Big Sky Documentary Film Festival 2019 – Dark Eden
On a journey for an answer to the question, "How high is the price for a better life?“, the directors explore Fort McMurray in the far north of Canada, home of the largest industrial project and the third largest oil reserve on the planet. People from all over the world come here to earn sky-high salaries at the sacrifice of the environment and their own health. Film and reality collide as the directors find themselves in their own personal nightmare.
Interview with Writers/Directors Jasmin Herold and Michael Beamish
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
MICHAEL: I grew up near Fort McMurray and lived in the city for many years. The oil industry is the biggest employer in the region. Not only do they give people work but they also sponsor local charities, hospitals, and educational institutions. The industry is everywhere. It is a part of daily life and is accepted by everyone living there. No one questions it. I wanted to make this film because it was an opportunity for me to reflect upon and challenge my beliefs and the values of my society. Most importantly it gave me the chance to explore the precarious working lives of the people living there, while also telling the stories of those most affected by the industry who are rarely listened to.
JASMIN: When I set out to make Dark Eden I wanted to know why people would live in an area where catastrophic, environmental, destruction takes place. After going to Fort McMurray and meeting the residents I realized that the situation the people were living in was a part of a much larger global problem. Fort McMurray (for me) is a microcosm that exposes the universal human struggle between responsibility and economics. It made me wonder, what is the price for a better life? How much do we sacrifice for our modern, consumerist lifestyles, which values comfort and convenience? The world is not black or white but very complex and so are the issues within Dark Eden.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
MICHAEL: The images in Dark Eden are both shocking and stunning. It is an environmental film without CEOs or activists. It is about the common person making money from the exploitation of nature. The lives of the protagonists in Dark Eden mirror the lives of the average viewer. Through this reflection the viewer sees a glimpse of themselves, the system, and circumstances that they are a part of.
JASMIN: "Not to see what you know," is stated several times in Dark Eden. As human beings we often turn a blind eye to the reality we live in because if we would truly look at it in the eyes it would confront and attack us with our own denial. Forcing us to see our own involvement in the things we fear most. It is a part of the human condition to hide from our own actions. The protagonists in the film are not evil they are everyday people. They do their jobs like anybody else. They do not think about the consequences of their actions, which are seen through the images. Dark Eden is a very aesthetic and cinematic film for this reason. I believe a film should show not tell and that is what Dark Eden endeavors to do.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
JASMIN: The universal themes of the film get mixed up with the personal stories. You see the small in the big and the big in the small. I think it cannot get more personal than in our film. Our own life and the film more or less became one when Michael was diagnosed with cancer. All of a sudden the consequences of the pollution we witnessed around us became our own reality.
MICHAEL: During the film I became sick with a rare cancer. For me, personally, it is very difficult to separate the film from my personal life. In the end Dark Eden saved me, because through the film, I met Jasmin. Through Jasmin I was able to find a world leading specialist in Germany who was able to operate on me. For me, Dark Eden is a memory of the events that took place in my life at that time with all the flaws, truths, and secrets that a memory holds.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
JASMIN: The content did not change a lot over the six years of working on the film. The difficulty was finding the right protagonists. Most people were very scared to talk because they could lose their jobs. That was the most difficult issue we had to deal with, alongside Michael's diagnosis. This was not in the script and happened in the middle of the shooting.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
JASMIN: The feedback has been overwhelming. People were crying in the cinema and hugged us after they had watched the film. The best is when people tell me that this film is a film about all of us. That is exactly what I wished for.
MICHAEL: Making this film was a very difficult journey for us. Our goal was to take a complex issue and show it at a very human level so that people could personally connect to the material. So far from the feedback we have received from audiences has been extremely positive and most people say that the film touches them very deeply, which means a lot to me.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
JASMIN: It surprised me in so far that people wrote me messages months after they had seen the film. They told me that they are still affected by it and think about their own compromises and denials.
MICHAEL: Most of our screenings have been in Europe and it surprises me to learn that most Europeans view Canada as a natural paradise. Most of them upon seeing our film are shocked that something as environmentally destructive as the Oil Sands could exist in Canada. It made me realize that most people are not aware of how their energy and materials are produced or where they come from.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
JASMIN: That it will receive more attention. The climate crisis is happening and Dark Eden shows what the consequences are for nature, animals and humans. I hope we find partners who show the film in order to start more discussions.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We would like to get in touch with film festivals directors, movie theaters, journalists and all kinds of other organizations and schools.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
JASMIN: That people get out of their comfort zone. All those students around the world protesting right now makes me happy. The younger generation understands that we have to stand up and that we have the right not to obey.
MICHAEL: Too many people from my community are dying of rare cancers. I myself almost died. I want people to be made aware of what is happening in my country and to create meaningful discussions over the themes in Dark Eden.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
JASMIN: That the climate crisis is real and that we are directly affected by it no matter where we live. Michael and I are now in Germany and last summer was so dry that nothing would grow in our garden because it turned into a desert. The crops from that year were so poor that the farmers had one of the worst growing years in a century. This is a consequences of global warming. Everybody who denies it has not been affected by it, yet. We have to look reality in the face. "Not to see what you know" will end in a catastrophe.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
JASMIN: Right now we are working on the second part of the planned trilogy. Dark Eden is the first film.
Interview: February 2019
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Dark Eden
On a journey for an answer to the question, "How high is the price for a better life?“, the directors explore Fort McMurray in the far north of Canada, home of the largest industrial project and the third largest oil reserve on the planet. People from all over the world come here to earn sky-high salaries at the sacrifice of the environment and their own health. Film and reality collide as the directors find themselves in their own personal nightmare.
Length: 1:20:00
Director: Jasmin Herold, Michael Beamish
Producer: Melanie Andernach
Writer: Jasmin Herold, Michael Beamish
About the writer, director and producer:
JASMIN HEROLD never wanted to be a director. Her debut DARK EDEN was supposed to become a novel but when having traveled to Fort McMurray she soon realized that she has to make a documentary. She currently works on her second film and finally finishes her novel.
MICHAEL BEAMISH entered his home one evening. His roommates were having a party. Standing in the corner of his kitchen stood a beautiful woman. To his delight she approached him and said, ""How can you live in this shit hole place?"" That woman was Jasmin. They fell in love during their first argument. Jasmin was pregnant at the time with Dark Eden. Michael became its Father. The couple continues to argue, while making films.
MELANIE ANDERNACH is a German producer based in Cologne/Germany. Her production company MADE IN GERMANY produces international feature and documentary films, which were shown at festivals worldwide like Locarno, Hotdocs, Berlin Film Festival and Visions du Réel.
Looking for: film festival directors, buyers, journalists
Facebook: Dark Eden
Website: https://www.wfilm.de/dark-eden/
Other: IMDB
Made in association with: Made In Germany Film Production, 3sat/zdf, Basis Berlin
Funders: Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, Film und Medien Stiftung Nrw, Kuratorium junger deutscher Film, Kulturstiftung des freistaates Sachsen, deutscher Filmförderfonds
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Dark Eden will have its theater release on 11th of April 2019