The Illusion of Abundance
Three women share a common goal: Carolina, Bertha and Maxima are leading today's fight against modern conquistadors. These three women tell us a story of tireless courage: how to keep fighting to protect nature when your life is at risk?
Interview with Director/Producer Matthieu Lietaert and Director/Producer Erika Gonzalez Ramirez
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
700 human rights and environmental defenders are killed every year while facing extractivist projects to feed global consumerism. Every year another 1000+ defenders are beaten up, injured and get dead threats. We wanted to make a film about them.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
If people do care for the environment, our protagonists are inspiring the audience to act. They are far away in the Global South, and they stand up and fight against some of the world's largest extractivist corporations (often from the Global North). Their fight is inspiring to act where one lives. The clock is ticking about the environment. It's time to act and this film is a source of inspiration.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
In this current environmental crisis, we are all one. No matter whether you live in Australia or in Brazil. The consequences of global consumerism are affecting us all. It's a film about what it is to stand up in front of destructive forces.
The film is about women environmental defenders in Latin America. Yet their stories inspire our act to resist anywhere we are, against any type of violence and domination (also at work, at home or with the state).
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
We started to film two months before COVID. So there are many places we could not go to film and we had to restructure the script. This is the magic of documentary film making, one has to adapt on the way :)
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Amazing feedback from the audience all around the globe, in about 30 film festivals from 20 countries. Many are simply so inspired by our protagonists Carolina, Maxima and Bertha.
From the doc industry, our world sales agent is now First Hand Films, one of the world's leading doc sales agents with 25 years of experience.
All these are really amazing feedback just 7 months after the film launch.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
We realised a film can't be simply watched, consumed and then forgotten. Our film is about the resistance against natural resources extractivism... so we could not just make a film based on "story extractivism". From that reflection, we started to work on the impact tour of the film, with our film protagonists. We have already toured in 15 countries and we just arrived in the Americas for a 12-month impact tour from South to North.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We are looking for partners to make this impact tour more visible. We have been touring in 10 EU countries, now we are in Latin America. We are looking for funders to go to the USA, to Australia, to Africa.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We have been selected for 31 thematic film festivals in 20 countries and we are still looking for more.
For sure any journalists, bloggers, foundations, NGOs.
Buyers are an amazing way to reach a large audience, so they could contact First Hand Films, our sales agent.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
We are now on a 24-month impact tour, funded by 40 NGOs and foundations. The reason is the unique window of opportunity: at the UN level, but also EU, US and many other States around the world, politicians are all negotiating and voting soon about the corporate due diligence act. After 50 years of globalization based on "voluntary guidelines" (meaning do-what-you-like) there will be sanctions for TNCs that don't anticipate violation of basic human rights and environmental rights in their global production chain. This will be mandatory!
Of course, corporate lobbying is massively against this and this is why we are on the road, with the film, to use it as an advocacy tool to make sure these new regulations are not watered down. We need strong regulation with sanctions when TNCs don't respect basic rights.
Important is that in these regulations, there is access to justice for defenders. Meaning that a defender from the Global South could sue a TNC from the Global North. Today this is almost impossible! Our film shows that our three protagonists are trying to sue TNC and it is taking ages because of so many hurdles on the way.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
How to protect those who are risking their life to protect our planet?
Would you like to add anything else?
Our film is not just a film. This 24-month impact tour is happening during a unique window of opportunity to modify the current global regulation. Let's push it now.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
We have decided not to produce another film. It's easy to fall into the trap of "unlimited production" also as a filmmaker. We have therefore decided to focus entirely on the impact tour to make sure the voice of our protagonist resonates louder.
Thanks for all these great questions ;)
Interview: July 2023
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
The Illusion of Abundance
Three women share a common goal: Carolina, Bertha and Maxima are leading today's fight against modern conquistadors. These three women tell us a story of tireless courage: how to keep fighting to protect nature when your life is at risk?
Length: 1:00:30
Director: Erika Gonzalez Ramirez and Matthieu Lietaert
Producer: Erika Gonzalez Ramirez and Matthieu Lietaert
Writer: Erika Gonzalez Ramirez and Matthieu Lietaert
About the writer, director and producer:
ERIKA GONZALEZ RAMIREZ was, from 2013 to 2018, the managing director and advocacy officer of the Grupo Sur network for several EU NGOs active in Latin America. She led advocacy activities with EU institutions, especially in the field of Human Rights violations with a special focus on violence against women and femicide.
MATTJIEULIETAERTY turned his PhD thesis about corporate lobbying in the EU in his first documentary The Brussels Business for 10 TV broadcasters. He was awarded best Belgian TV Journalist for his work.
Erika and Matt are now in an international 24-month impact tour against extractivism with The Illusion of Abundance.
Key cast: Berta Caceres, Bertha Zuniga Caceres, Maxima Acuna, Carolina de Moura Campos
Looking for: journalists, buyers, film festival directors
Facebook: The Illusion of Abundance
Twitter: @TheIllusionDoc
Instagram: @illusionofabundance
Website: www.theillusionofabundance.earth/
Made in association with: 40 international NGOs from 15 countries
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?
The film is still touring at film festivals around the world. TV broadcasts will be coming up in 2024.