Eating Our Way To Extinction
SYNOPSIS
In Greta Thunberg's wake, the young have commenced an unrelenting struggle to save our planet. At the front of these corteges, and making headlines in the media as well as on social networks, young women have become the movement's figureheads, sometimes in spite of themselves. Who are these young women? Why are they both acclaimed and belittled?
To better understand the commitment of Anuna and Adélaïde (Belgium), Luisa (Germany), Léna (France), Leah (Uganda) and Mitzi (Philippines), we decided to follow them but also compare their struggle to an extraordinary woman who preceded them: Julia Butterfly Hill. Twenty years ago, after having lived for 738 days at the top of a majestic California redwood tree, this young American militant managed to save the trees in an age-old forest from being felled.
The film relates the pathway these young activists have followed, in each her own way, but always driven by remarkable energy that could move mountains. A picture emerges of a course shared by "sisters in arms" who are driven by hope, commitment and exceptional ideals.
CAST & CREW
Producer(s): Nicolas Zunino, Virginie Chapelle
Writer: Valérie Grenon, Alexandra Ternant
Henri de Gerlache
Director
Since 1998, Henri de Gerlache has written and directed approximately twenty documentaries that have been broadcast around the world. He started his career by directing a series of 7 documentaries about the highest peaks on each continent ("Les Regards de Sagarmatha" - 2003). Whilst continuing his work as a director on adventure and exploration films, he also directed musicals ("Fauré un Requiem" – 2001; "Les Larmes de Saint Pierre" - 2010) and artists' portraits
("Magritte, le Jour et la Nuit" – 2008; "Le Choix de Peindre, Vincent Van Gogh" for Arte).
In 2007, he directed "L’Antarctique en Héritage", a documentary that used unpublished archives and exceptional accounts to look back at his ancestors' discovery of the Antarctic and their work for science. He directed "Les Ailes du Soleil", a documentary about Bertrand Picard's solar plane (Arte, Rtbf, Discovery...) and also signed off on two films about his home country called "Belle Belgique" in which he explored Belgium from the sky and through original portraits.
His films always uphold a desire to improve the understanding of our world thanks to careful narration and images. He also works regularly for France Télévisions, Arte and RTBF.
In 2017, his film "The Belgian Road to Cannes" was selected for the official Cannes Classics competition at the 70th Cannes festival. After "Maurice Béjart, l’Âme de la Danse",
he is currently writing his first full-length feature film. Henri de Gerlache has founded his own production company in Brussels (Alizé Production) and in Paris (Arctic Productions). He is also a screenwriter, author and President of Galeries, a company that manages an art-house cinema and exhibition space in the heart of Brussels.