Earth Hour will see major international landmarks and hundreds of millions of people switch off their lights in support of stronger climate action at 8.30pm local time on Saturday, 26 March.
Australians who sign up at earthhour.org.au will gain an exclusive invite to the first Earth Hour Film Festival hosted by WWF-Australia and Documentary Australia.
The festival will include access to five inspiring and uplifting documentaries, along with Regenerating Australia, a new short film from Regen Studios, directed by award-winning filmmaker, Damon Gameau (makers of 2040 and That Sugar Film).
Audiences will learn about the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss on our natural wonders like the Great Barrier Reef, and the solutions that could help Shape Our Future.
Dermot O’Gorman, WWF-Australia’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “We hope these films entertain, but also inspire audiences that we all have the power to shape a healthy future for people and nature.”
“There’s never been a more critical time for us to come together to protect our planet. Climate change is making extreme weather events like floods more frequent and unpredictable, and it’s threatening natural wonders like the Great Barrier Reef with mass coral bleaching events. That’s why we’re asking Australians to make the symbolic switch for Earth Hour to add their voice to the millions calling for greater action on climate change.”
Mitzi Goldman, Chief Executive Officer of Documentary Australia, said: “The purpose of the Earth Hour film festival is to spark conversation about the devastating impact of climate change on our iconic Australian ecosystems. Our hope is that audiences, no matter their age or background, are inspired to take a stand and support the regeneration of our natural environment, beginning with Earth Hour. Through greater engagement we aim to accelerate action on the environment”
About the films
Regenerating Australia
Damon Gameau, Anna Kaplan
Regenerating Australia is a 17 minute short film by the creative team of the award winning film ‘2040’. It is based on a 4 month interview process with a diverse group of Australians who shared their hopes and dreams for the country’s future.
Set on New Year’s Eve of December 2029, a news anchor is ending the nightly bulletin with a look back at the decade ‘that could be.’ A decade that saw Australia transition to a fairer, cleaner, more community focused economy. The film is a construction of news reports and press conferences featuring real news anchors and journalists, politicians, business leaders and citizens.
Our visual effects team have brought to life the greener, more vibrant cities and communities that our interviewees are asking for. We see what a high-speed rail network connecting regional areas and cities would look like, what large scale wind, solar, battery and hydrogen projects would do for hundreds of thousands of employees, and they show the impacts of landscapes coming to life when regenerative agriculture and reforestation programs combine with Indigenous knowledge and fire ecology to bring more people back onto the land.
This mocked-up look back at the decade that ‘could be’ is full of hope and aspiration. But it is a muscular hope, as each news event is grounded in the research and modelling of several organizations that have been examining and advocating for such a transition.
Cry of The Forests
Jane Hammond
Western Australia’s south-west forests are part of one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet and are recognised for their ability to capture and store carbon. They are vital to slowing run-away climate change yet instead of preserving them we are cutting them down at an alarming rate for charcoal, firewood and woodchips. Forests play a crucial role in the water cycle but the streams that once bubbled through these ecological communities are drying up and the critical habitat they provide for endangered species is shrinking.
Cry of the Forests takes viewers to the heart of the forests to see first-hand the beauty of these towering ecosystems and the life they support. We meet the activists armed with go-pros and dressed in camouflage gear risking their lives to bear witness to the logging and we meet traditional custodians, tourist operators & farmers on the frontline of the battle to protect our forests. This film seeks to change perceptions about native forests and their true value.
Blue
Karina Holden, Sarah Beard
Over the last three decades, coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef has halved. More than a third of fish stocks in our waters are now over-exploited or have status “unknown”. And this year alone, 50 million plastic bags will enter the litter stream from Australia, making our country the second largest waste producer, per capita.
Featuring passionate advocates for ocean preservation, Blue is a provocative mix of scientific essay, investigative journalism and arresting imagery. Tackling themes of habitat destruction, species loss and pollution, Blue takes us into the ocean realm where we witness ocean change first hand. And as we learn of the ecological crimes occurring worldwide, we also uncover the shocking truths happening on our own Australian shorelines.
