Just Do It is a feature documentary film about climate activists, initiated and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Emily James. Filmed through out 2009 – a year in which the looming spectre of the Copenhagen COP15 climate talks lead to a groundswell of activity – the film will be a behind the scenes portrait of a community of actively engaged citizens who aren’t prepared to sit back and allow the destruction of the worlds ecosystems and climate. Their adventures will entertain, illuminate and inspire, whilst inciting you to get off your arse and change the world.
Just Do It is not only a film about politics, but filmmaking as politics.The stories that we are told by the mainstream media are often extremely limited in scope. Those about protest often focus on the violent disorder of protestors, rather than the rationale for action. Just Do It hopes to redress the balance. To do justice to the story and the spirit of the activists, this film needs to be made without the editorial control of a broadcaster or the legal concerns of a publisher. Crowd funding enables us as creative artists to be supported by our audience in a more direct way, without the involvement of cultural gatekeepers. We would like to see a world in which the act of creation can be independent from commercial pressures or motives. So, if you too think this is a story which must be told, then please help fund this film and make it happen.
With broadcasters obsessed with formats and celebrities, and arts funding going down the pan, socially important independent films such as this are facing ever increasing difficulties in raising finance. So the Just Do It team is exploring a radically alternative film funding model: Crowd Funding. Gathering funds online from a crowd of supporters liberates the project from the editorial framework of broadcasters or sponsors, and puts the power to decide what gets made into the hands of the audience.
The production of Just Do It has and will continue to rely heavily on the generous donation of time and resources from an extensive crew of over one hundred talented volunteers, camera-people, editors, production assistants and a wide community of advisors and supporters. We are all doing this because we believe passionately in the importance of making this film and of making it with true independence. Some are attracted by the creative commons release, others by the climate politics, still others by working on a truly independent and socially important film, but everyone of the crew have made personal sacrifices to see the film made because they believe in the value of the project. And we hope you will too. We aim to make a film that will infect you with a spirit of rebellion and autonomy, and empower you to stand up for what you believe is right. If we are going to salvage the world we’ve been handed, then we will need to start sooner rather than later.
In the early twenty-first century, humanity is living in the shadow of impending climate chaos. Yet, the energy efficient light bulbs produced by dirty coal companies like e.on are often effective at blinding us the true extent of the threat looming over us. The greenwash, although only paper-thin in substance, tells us what we want to hear; keep calm and carry on. After all, who would want to believe that our world faces apocalyptic changes because of human actions? Of course, even when people do recognize the extent of the problem, a normal response might be a feeling of despair and powerlessness, leading to apathy and inaction. Post-Copenhagen, there are more and more questions about how to move forward from the international failure that was the conference of world ‘leaders’. Just Do It hopes to provide some of the answers.
Just Do It is not only a film about politics, but filmmaking as politics. Just Do It shows ordinary people who have transformed powerlessness into agency by taking direct action against climate criminals, creating new models of participation, community and democracy in the process. By telling their story, Just Do It hopes to show that inaction is no longer an option. The massive man-made injustice that is climate change makes it essential for us all to stand up and resist; and in resisting, a space is created for alternatives to be both envisaged and enacted. We wish to inspire and yes, to incite people into reclaiming their power and taking action at this critical juncture in history; in doing so, they will become part of the solution instead of the problem.
