Today is World Environment Day – but being an eco-aware sort of a person you knew that already, right?
It also sees the release of Home, a documentary made by Yann Arthus-Bertrand (famous for his Earth from the Air photography) about the earth's fragile eco-system and the impact of human excesses. If you have an hour and a half to spare, you can watch the whole thing on a dedicated YouTube channel.
French luxury brand owner PPR has backed the film to the tune of 12 million Euros, allowing it to be given away for free to distributors. It’s an interesting (some would say risky) move for the owners of Gucci, Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent and Puma - not well known for their environmental credentials.
Narrated by Glenn Close (and Salma Hayek in the Spanish version) it has that polished, glossy feel that you’d expect from a company like PPR. And it’s undoubtedly beautifully shot. But as with all these kind of films, their value depends on their ability to engage with individuals who aren't already signed up to the green agenda. Am I really going to invest time in watching this if I'm not someone who is already pretty interested in the environment and committed to doing my bit? Or are these grand scale cinematic projects aimed at creating an emotional response exactly what we need to change the way people think about climate change?
Let us know what you think...
So you're saying that these sorts of events / videos are only 'preaching to the converted'? While this may be true at first, surely there is potential for films like PPR's - assuming the content is good enough to warrant positive word of mouth - to spread like wildfire and have a real 'evangelical' effect? Isn't that what happened with 'An Inconvenient Truth'?
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the film, if only for the wonderful photography. I believe that the film will appeal to a wider than just the green audience. In France, for example, Yann Arthus-Bertrand and Luc Besson are very well known and have received lots of press coverage (there was some controversy about the release date and the European elections). For aesthetes, the film will draw a following. And, more importantly, since it's free, it will draw the free crowd too! My only negative comment is that the film didn't always explain well what it was showing. Otherwise, it is a film well worth watching and I am sure that by virtue of its distribution policy it will gain a good audience. "It's too late not to act"!
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