Earth Month

Ricky Kej was born in North Carolina on August 5, 1981. At the age of eight, the family moved to Bangalore, where he still resides.

Daryl Hannah was born in Chicago in 1960. Her mother’s second husband was the brother of cinematographer Haskell Wexler, which gave her a familiarity with the film world.

The unfolding impact of the internet can be glimpsed, somewhat paradoxically, not only in social media backbiting but also in an expanded social conscience. Over and over, we see examples of issues that were not necessarily ever deeply considered by previous generations framed in a new light, capturing the activist attention and imagination of those who consider themselves global citizens.

In France, they are nicknamed “Les Verts” (The Greens). Committed to the protection of the environment, French stars such as Marion Cotillard, Mélanie Laurent and Luc Besson do not hesitate to use their celebrity to defend this cause.

In 2019, Australian filmmaker Damon Gameau produced the acclaimed documentary, 2040, structured as a visual letter to his then-four-year-old daughter Velvet to explore what the future could look like by the year 2040 if we simply embraced the best solutions already available to us. As Earth Day 2022 approaches, Gameau will be returning to the Gold Coast Film Festival in Queensland – where 2040 premiered - to introduce his new 17-minute short film, Regenerating Australia.

The winner of two Academy Awards (Best Documentary Feature and Best Song in 2006), An Inconvenient Truth is credited as one of the first films that raised public awareness about the dangers of climate change. As global warming is the greatest environmental challenge today, the power of film about this serious subject is undeniable.

Most people know him for his films, most notably the ones he produced for Quentin Tarantino. Not enough people know him for the incredible work he has been doing for environmental and other causes.

Movie enthusiasts probably had seen George Méliès' A Trip to the Moon (Un voyage dans la lune) many times. It’s fun, beautiful, energetic, and full of complex special effects - an extraordinary picture for 1902.

In celebration of the month in which we focus our attention on our home, planet Earth, and the numerous problems that plague it, for many of which humans are responsible, we look back at the cinema which, for a hundred years, has contributed to creating awareness of the importance of caring for nature. Reflecting on the screen the wonders of nature and the current dramas about the interrelation between man and the environment have been, and continue to be, an adventure that has had many exponents in world cinema.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon have long been advocates for environmental issues. So too has Mark Ruffalo, as one of the most vocal celebrities on the issue of fracking – hydraulic fracturing of the earth to release and harness gas.