The planetary transformations of the last decades – rising sea levels, melting glaciers, changing temperatures and sharpening climate extremes – are all signs of the profound changes brought about by the Anthropocene epoch. How do societies around the world respond to the changes that cause transformations of ecosystems and creates communities of climate refugees? Concerned with the entanglement of human rights and climate change, Verzio presents powerful films by filmmakers reflecting on the future of the planet in the Anthropocene section. This year, for the first time, we make it a competition section to draw more attention to the important films in this program.
The films in Anthropocene competition are diverse geographically, stylistically, and issue-wise. They address dilemmas of mining the deep ocean (Deep Rising) and the use of increasingly extractive fishing methods (Against the Tide), introduce communities impacted by floods in Bangladesh (Mighty Afrin), and highlight problems of waste (mis)management and global pollution that transform landscapes (Bottlmen, Matter out of Place, Geographies of Solitude). They demonstrate signs of changing climate and post-industrial impact on both the environment and the communities near and far (Flotacija, Mountain Man). But along with the sense of urgency, cinema can also remind us of the restorative power of nature, ready to console and heal all those who are ready to immerse, listen, and pay attention to its quiet beauty (Songs of Earth).
