Care for life, as Resistance
The closing day program is dedicated to films whose protagonists persistently continue various practices as a form of resistance in the era of today’s political, economic, and climate crises, to preserve life and the environment.
In Armenia, a women's collective clears former warzone of mines (Motherland). In Ukraine, during the war, women from a fragmented family strive to maintain their connections and continue caring for each other and their tomato harvest (Boots on the Ground, Hands in the Soil). In Turkey, under an authoritarian regime, the act of cutting down a tree becomes the trigger for a large-scale civil resistance (It Started with Trees). In the fictional, dystopian society of Maitu in East Africa, a woman sacrifices her own body to nurture the first tree in a devastated environment (Pumzi).
Colonialism approaches the local Palestinian population in the name of "justice", enforcing laws that, under the cover of environmental protection, oppress them and forbid them from connecting with plants—the extension of their bodies. (Foragers)
The final film of the festival tells a story set among the historical ruins of colonialism and a modern ecological catastrophe. The pain of destruction brought by a typhoon and the private interests of an investor profiting from tragedy are gradually defeated through care for one another, solidarity, and the triumph of the community's interests. (ASOG)
What if fighting for your country meant going against some of its most traditional values? Motherland is a documentary about the women who shake tradition to rid their country of landmines leftover from a devastating ethnic war. Individually outcast; together, a collective - the deminers support each other as they take on the dangerous role of breaking stereotypes and securing the future of their war-torn republic.
The documentary film weaves together themes relating to the bond between humans and nature, and the profound impact of gardening during turbulent times. The documentary asks its viewers to reflect on the intrinsic connection between humans and the natural world, emphasising the therapeutic and empowering qualities that can be found in cultivating the land.
Protesters diary from Gezi Park - Taksim Square, Istanbul. Occupy Gezi movement started when the government decided to build shopping mall in place of the last green area that remained in the middle of Taksim Square.
Thirty-five years after World War III, “The Water War,” a woman from East Africa flees an enclosed community in hopes of once again restoring life outside its walls.
Elderly Palestinians are caught between their right to forage their own land and the harsh restrictions imposed by their occupiers on the basis of preservation.
ASOG is a screwball tragicomedy starring a cast of real life Super Typhoon survivors. The film follows Jaya on a road trip to a drag pageant and along the way they encounter Filipinos enduring the impacts of climate change. Flipping the conventions of the road movie on its head, Asog is a stunning and profound ode to the power of solidarity amidst struggle.
