A Climate warrior at Karlovy Vary festival

Icelandic director Benedikt Erlingsson stand up for sustainable film production at an industry event that was held during the 54th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF). The filmmaker gained international reputation with his feature film Woman at War about an environmental activist who sabotages power supply lines. Presented at the Cannes Critics’ Week in 2018, the comedy drama won him the SACD Screenwriting Award.

 

At an industry event in Karlovy Vary, Erlingsson criticized that more than 1.600 films are produced in Europe, but never find distribution outside their own country. The filmmakers sees a danger in "the age of entertainment". Although the climate catastrophe is coming closer, the homo sapiens doesn’t react against this threat.

 

Erlingsson suggested to reduce the carbon footprint of film productions. In addition, he pointed out that it is crucial to plant trees in order to compensate carbon emissions. Furthermore, he  pointed out that is is also possible to cut down the emissions that are generated by traveling. Instead of attending festivals, Erlingsson emphasized, a director could invite the audience for a Q&As in his home by via video conferences.

 

Among the films in the line up of the 54th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival was the sustainably produced feature film System Crasher by Nora Fingscheidt, which was presented in the Horizons section. The German drama focuses on a nine-year-old  kid that is filled with rage against all institutions because she believes they are keeping her from returning home to her mother. During production Kineo Filmproduktion and Weydemann Bros. followed best practices. “On a low-budget picture, it’s possible to save resources and work cost-effectively”, says the producer Jonas Weydemann.

 

Photo: © KVIFF/ GFS

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