Voices of Transition

Movie
German title	Voices of Transition
Original title	Cultures en Transition
Country of production	France , Germany
original language	French
Publishing year	2012
length	65 minutes
Rod
Director	Nils Aguilar
production	Nils Aguilar
music	Elischa Kaminer
camera	Jérome Polidor
cut	Nicolas Servide, Nils Aguilar

Voices of Transition (aka Cultures en Transition ) is a 2012 documentary by director and producer Nils Aguilar . The film was produced in France and Germany and deals with the threat to agricultural production from energy and resource scarcity and shows, as alternatives, agroecology in France, the transition town movement and urban agriculture in Cuba as a pioneer in the transformation of food production away from industrial Agriculture too small-scale, decentralized production. The theatrical release in Germany took place on May 2, 2013, in the context of a German tour of the film, the theatrical release in Austria on April 2, 2014, along with other theatrical releases abroad.

action

The film uses interviews and displays of graphics and texts to show the problems that current industrial agriculture is causing and why it is not suitable for feeding the world population in the medium term: for the production of a food with a calorific value of 4.2 kJ (= 1 kcal ), the use of crude oil is currently 42 - 84 kJ (= 10 - 20 kcal) in fertilizer production and transport, which makes agricultural prices heavily dependent on the oil price . Because of the maximum oil production and the expected rise in oil prices, food costs would continue to rise. This dependency now represents a major vulnerability in the food supply. In addition, agriculture is now responsible for 40% of greenhouse gas emissions , which is accelerating climate change. In addition, the massive use of mineral fertilizers leads to a loss of soil fertility , a threatened total loss of usable soil within decades due to erosion as well as decreasing yields, which can only be compensated to a limited extent by an ever increasing use of fertilizer. The side effects of the industrialization of agriculture since the 1920s include the loss of jobs, the concentration of land in the hands of a few (in France a farm closes every 23 minutes ), and the heavy dependence on companies such as Monsanto or Bayer , which sell seeds to fertilizers controlled the entire production chain up to the necessary “chemical cocktails” for hybrid breeding . This development would be supported by World Bank subsidies . To explain the problem, Vandana Shiva , the initiator of the Transition Town movement Rob Hopkins and agricultural experts who carry out soil analyzes in fields have their say. The oil dependency is illustrated by the food wholesale market in Rungis .

Agroforestry in Normandy

To illustrate alternatives, places in France and England are visited: The agroforestry expert Martin Crawford guides through his forest garden , explaining how the combination of different plants on different levels leads to the fact that they supply each other with nutrients. He emphasizes the high productivity and efficiency of this garden, which is built on the principles of permaculture and requires very little energy. Another application is shown for fields in which rows of trees are planted with grain growing between them. The latter can continue to be harvested mechanically, but the trees would create a better microclimate, increase biodiversity by creating habitats for animals and their regularly falling roots would ensure an increase in soil quality. The trees could compensate for the wood deficit in European countries and bind carbon dioxide , and the wood would also add value to the country. The experts are Christian Dupraz , who works at the French Institute national de la recherche agronomique , and the French soil scientist Claude Bourguignon.

Rob Hopkins

A second strand shows British transition town initiatives , whose local actors state that they are committed to a more liveable future by building structures that are resilient to peak oil , climate change or economic crises, the effects of which are perceived as a threat. The film shows the permaculture gardener Mike Feingold, how he works in his community garden and processes self-harvested apples into juice. In addition, exchange markets, the regional currency Totnes Pound and events are shown in which joint planting campaigns are carried out with the aim of an “edible city”. Sally Jenkins from the Grofun (Growing Real Organic Food in Urban Neighborhoods) project shows how she grows food in the front yard to inspire neighbors to imitate. The projects are explained by the movement's co-founder Rob Hopkins , who emphasizes the need for a vision that people could carry over the next few decades. In this way one can prepare for the threatening crises together and at the same time learn again to enjoy life.

Cooperative Alamar, Cuba

The last third of the film is devoted to Cuba , whose agriculture was cut off from the oil and global food markets in the early 1990s when the Soviet Union collapsed . As a result, community gardens and urban agriculture developed , where organically grown food is produced. As a result, the Cuban capital Havana covers 70 percent of its fresh vegetables requirements from the city or its immediate vicinity, with up to 20 kg per square meter being achieved. The most important interview partner is Fernando Funes-Monzote, co-founder of the Grupo de Agricultura Organica , which received the Right Livelihood Award in 1999 . He explains that Cuba is probably the only country that is on the way to a sustainable food supply, which is supplemented in the film by a study by the WWF , according to which Cuba is the only country that meets the two minimum criteria for sustainable development. State support for urban agriculture has led to increased food sovereignty and reduced dependence on the world market and oil price. Therefore, Cuba's involuntary development can serve as a model for other countries that are still facing supply shortages.

background

The director Nils Aguilar stated in an interview that he was “deeply hit” by the experience of large agricultural corporations in Argentina silencing indigenous people who protested against their displacement with thugs. The preoccupation with concepts of permaculture since 2003 and the reading of the book Le sol, la terre et les champs by the French soil scientist Claude Bourguignon inspired him to make a film that "should inspire action by showing positive solutions."

The aim of the project is stated to give the Transition Town movement an educational tool and to promote agroecology . Aguilar, born in Tübingen in 1980 , initially started the project with a co-director, who left early because he “didn't really believe in it.” After his departure, Aguilar tried to master the film project himself as a “non-specialist autodidact ”, which took about four years.

The low-budget film was produced by the author himself, which is why the film was highly dependent on volunteer work. He was encouraged to rise from the EU program Youth in Action and the program Envie d'agir of the French Ministry for Youth . In addition, two crowdfunding campaigns were carried out, which raised a total of 13,000 euros. The film is self-distributed in Germany.