Blue comes at a time when we are making critical decisions, which will decide the legacy we leave for generations to come. Australia has the opportunity to be seen as a marine conservation leader. We have the greatest tropical reefs and potentially the biggest network of marine sanctuaries on the Planet. 90% of the creatures here occur nowhere else in the world. But can we step up to the plate and save our oceans?
The Seeds of Vandana Shiva
Camilla Becket, Paige Livingstone
In her colourful sari and large scarlet bindi, Dr. Vandana Shiva is an arresting presence: She galvanises crowds, advises government leaders, fields calls from the media—then retreats from big-city buzz to work side-by-side with small farmers around the globe.
Who is she then? What is her mission? How did this woman from an obscure town in India become Monsanto’s worst nightmare; a rebellious rock star in the global debate about who feeds the world?
The Seeds of Vandana Shiva tells Vandana’s story—the people, events, and circumstances that defined her life’s purpose—and how she rose to prominence in the food justice movement to inspire an international crusade for change.
The film also illuminates two visions for feeding an exploding world population: The first, an industrial model controlled by corporations. And the alternative—organic, regenerative, and local food systems that restore biodiversity, mitigate climate change, build strong communities and feed the world.
Wild Things
Sally Ingelton
Wild Things is a feature-length documentary that follows a new generation of environmental activists that are mobilising against forces more powerful than themselves and saying, enough. Armed only with mobile phones, this growing army of eco-warriors will do whatever it takes to save their futures from the ravages of climate change. From chaining themselves to coal trains, sitting high in the canopy of threatened rainforest for days on end or locking onto bulldozers, their non-violent tactics are designed to generate mass action with one finger tap. Messages go viral within seconds. It’s a far cry from the heady days of the Franklin River Blockade when street marches were the only way to be heard.
When the River Runs Dry
Rory McLeod, Peter Yates
When the River Runs Dry dives into the true story behind one of Australia’s worst environmental disasters. The film calls upon experts, Indigenous elders and locals, to unravel the cause and effects of this catastrophe on people and wildlife.
When the River Runs Dry seeks to bring an ecological and social catastrophe to the attention of Australians and people around the world. The Darling River’s waters have been overallocated to irrigation for decades, and efforts to return environmental flows to sustainable levels have been met with organised resistance.
About Earth Hour
Earth Hour is WWF’s flagship global environmental movement. Born in Sydney in 2007, Earth Hour has grown to become one of the world’s largest grassroots movements for the environment; inspiring individuals, communities, businesses and organisations in more than 180 countries and territories to take tangible environmental action for over a decade. Historically, Earth Hour has focused on the climate crisis, but more recently Earth Hour has strived to also bring the pressing issue of nature loss to the fore. The aim is to create an unstoppable movement for nature, as it did when the world came together to tackle climate change. The movement recognises the role of individuals in creating solutions to the planet’s most pressing environmental challenges and harnesses the collective power of its millions of supporters to drive change.
About WWF-Australia
WWF’s global mission is to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. WWF-Australia is part of the WWF International Network, the world’s leading, independent conservation organisation.
In Australia and throughout the oceanic region, WWF-Australia works with governments, businesses and communities so that people and nature can thrive within their fair share of the planet’s natural resources.
About Documentary Australia
Documentary Australia is Australia’s only not-for-profit supporting social change through documentary storytelling. Documentary Australia works with hundreds of filmmakers to ensure important stories are told and seen, and supported by powerful social impact and educational campaigns across seven key areas: Environment, Youth & Education, Health & Wellbeing, Human Rights & Social Justice, Women & Girls, Indigenous and The Arts.
In 2022 – Documentary Australia will focus on Accelerating Environmental Impact by supporting a suite of films that will keep climate change and it’s impact high on everyone’s agenda for years – program details here.
Through fundraising, capacity-building, partnerships, workshops and resources, Documentary Australia supports filmmakers, not-for-profits, educators, donors and change-makers to work together to achieve their goals whilst amplifying their social impact.
