FINITE: THE CLIMATE OF CHANGE
Concerned citizens in Germany step forward to save an ancient forest from one of Europe’s biggest coal mines, whilst they form an unlikely alliance with a frustrated community in rural northeast England who are forced into action to protect their homes from a new opencast coal mine.
Interview with Director/Producer Rich Felgate
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I first came to this project as more of a climate activist than a filmmaker. Watching documentaries is largely what opened my eyes to the environmental crisis and I wanted to do the same for other people. I got involved with direct action against coal mining and fracking and I was frustrated that there weren’t many films from the perspective of direct action, or that went beyond raising awareness and the typical mantra of “if we buy different stuff, things will get better” or “change will happen when there is the political will”.
I started filming a group I was involved with taking part in protests against the huge coal mines in Germany with the idea of making a short film and things escalated from there.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
FINITE tackles an issue which impacts us all, the climate crisis and our addiction to fossil fuels which is pushing us to disaster. But crucially, despite the ubiquity of this issue, FINITE is an insight into a world that few of us are truly engaged with - the frontline battle between ordinary people and fossil fuel companies.
FINITE is a shocking and authentic look into direct action and at the lengths activists, frontline communities will go to protect nature, and the shocking pushback from corporate and state power. This film humanises the fight for our planet, in place of communicating the climate with abstract data.
Importantly, FINITE gives us hope for how the tide can be turned against climate breakdown; not with naive optimism, but by laying bare what is possible with collective action, because hope is action. If you're anxious about the climate crisis - (let's face it, who isn't?) - then you need to watch this film. FINITE builds into more of a thriller than a documentary and puts the audience on the edge of their seat.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
FINITE is a local chapter of the story that will define humanity: the climate and ecological emergency. It's a universal David and Goliath story but leverages an insiders view of the climate movement to reveal the people behind the headlines of climate protests.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Since its inception, this film has escalated to say the least! I started out the project as more of an activist than a filmmaker and set out to make a short film following some of the protests I was involved with. Needless to say, the story grew and expanded into a feature and I gradually learnt how to make a film.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Audience feedback so far has been overwhelming - we've had tears, cheers, gasps and a standing ovation. FINITE's ability to move audiences was validated by winning the Focus Future award, voted by the audience at our European premiere at the 32nd Internationales Filmfest Emden-Norderney in Germany. Most importantly, it's changing minds and changing behaviours, with audiences so far telling us they feel compelled to act against climate breakdown, through a mix of anger and heartfelt emotion channeled by the film.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
We haven't had anyone openly disagree with the message of the film at screenings yet, but I'm sure that time will come and will make for an interesting Q&A session! I've been surprised by the degree to which some of the more politically radical elements in the film speak to people who are outside of the bubble of radical climate politics.
Scenes where activists sabotage the machinery of the coal they are fighting against have been surprisingly uncontroversial, even welcomed by people I wouldn't expect to agree.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We are looking to publicise FINITE's online screening at Melbourne Documentary Film Festival and connect with audiences. We also hope the attract the attention of potential buyers, as our film is being distributed by Espresso Media International. We're also hoping to catch the eye of festival programmers in Australia and beyond.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Buyers, film festival directors, journalists and impact producers.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
FINITE is all about moving people to action. We're out of time in the climate emergency and people all around the world are using protest, direct action and civil resistance to make the change we need so despreately. The best impact possible from FINITE is for audiences to feel inspired, empowered and outraged by the film and join the climate resistance where they are.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
The key question throughout the film is "what do you do when nothing else works?". We're at the point where decades of legal campaigning and government climate policy have not only failed, but allowed things to get catastrophically worse. We hope the film sparks debate about what is necessary, proportionate and strategically achievable for ordinary people do to in this age of climate breakdown.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I'm continuing to document climate protests and have recently been filming an exciting new campaign demanding the UK government stops issuing fossil fuel extraction and production licenses.
Interview: July 2022
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
FINITE: THE CLIMATE OF CHANGE
Length:
1:39:36
Director/Producer
RICH FELGATE is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and climate activist. His directorial debut is feature film, FINITE: THE CLIMATE OF CHANGE. He spent a year and a half living in protest camps with the communities he filmed in FINITE and was Europe’s first recipient of the Patagonia Media Grant. He has worked on broadcast TV shows for BBC and Discovery, plus short documentary “Frack Free Lancashire”, winner of the environmental award at the British Documentary Film Festival.
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Where can I watch it now?
Melbourne Documentary Film Festival - available online throughout Australia until 31st July
NaturVision FIlm Festval - Ludwigsburg, Germany - 22nd July, 21:00, Filmstudio
DokuFest - Prizren, Kosovo 5th-13th August