Oscar-winner Emma Thompson stars in new Extinction Rebellion film
This As Seen from Afar will take the form of a ‘short take’ of an article published on the euronews site by Marthe de Ferrer *
[Yesterday has seen] the release of a new short film starring Emma Thompson about Extinction Rebellion. The film depicts a fictionalised version of the protests held by the activist group last April, which culminated in the UK becoming the first country to formally declare a climate emergency. [Italics mine]
The double Academy Award winner took part in last year’s climate protests, which saw parts of the UK’s capital grind to a halt during a fortnight of continuous civil disobedience. It was during this time that the short film, entitled Extinction, was shot.
The 12-minute production tells the story of a group of climate activists meeting with the Environment Minister in the midst of an ongoing rebellion.
Emma Thompson explained the importance of both the piece and the movement more generally, saying, “Everything depends on what we do now. In a crisis, you have to convince people to take positive and immediate action. The suffragettes taught us that. You have to be active in your disobedience.
YouTube: Extinction – Starring Emma Thompson
“How we respond to the coronavirus crisis is a test run for how we need to respond to the climate crisis, and we see the same forces attempting to obscure and to undermine science in pursuit of perpetual growth and private profit. Whatever happens next, we can be sure that ‘business as usual’ is no longer tenable.” Film Co-writer Sam Haygarth
