I run a monthly environmental film club at UWE for students and staff to talk about the issues of climate change, environmental crises and social justice. I use the films as spring boards for group discussions, which question:

1. What impact these films have on all of us as audiences?
2. How we engage with these crises-based stories?
3. What (if anything) we feel we want to do next?

But really, these film clubs are just ways to talk about stuff that is big, scary and not always easy to discuss with friends and family. And that’s what they ended up becoming last year when I ran them, places to chat and be sad sometimes but to find hope through connecting with others.

“Things already exist!”

From seaweed¹ (my personal favourite), to local solar energy grids in Bangladesh, to farmers in Australia diversifying their crops to increase the health of their soils – 2040 captures the stories of different climate and environmental solutions. And as summed up beautifully by an audience member, “they already exist!”

Determined to tell a more hopeful story, one where we have fixed these complexed problems, Director Damon Gameau travels around the world to learn about about the solutions to these crises that already exist. Addressing the film to his 4 year old daughter, Gameau uses VFX and animation to visualise the world he wants her to live. He uses a technique called fact-based dreaming to create a world where humanity has made the changes needed to mitigate and adapt to these crises. What better film to start the year with.

But how did the audience react?

The response was overwhelmingly positive and incredibly hopeful! Students discussed how the film had empowered and engaged them with its informative and inspirational message. Many seemed energised by the positive message that contrasts the ‘doom and gloom’ crises narratives often pasted all over media. There was also surprise, particularly from those studying environmental topics, that there were so many new stories or solutions out there that they had never heard of. The variety of initiatives that were community-led and the innovative descriptions of the science and theory behind these potential fixes left us all really motivated – me included.

However, it was rather dreamy. Despite the variety of solutions that Gameau managed to film, we were all left curious about some topics that we were personally concerned with that were briefly mentioned or not covered at all. A big one missing was waste.

If we are to replace all of our old cars and tech with new eco-friendly alternatives and if we are to live in shiny new insulated houses, what happens to all the old ones? There was a big focus on all the technology that can replace what we already use. But a lot of us questioned what waste systems will be introduced to reuse or recycle the old materials. With debates around landfill vs incineration and the environmental damage inflicted by both, is it realistic that we can just replace everything? And what about the resources needed to make all these new materials, mine all the minerals and the equity of the labour behind it.

Energy was a large focus of the film. With beautiful demonstrations of the potential local networks of renewable energy grids for transforming and empowering rural communities, but even urban ones too. This requires massive changes in infrastructure, if houses and roads are being adapted or removed to build new sustainable alternatives, which generates a lot of new green jobs. Here the film mentions the need for training engineers and fossil fuel workers to ensure a just transition for the labour force too. Though, like waste, the education and policy needed to ensure climate justice in this area are lightly touched upon

Community was a key theme that ran throughout the documentary. And one of the topics the film club felt quite strongly about was sharing. There was a lot of support towards public ownership of things like transport and energy systems, but as described in the film, independence and personal ownership is a big part of modern society. It is deeply entwined with our identity, pride and egos too. To own a car, phone, shoes, watch – they are all symbols of status in a capitalist society. Though we agreed that a lot of objects spend most of their time going unused – like my hairdryer – the logistics and practicality of sharing these items didn’t always feel so straight forward. This is are also deeply tied into ideas of safety, access, privilege and trust.

Would these shared items need rules and regulations? Would people be punished for not following them? Would these items always be cared for and respected?
And would they put additional strain on individuals who have less access or are time poor?

Several students pointed out how rich Bristol seemed as a location for community and sharing. With services to repair or donate old items and lots of local initiatives they could engage with. This knowledge and awareness (especially at the beginning of the student year) was extremely encouraging and others found it empowering to realise that some of these fixes already exist in our local areas. We just have to engage with them.

Here I must acknowledge that this film was most likely targeted at an audience similar to the community that Gameau and his 4 year old daughter lived in. It focused heavily on the lives of those who would live in areas that may not suffer as much from the impacts of the climate and environmental disasters that we would face even if we did make all these changes by 2040. I do question whether a hopeful message could be too strong if not rooted enough in the realism of the devastation these crises will cause. Is there such a thing as too much hope – delaying change with the message that we don’t need to do anything as everything already exists and others are already doing the work of change.²

I am not being realistic. As an hour and a half documentary that aims to showcase hopeful solutions that “already exist” and offer inspiration, it does a very good job. It is not there to provide the answers. That is, in a way, what it tries to engage audiences in with its online platform and hybrid format – encourage audiences to participate in climate action.

What will you do next?

Trying to give my group discussion its own narrative flow, I ended by asking the group what will they do next? What is the impact of the film on them? It was amazing hearing the students feedback about how they planned to incorporate some of the solutions into their lives by eating less meat, getting involved in urban vegetable planting projects and local community initiatives.

However, there was a final comment that threaded through the discussion that I want to share here, to leave others to reflect on. We as a group agreed with the film and its message, many of us shared the same core values, but how do we authentically work and live a life guided by these values? This requires critical reflection, slowing down and sometimes going against the grain of what we consider normal in todays society. And this is the challenge that we were left with at the end of the film club.

Overall, I want to say a MASSIVE THANK YOU to everyone who attended and my wonderful crew who support me with the running, organising and spreading the word. I feel very lucky to be able to do this and a little bit less alone every time I do. I hope that this film club can provide a place to share experiences and knowledge from our diverse backgrounds, and find connection with others as together we explore the uncertainty created by the complexity of these crises³. Where there is no right answer or single solution, but there are many individuals and communities working to build and reimagine a more hopeful future.

Thank you.

To finish this on a hopeful note, here is the toad I saw when cycling home. Hopeful as I hoped I didn’t run it over by accident (it was very well camouflaged as a leaf), then I slowly ushered it off the cycle path.

1. Here is a link to the seaweed farm project featured in the film https://www.climatefoundation.org/ ︎
2. Interested in ways we risk delaying climate action? Here is a scientific paper on climate delay https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/global-sustainability/article/discourses-of-climate-delay/7B11B722E3E3454BB6212378E32985A7
   And here is the cartoon version! ︎
3. Want to find out more about the role film clubs can have in inspiring and empowering students? Here is a great article – https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13504622.2024.2314044?s=09#abstract ︎