Since 2012, Transitions Film Festival has showcased short, feature and VR documentaries addressing our world, and those helping to shape it and make it better through social, environmental and technological innovations.
One of the ongoing missions of Transitions and its curated selection of films is to help us envision a better world, and think about what we can do to make that vision come true – and this year, across its more than 20 virtual sessions available nationwide (and a small selection of Melbourne screenings), the festival continues that.
There are examples of the power of activism, food, technology and nature across the programme, and an emphasis on the greatest threats facing humanity. There's an intimate portrait of an environmental activist. . . A fictional narrative legal drama. . . An illumination of humans' relationship with water. . . And a warning about economic collapse with rising temperatures. That's just some of the 2022 Transitions offering.
Let's fight for the future we want.
Festival Director Daniel Simons gives us more information about the 2022 event.
Tell us a bit about the 2022 Transitions Film Festival.
The Transitions Film Festival is a social and environmental impact festival that uses the power of film to highlight the biggest and most urgent issues of our time. We focus on showcasing solutions to society's greatest challenges, as well as the mind-blowing technological innovations that have the potential to change life as we know it. This year’s festival covers our usual themes of climate change, artificial intelligence, transhumanism, environmental activism, social enterprise, regenerative agriculture and the power of music to change the world. Due to COVID, we are mostly online, with all films available nationally, but we’re also hosting a handful of free screenings in Melbourne, including one at The Capitol Theatre on 20 February.
'Barricade'
What makes it stand out above past festivals?
Thanks to the COVID-induced world domination of Zoom, we’ve been able to include more filmmaker Q&As than any previous year, which means that audience members will be able to get more access and a deeper insight into the creative process and the stories behind the films than ever. We also have a huge programme of films by and about women this year. We are showcasing films about an African environmentalist who travels to the USA to convince Americans to act on climate change, a film about Vandana Shiva, one of the world’s most renowned and inspiring activists, a film about the future of post-biological life and digital twins, and an important documentary about the impacts climate change will have on the global economy – all created by women and featuring inspirational women sharing their visions for a better world. It also feels like this year we are ‘coming out’ of a pandemic, which is a ripe time to re-write the rules of society in a way that can benefit everyone. Coming out of such a restrictive and disruptive period, everyone can feel that the old ways are dying and a new future is up for grabs. Everyone is ‘over it’ but we don’t want to go back to the old normal. We want something new. We are ready.
As Festival Director, what is it that you set out to achieve every year you present it?
Festivals like ours can play a vital role in a number of ways. We curate a small selection of films from a huge number of entries, so the audience knows that the films we select deserve their attention. We focus on films that are about the most important issues of our time and we highlight content that is on the cutting-edge of science, innovation and social change. We also aim for the festival to create massive changes in people’s lives and to bring them into the environmental and changemaker eco-systems of Australia. Importantly, the festival’s focus on solutions and the heroes creating change around the world gives people hope and a feeling of empowerment at a time when other news media is filled with narratives of doom and hopelessness. With so much entertainment out there, people can be hesitant to watch important documentaries like the ones we feature as part of our programme. Having the films featured in a festival is often an impetus for time-poor and overwhelmed people to watch films that they would not otherwise choose to watch. Then, like a cold shower, they don’t want to get in at first, they come out feeling invigorated, alive and ready to take on the world.
'The Seeds Of Vandana Shiva'
Why do you think film is so effective in delivering messages?
I think everyone’s brains are broken. Everyone is multitasking their way through life now. Films are sensory and immersive and slow down our brains so we can take in information at the pace it was meant to be absorbed. They are also alive in a way that no other media is and they’re the best tool to create empathy and emotional reactions that we have – until the metaverse is ready for us. It’s not just the films themselves though. When you watch a film as part of a themed film festival like ours, you feel like you’re part of something, connected to a bigger community of people from all across the country and all across the world who are all pieces of the same story.
And why do you think a festival like Transitions is important to witness?
If you look at the recent reaction to ‘Don’t Look Up’ which was the second highest debut Netflix movie of all time – getting 360 million hours of viewing in its first 28 days – you know people are hungry for change. The problem with 'Don’t Look Up' and other Hollywood films that deal with climate change and other social and environmental issues, is that they can be cynical and demoralising. Festivals like ours give hope and show the amazing range of solutions we have at our disposal and ready to deploy now. If enough people know about these ideas and are hungry enough to create change, we can solve all of our greatest problems within decades. And, as Obama said ‘we are the first generation to feel the effects of climate change and the last who can do anything about it’, so why wouldn't you want to spend all of your mental time and energy making sure that there is a future for the human race, and the rest of the inhabitants of the planet. But it's not just a festival about climate change, it's everything change.
'Youth V Gov'
Can you give us an example of a film within the 2022 programme that has really impacted you?
Two films stand out for the opposite reasons. 'Barricade' was a surprising delight. It is a powerful, visceral film that gets us up close and personal with frontline forest defenders. They are almost anonymous, acting as a collective to defend an old growth forest against overwhelming police force. The film really highlights the importance and beauty of collective action – change without heroes. 'The Seeds Of Vandana Shiva', on the other hand, is a truly inspirational film about the power of one individual – acting with support – to create massive change. It’s a quintessential 'David And Goliath' story that challenges us all to do more with the time we have. The films about the youth – who will be the most impacted by ecological breakdown, but have the least power to change it – are incredibly powerful. 'Youth V Gov' follows 21 US plaintiffs under 21 years of age who sue the US government over inaction on climate change, and 'Dear Future Children' is an unmissable film about three young activists from across the world told by and in the voices of young people.
How do you hope audiences respond to this year’s programme?
Our festival ‘logline’ is ‘inspiration, empowerment, impact’. So we hope that our audiences come away from the festival inspired, empowered and ready to create impact in the world. In our exit surveys we ask our audience what influence the festival had on their lives. The best answers are always from those who respond that, as a result of the festival, they decided to change their course of study or their career. It’s not about people watching a 90-minute movie and starting to use a KeepCup, it's about people changing who they are and dedicating their entire lives to what is most important. We don’t just want people to be entertained, we want them to connect to the changemaker communities of the world and help rewrite the future, while we still have time.
Transitions Film Festival takes place online (with some in-person Melbourne events) from 18 February-13 March.
