Back to All Events

DAY 4: ROUTES TO ACTION — Climate Crisis Festival

Climate Crisis Film Festival London Activism header

The Climate Crisis Film Fest is coming back in 2020! Check out our website: https://www.climatecrisisff.co.uk/

The day is divided into two double bills exploring how to get started on the path of activism.

You can buy tickets for a single film or

SAVE £3 when purchasing tickets for a double bill.

• • •

Don’t miss the

PANEL DISCUSSION

following the screening of HOW TO START A REVOLUTION!


CREATIVE SOLUTIONS double bill

Films about rethinking our lifestyles and using our creativity to respond positively to the doom-and-gloom of climate change.

12.30pm — RACING EXTINCTION

2.20pm —  TOMORROW

DIRECT ACTION double bill

Films that look at activism and the tools that might help us take the first step towards active engagement and civil disobedience.

4.45pm — HOW TO START A REVOLUTION

+ Panel discussion: film director + Dr. Charlie Gardner + EXTINCTION REBELLION rep

7.30pm — HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD


Climate Crisis Film Festival London Racing Extinction poster

RACING EXTINCTION (2015)

  • DIR. Louie Psihoyos

  • COUNTRY. USA

  • RUN-TIME. 1h 34m

  • Film start time: 12:30

Oscar-winner Louie Psihoyos (THE COVE) assembles a team of artists and activists intent on exposing the black market of endangered animals trading and the mass extinction it causes. Their idea is simple but impactful: projecting never-seen-before images on huge buildings all over the world to shock and move people in the street.

This documentary is not just educational, factual (and enraging) — but also poignant, exciting and even beautiful. We see one man projecting images of whales on a giant screen outside a trendy restaurant that is serving whale sushi off the menu (and eventually gets the restaurant to close down). We see activists projecting images of endangered species directly onto the corporate headquarters of companies whose actions are endangering those very creatures.

RACING EXTINCTION makes the point that the race to stop the 6th mass extinction is not over and there are many things to be done on many fronts, using the diverse skills of many people, be they artists or scientists or fundraisers to make a difference.

“A mesmeric entertainment and enlightenment, Racing Extinction jolted a Sundance audience to ecstatic appreciation.”

— Hollywood Reporter

“Everybody on our team has been able to adapt their talent to this bigger cause. It doesn’t matter who you are — everybody has the power to use their skills to solve this bigger issue.”

— Louie Psihoyos

Climate Crisis Film Festival London Racing Extinction Sundance
 

TOMORROW (2015)

  • DIR. Cyril Dion + Melanie Laurent

  • COUNTRY. France

  • RUN-TIME. 1h 58m

  • Film start time: 2:20 PM

TOMORROW sets out to showcase alternative and creative ways of viewing agriculture, economics, energy and education. Actress Melanie Laurent (Inglorious Basterds) and activist Cyril Dion travel around the world in search for constructive solutions to act on a local level to make a difference on a global scale.

A hugely positive, life-affirming and inspirational film, TOMORROW takes a close look at permaculture farms, urban agriculture projects, community-owned renewable projects, local currencies, creative schools, and ambitious recycling projects.

TOMORROW is the perfect antidote to post-Trump despondency. It's a fantastic showcase for transition-thinking and where it could go.

“A forward-thinking take on addressing the demise of the human race, the French documentary TOMORROW swaps the usual handwringing doomsday prophesizing in favour of a decidedly more proactive approach.” — Los Angeles Times
 

Climate Crisis Film Festival London Tomorrow poster

“Without question, this is absolutely the best and most creative film on the future of humanity and the environment.”

— Paul Hawken, environmentalist & entrepreneur

Climate Crisis Film Festival London Tomorrow FilmFest DC
 

Climate Crisis Film Festival London How to Start A Revolution poster

HOW TO START A REVOLUTION (2011)

+ PANEL DISCUSSION (scroll down for more details)

  • DIR. Ruaridh Arrow

  • COUNTRY. UK

  • RUN-TIME. 1h 20m

  • Film start time: 4:45 PM

HOW TO START A REVOLUTION is a BAFTA-winning documentary profiling the ideas and impact of Nobel Peace Prize nominee Gene Sharp — the world's leading expert on non-violent system change.

