2022 CATEGORY AWARD: COMMUNITY

FINALIST FILM: COMMUNITY

Theme: Human Connection

Directed by: Liv Torc and Chris Redmond

Country of Origin: UK

In collaboration with the Met Office, the London School of Economics, the RSPB and nine other climate change partners, Tongue Fu, Chris Redmond and Liv Torc present Hot Poets – 12 Poems About Saving the World, written by 12 of the UK and Africa’s most well-known spoken word artists, working with scientists, climate educators and engineers from leading environmental organisations and charities across the world.

From whale poo to wildfire, each poem covers complex, vital and inspiring scientific subjects, including: flood and fire prevention; empowering African women on the equator to plant forests; the regreening of the Sinai Peninsula; putting Forest School education on the National Curriculum; beach data as a way to leverage change in plastic manufacturing; climate litigation; the restoration of peat land; the hidden energy underground; more effective weather warning systems; and the green whale’s impact on climate recovery.

For her poem Spoken Word Artist Francesca Beard was paired with the British Geological Survey, exploring the world underground, geothermal energy. The BGS is focused on public-good science for government and on research aimed at understanding the Earth and its environmental processes, helping society use natural resources responsibly, managing environmental change, being resilient to environmental hazards, and adapting to climate change.

Thanks to support from Arts Council England, Hot Poets aims to prove the intrinsic value of placing the arts front and centre in the climate change conversation, reconnecting people to hope, cutting through the doom and despair, and sharing positive ways to gain agency and take action in the fight against climate catastrophe.

Credits

Director - Liv Torc (Haiflu)

Director - Chris Redmond (Tongue Fu)

Writer - Francesca Beard

Filmmaker and Editor - Jon Hardy (Counterstate Films)

Key Cast - Franceca Beard