System Change - A story of growing resistance - Film

System Change - A story of growing resistance

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Winner

Venice Film Festival

2024

Nominee

Riviera International Film Festival R.I.F.F.

2024

Official selection

Natourale

2024

Official selection

Florence Film Awards

2024

Nominee

NaturVision

2024

Offizial selection

Mountain Film International Film Festival

2024

Winner

Faro International Film Festival

2023

Official selection

Films for Future International Film Festival, Zurich

2023

Winner

SIFF Seattle International Film Festival

2023

Official selection

Montreal Independent Film Festival

2023

Nominee

Innsbruck Nature Film Festival

2024

Official selection

Globale Mittelhessen

2023

Nominee

Barcelona Indie Awards

2025

Winner

Filmhaus

2024

About the Film

Two thousand cops challenge two hundred tree squatters in an ancient forest in the middle of Germany that is to make way for a nonsensical motorway. The political and legal struggle against the construction of this motorway has been going on for forty years, but now the state, on behalf of the federal government, has decided to wrestle it out - against all resistance. The drama around the eviction of the forest squatters from the environmentally sensitive Dannenröder Forest forms the common thread of a film about the dashed hopes of the younger generation for a better future. It revolves around their growing anger, the ignorance of politicians in the face of the greatest crisis ever upon mankind, and the seemingly indestructible strangehold of capital interests over supposed intentions to build a sustainable future.
In the more than 50 years since the Club of Rome report, countless international conferences have produced nothing but tons of printed paper, ghost protocols, broken promises and vague commitments to concrete agreements that are gathering dust in air-conditioned archives around the world. Nothing has changed. The solution to the well-known problems relating to climate change is technically possible, but the fundamental and urgently needed social change does not seem to be able to win a majority Two thousand cops challenge two hundred tree squatters in an ancient forest in the middle of Germany that is to make way for a nonsensical motorway. The political and legal struggle against the construction of this motorway has been going on for forty years, but now the state, on behalf of the federal government, has decided to wrestle it out - against all resistance. The drama around the eviction of the forest squatters from the environmentally sensitive Dannenröder Forest forms the common thread of a film about the dashed hopes of the younger generation for a better future. It revolves around their growing anger, the ignorance of politicians in the face of the greatest crisis ever upon mankind, and the seemingly indestructible strangehold of capital interests over supposed intentions to build a sustainable future.
In the more than 50 years since the Club of Rome report, countless international conferences have produced nothing but tons of printed paper, ghost protocols, broken promises and vague commitments to concrete agreements that are gathering dust in air-conditioned archives around the world. Nothing has changed. The solution to the well-known problems relating to climate change is technically possible, but the fundamental and urgently needed social change does not seem to be able to win a majority and would also be counterproductive for the profit-oriented neoliberal business model of the powerful multinational corporations, which are increasingly operating completely outside of any democratic control.
Society, industry and politics seem oblivious to the abyss towards which humanity is racing at high speed. In short: Exponential growth, fueled by the consumption of non-renewable resources in polluting production processes to meet the demands of a growing elite in the wealthy parts of the world, inevitably leads to the collapse of the planet.
Meanwhile in the Dannenröder Forest the eviction of the "barrios" and tree houses took almost three months, with massive use of bulldozers, harvesters, helicopters and special climbing units of the police. The escalating violence leaves traumatized activists, disillusioned people and a devastated landscape in its wake. Together with an intact ecosystem of the forest, the belief that the existing system can and is willing to heal itself from within dies as well. But the resistance goes on, against the destruction of nature, a fossil industry and the further exploitation of the planet. The activists say they're trying to bury us, but forget we're seeds. We keep coming back. They will come back. It's time for a change. It's enough. Language: German with English Subtitles.

Title

System Change - A story of growing resistance

Release

2023

Runtime

90 min

Rating

Genre

Documentary

Directors

Klaus Sparwasser

Origin

Germany

Language

German

Germany

German

Creative Team

Director Klaus Sparwasser

Cast Tadzio Müller

Cast Carola Rackete

Cast Niklas Höhne

Cast Rainer Mausfeld

Cast Marion Tiemann

Producer Southern Cross Films

Cinematographer Klaus Sparwasser

Cinematographer Maxi Buck

Cinematographer John Mio Mehnert

Editor Verena Schönauer

Editor Klaus Sparwasser

Other Wolfgang Knoepfler (Executive Producer)

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