dehumanization. Sulistianti argues that meaningful change is restricted if the films fail to criticize the systems they name as the cause which include socio-political ties.
Another challenge faced by films in this genre is the lack of proper call-to-action. While many documentaries emotionally engage their audiences into the story through having a strong hero’s journey, many audience members are still left uncertain of what individual steps they can take to assist the cause. This was backed up by a study conducted in 2018 that interviewed 73 participants who had watched the documentary ‘Years of living dangerously’. The study revealed that after watching, participants were better informed, concerned about the future but the main barrier was that they were still unsure on the next steps to take.
In conclusion, despite these challenges, film remains one of the most powerful tools. When done right even greater things can be achieved. People have always been and will always be hungry for stories and through that the hope that change is possible is very much alive. The fight for global climate justice continues!
