IDFA 2009
Earth Keepers
Sylvie van Brabant, Sylvie van Brabant
Canada
2009
83 min
International Premiere
Eco-activist Mikael Rioux from Trois-Pistoles in Québec is looking for ways to create support in his own community for the creation of a more sustainable way of life. Having shorn off his dreadlocks at the beginning of the film, the young father decides to pursue a more constructive course of action than continuing his battle against the local authorities. Inspired by his mentor Christian de Laet -- an old hand in the environmental movement -- Rioux travels the world to seek the counsel of his mentor's sympathizers in poverty-stricken India, in wealthy, progressive Sweden, and elsewhere. The problem is clear: there is a crisis on the way. Leaving the car at home once in a while is not going to be enough to avert an environmental disaster -- not by a long shot. shows that there are still opportunities for sustainable action, but only if we are prepared to change the way we think. Rioux's voice-over, the talking heads, and the animations that elucidate the film's sometimes complex issues all combine to convey a single message: "We need to start living in a way that provides for everyone's needs." And this is what makes a worthwhile journey for outsiders as well as insiders.
Credits
World Sales
National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
Screening copy
National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
Production
Executive producer
Involved TV Channel
Radio-Canada,
CBC,
SVT,
YLE
Radio-Canada,
CBC,
SVT,
YLE
Cinematography
Screenplay
Narration
Narrator