A life-changing film
Last Friday I published a Post under the title of The power of truth. Just 5 minutes long, the YouTube video was powerful, starkly so. I wrote at the end of that article, “The principal source for the footage was Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s incredible film HOME.”
Jean and I watched Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s film last Friday night and to say that we were moved would be pitiful compared to the emotional impact it really had. Take a look at the film trailer; it’s a little over 3 1/2 minutes long. (But please don’t use that as a substitute for watching the full film, see below!)
Home is a 2009 documentary by Yann Arthus-Bertrand. The film is entirely composed of aerial shots of various places around Earth. It shows the diversity of life on Earth and how humanity is threatening the ecological balance of the planet. The movie was released simultaneously on June 5th in cinemas all over the world, on DVD and on YouTube. Released on the same date in 50 countries is a world record for any film release in history. The film is 100% free, and no profits will be made from its release or future showings.
I wasn’t going to add anything other than a brief introduction to the main film. However, an article in The Economist The World in 2012 caught my eye and seemed especially relevant to promoting the message carried by the film. Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook, wrote about the power of social media and how it would be even more evident in 2012. This is the paragraph that caught my eye,
Expressing our authentic identity will become even more pervasive in the coming year. Profiles will no longer be outlines, but detailed self-portraits of who we really are, including the books we read, the music we listen to, the distances we run, the places we travel, the causes we support, the videos of cats we laugh at, our likes and our links. And, yes, this shift to authenticity will take getting used to and will elicit cries about lost privacy. But people will increasingly recognise the benefits of such expression. Because the strength of social media is that it empowers individuals to amplify and broadcast their voices. The truer that voice, the louder it will sound and the farther it will reach.
That last sentence jumped out at me, “The truer that voice, the louder it will sound and the farther it will reach.” Mull on that as you watch the film and, please, please, please if you support the need to return to a harmonious relationship with the planet spread the word as far and wide as you can.
Please promise yourself to sit down quietly and watch it uninterrupted. And if you feel so minded to add comments to this Post please do – would be delighted to have your feedback.
We are living in exceptional times. Scientists tell us that we have 10 years to change the way we live, avert the depletion of natural resources and the catastrophic evolution of the Earth’s climate.
The stakes are high for us and our children. Everyone should take part in the effort, and HOME has been conceived to take a message of mobilization out to every human being.
For this purpose, HOME needs to be free. A patron, the PPR Group, made this possible. EuropaCorp, the distributor, also pledged not to make any profit because Home is a non-profit film.
HOME has been made for you : share it! And act for the planet.
Yann Arthus-Bertrand
HOME official website
http://www.home-2009.comPPR is proud to support HOME
http://www.ppr.comHOME is a carbon offset movie
http://www.actioncarbone.orgMore information about the Planet
http://www.goodplanet.info
So settle down and watch what may be one of the most important films of your life.
Learning from Dogs 