Sharp hardly seems like one of the world's most dangerous men. From his modest home in Boston, the elderly university professor grows rare orchids – and inspires revolutions. His writings are credited with providing the blueprint for the overthrow of governments in Serbia, Ukraine, Guatemala, Indonesia and the Arab world.

In this fascinating documentary, director Ruaridh Arrow digs deeper into the impact of this scholar who has been described as 'the Machiavelli of non-violent warfare.' Sharp's book FROM DICTATORSHIP TO DEMOCRACY, listing 198 ‘weapons’ of direct action, has become the standard manual for rebel groups — now including Occupy Wall Street and Extinction Rebellion.

By showing the sheer force of non-violent people power, this film can inspire future movements to develop effective strategies for non-violent system change in the face of apparently overwhelming odds.

“A world-conquering British documentary” — The Daily Telegraph

“Sharp warns that ‘inspiration alone’ is not enough. The most important thing in a revolution is to be prepared, and non-violent struggle is more complex than the brute strength of military power.” — The Telegraph

“When you look at the theories of non-violent protest, particularly the 198 non-violent weapons, those are the absolute lifeblood of Extinction Rebellion“ — XR spokesperson

Climate Crisis Film Festival London How to Start A Revolution Raindance Boston BAFTA

+ PANEL DISCUSSION:

As part of our Direct Action double bill, we have an amazing guest panel to follow up HOW TO START A REVOLUTION, involving the film’s director, Dr. Charlie Gardner and an Extinction Rebellion rep.

RUARIDH ARROW is a BBC journalist and director of HOW TO START A REVOLUTION. He holds an extensive insight into the work of Gene Sharp, the world’s leading expert on non-violent system change.

Dr. CHARLIE GARDNER is an interdisciplinary conservation scientist at the University of Kent. He has published several articles in publications such as The Guardian and Nature, calling on fellow scientists to take action and join acts of civil disobedience.

EXTINCTION REBELLION is an international movement that uses non-violent direct action on a mass scale to put pressure on governments worldwide to take action on the climate emergency. We will be joined by an XR representative, who will discuss how the teachings of Gene Sharp have influenced a seemingly new approach to the environmental movement.

 

HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD (2015)

  • DIR. Jerry Rothwell

  • COUNTRY. Canada

  • RUN-TIME. 1h 52m

  • Film start time: 7:30 PM

In 1971, a small group of Canadian activists sailed an old fishing boat called Green Peace straight for the middle of an atomic bomb test site… and the modern environmental movement was born.

HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD gives an honest warts-and-all portrait of the (often messy) early days of Greenpeace. Using never-seen-before archive footage alongside an eclectic 60s-70s soundtrack, it focuses on the three campaigns that shaped the movement’s beginnings.

It’s both a tribute to their early adoption of the concept of “going viral,” harnessing the power of images (which they called "media mind bombs") to transform consciousnesses. And it’s also a cautionary tale on how ballooning egos and power struggles can get in the way of a movement’s effectiveness.

Climate Crisis Film Festival London How to Change the World poster

“Flat-out excellent.” — 3AW

“One of the year’s most satisfying documentaries.” — The Los Angeles Times

“Polished and paced like a caper flick, the film captures the excitement of the make-it-up-as-you-go early days, while also highlighting the stresses that come after a movement takes on a life of its own.” — The New York Times

Climate Crisis Film Festival London How to Change the World DOXA Sundance Hotdocs
 

Watch the trailers:

 

You can buy tickets for a single film or

SAVE £3 when purchasing tickets for a whole double bill.

 

Browse the full festival programme:

2019 has seen a cultural awakening in the recognition of the Climate Crisis and its urgency. The issue is now reaching people outside of the sphere of traditional environmentalists, captivating people around the globe. The Climate Crisis Film Festival brings together some of the best documentaries on the subject, set over four thematic days, featuring 12 films interspersed with guest speakers.

 

Explore the other days of the Climate Crisis Festival…