by FilmInk Staff
Feature documentary Chasing Chaos secures worldwide premiere at the Darwin International Film Festival on September 12th, followed by subsequent screenings to fundraise for those affected by the Nepalese floods
As climate change intensifies and global multilateral aid mechanisms face historic strain, a new feature documentary, Chasing Chaos, follows international disaster response specialist Dr. Ian Norton (https://respondglobal.com) as he advocates for a radical shift toward locally-led emergency medical response. Produced and directed by Andrew Hyde, the film will make its global debut on September 12th at the Darwin International Film Festival, followed by a theatrical release across Australia. The first subsequent screenings of the film will be held as fundraiser events for the recent Nepalese floods, in Brisbane (24 September) and Canberra (27 September).
Chasing Chaos examines the breakdown of traditional international humanitarian structures against a backdrop of shifting geopolitics and accelerating climate impacts, particularly across the Indo-Pacific region. The documentary details Dr. Norton’s journey from drafting the global emergency standards at the World Health Organisation to challenging old-world humanitarian systems.
“We are seeing now in real time the catastrophic effects of climate change, and it coincides with the collapse of the multilateral humanitarian response system around the world,” said Dr. Ian Norton, international disaster response specialist. “But there may be another way, a better way to prepare and respond to disasters.”
Dr. Norton—the former head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency Medical Teams Initiative—was previously seconded to the WHO from Australia’s National Critical Care & Trauma Response Centre in Darwin, following the disastrous global response to 2010 Haiti earthquake. At the WHO, he co-authored the “Blue Book,” establishing global minimum standards for disaster responders. Dr. Norton resigned from the UN system, which he sees as increasingly cumbersome, ineffective and unwilling to invest in locally lead responses, to pursue models designed to overcome humanitarian colonialism and top-down bureaucracy.
CHASING CHAOS traces Dr. Norton’s work across major global disaster responses culminating in an experimental Pacific venture. As traditional aid mechanisms stall, Dr Norton is backed by a collective of private donors. The result is HELPR 1, an innovative medical response ship designed by Respond Global, to deliver locally led emergency preparation and response. This groundbreaking program is led by Dr Basil Leodoro from Vanuatu and Barbara Daufaname from the Solomon Islands.
The film features commentary from global humanitarian leaders on the urgency of systemic reform.
“The humanitarian responses in the last 18 months, such as in Gaza, have essentially been a failure,” noted Dr. Hossam Elsharkawi, Head of the International Federation of the Red Cross, Middle East. “What kind of world do we want? What kind of humanity do we want for our children?”
