FIVE PEOPLE. FIVE PLACES. ONE ISSUE.

 

With

MARTIN SHEEN

 

A documentary film about the true human cost of our energy.

By Christoph Felder and Robert Harding Pittman.

Production: CFF for arts-tart

 

The first film, directly connected to the ground, through eyes from all over the planet.

 

Five Protagonists from five places, as well as visionaries Kumi Naidoo, Bertrand Piccard, Daniel Nocera.

 

Synopsis:

What does our energy really cost? Hollywood actor and activist Martin Sheen takes us on a global journey tying together stories of despair and hope. In this feature length documentary film we meet people from all over the world who pay the real price for our insatiable hunger for energy. At the same time we show that there are alternative, sustainable ways to produce the world’s energy needs without having to destroy the planet we walk on.

 

Financing:

We will be looking for crowdfunding on indiegogo in October, if you want to know more please contact us!

 

Connect with us on facebook and twitter!

 

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What the film is about:

Scientists are warning us that the state of our planet is more urgent than we had previously thought. Why is it that large-scale catastrophes such as Hurricane Sandy, Fukushima, the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico, the Exxon Valdez and Prestige oil spills, and Chernobyl, provoke public outcry, yet we just as quickly return to business as usual? We have international climate conferences but nothing changes either.

 

When you come home after work and with on the lights and your TV, have you ever thought about where our electricity comes from? Have you ever stopped to think what is under our feet? Below the reach of our naked eyes lie the substances which power our civilization.

 

This documentary film reveals the true human cost of the extraction of energy resources, such as coal, oil and uranium, from under our feet. Unfortunately, all over the world people are losing their homes, their communities, their cultures, their health, and sometimes even their lives so that you and I can plug in this computer we are looking at right now. Literally and figuratively, we are interested in showing how our protagonists tread the earth that is under their feet. When you step way back, into space and look at our planet, we all walk on the same ground. It is the ground that unites us and that unites the protagonists of our film. For some, the ground can create riches, yet when disrupted, it can make others sick. Our way of life, which involves consuming large amounts of natural resources, is changing our global climate.

 

Nevertheless, there still is hope. Imagine a world where everyone generates their own energy in their own homes and businesses. It’s right around the corner and visionaries such as Elon Musk and Daniel Nocera are pioneers of these new technologies. Without a drop of fuel, would you believe that Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard is flying around the globe in a solar airplane.

 

 

But why should we care?

 The reason is simply this. We feel it is our responsibility to our children and grandchildren. They will look back at us and think why did our grandparents just let the planet go to waste and not do anything?

 

Afterall, out of sight and out of mind is often our mentaility. And remote places, far removed from urban daily life, have always been the sites for the extraction of energy resources. All around the world, inhabitants of these areas have lost their homes, their health and their cultures so that we can have energy. These people are often marginalized, with little economic or political power. Their stories need to be heard and we want to give them a voice.

 

These people’s stories can seem distant from our own lives, yet one does not have to live next to a coal mine to be impacted by it. In 2013, it was estimated that air pollution from coal power plants caused 22,300 premature deaths in Europe alone. Globally it is estimated that the burning of fossil fuels for the generation of electricity leads to 0.3 million deaths annually. This is a universal problem. It touches all of us. What happens in the east affects the west and what happens in the west affects the east.

 

The aim of our film is to unite our protagonists with visionaries developing alternative solutions. We need to give them a voice. Together we can raise awareness which is the first step toward creating change.

 

It does not have to always be business as usual. People do not have sacrifice their homes, cultures and health for our energy so that we can switch on the lights. Under our feet lies the only planet we all share.