Demonstrations

The film was officially released in theaters in May 2013. The screening of the film in the presence of the main actor Rob Hopkins at the conference "Agriculture in Transition" 2013 at the Heinrich Böll Foundation served as a public preview of the film . This demonstration was the start of a 16-stop tour of Germany.

In the meantime, the film has gained noticeably international attention and has been shown at at least 22 international festivals. During the "Festival Alimenterre 2013" alone, the film was shown in 192 public screenings in African and French-speaking countries and, according to the organizers, reached 12,520 viewers. It was shown in six Canadian universities as part of the Cinema Politica Festival.

In addition to the cinema releases in German-speaking countries, there were other launches and tours in Italy, USA, Portugal, Wallonia and Flanders (Belgium), Great Britain, Argentina and Chile.

A DVD with subtitles in 17 languages ​​has been available since summer 2014 .

Awards

• Prix ​​du Public / Audience Award , Univerciné - Allemand Festival Nantes, 2017
• Best Environmental Film , The Colorado International Film Festival, 2014
• Winner First Time Director , Oregon Film Awards, 2014
• Main prize: Ecological Success Stories Ekotopfilm Festival
• Rector's award from University of Nitra, Festival Agrofilm, 2015

Festivals (selection)

• Univerciné - Allemand, Nantes, France, 2017
• Sunchild IEFF, Yerevan, Armenia, 2016
• Singapore Eco Filmfest, Singapore, 2016
• Festival Agrofilm, Nitra, Slovakia, 2015
• The Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival, Malaysia, 2015
• Festival internacional de cine de Derechos Humanos de Buenos Aires DerHumAlc, Argentina 2015
• Oregon International Film Awards, Winner First Time Director, 2014
• The Colorado International Film Festival, Best Environmental Film, 2014
• The Southafrican Eco film Festival, Capetown 2014
• Life Sciences Film Festival, Prague, Czech Republic, 2014
• Ecofalante Festival São Paulo , 2013
• Festival Alimenterre France , 2013
• DR Environmental Film Festival Santo Domingo , Dominican Republic, 2013
• Film ambience Rio de Janeiro , Brazil, 2013
• Ecofest International Festival of Ecology Films Transylvania , Romania
• Green Film Festival in Seoul Seoul , South Korea, 2013
• Festival International du Film de l'Environnement FIFE Paris , France, 2013
• Cinema Verde Festival Gainesville , Florida, 2013
• Environmental Film Fest (in the Nation's capital) Washington, DC , 2013
• Greenme Festival in the run-up to the Berlinale Berlin , Germany, 2013
• Cinema Politica Canada , 2013
• Ekotopfilm Festival Bratislava , 2012
• Génération Durable Festival in Verneuil-sur-Avre , 2012
• Global 2012 in Würzburg and Leipzig
• Festival du Film Vert, French-speaking Switzerland , 2012
• Festival Alimenterre Brussels , 2012
• Festival des Libertés Brussels , 2012
• 8th Festival International du Film Ecologique de Bourges , 2012

reception

The film was screened in numerous transition initiatives, over 20 were founded immediately after a screening, and in 2012 it was voted one of the ten most popular films in the initiatives.

The Ekotopfilm Festival, which awarded the film a Grand Prize in the People and Earth / Ecological Success Stories category , described Voices of Transition as "an enthusiastic documentation of farmer and community-led responses to food insecurity in a scenario of climate change and oil production peak."

Franziska Weigelt from the Haus des Dokumentarfilms describes the commitment of those involved as "admirable and inspiring", but adds that "impressions from the other side [...] might have given the documentary more depth."

Angelika Nguyen from Der Freitag says “Voices of Transition by Nils Aguilar is most effective when the experts' voices stop ringing in our ears with analyzes [...] When Mike Feingold's bee is still buzzing. The way he sits there, the permaculture designer in overalls, with a wild mane, the rebel against his own strawberry farm in Kenya [...] and says: "That's luck." "

Prof. Uwe Schneidewind , Director of the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy considers the film to be “a masterpiece! Fascinating in content as well as in form. "

David Bollier , author and co-founder of the Commons Strategies Group , headlines his blog: "Inspirational new film about the agriculture we need".

Prof. Niko Paech , chairman of the Association for Ecological Economy , writes: “No film in this area has impressed me as much as Nils Aguilar's Voices of Transition. I've seen the flick five times in the meantime ... and therefore more than Blade Runner and High Noon! "

Sarah Wiener , TV chef and book author, says about the film: “This film was overdue! It shows solutions from the current food crisis and encourages you to tackle them yourself here and now. "

Reinhard Lüke from Filmdienst describes the production as “an agitation film that tries to combine gardening yourself with the pleasure principle of the slow food movement”, but criticizes that Aguilar remains “too caught up in the style of a television report to be able to convince as a documentary filmmaker. "

Vandana Shiva , Indian physicist and recipient of the Right Livelihood Award , says in an interview with the filmmaker: “This valuable film shows exactly what is important: We have to take our future into our hands here and now without waiting for new laws from above . "

Bill McKibben , American journalist and climate activist, commented: "This film shows that the transition to a new world is possible: we can take this path if we only want it!"

Rob Hopkins , the British founder of the Transition Towns movement, has this to say about the film: “Voices of Transition opens our intellectual horizons to new possibilities and offers us a new vision for a truly sustainable agriculture. This film is a very powerful tool for initiating cultural change! "

See also

• Agricultural turnaround

literature

• Nils Aguilar - Global Transition Initiatives (PDF; 300 kB). In: Boris Woynowski et al. (Ed.): Economy without growth ?! Necessity and approaches of a growth turnaround. Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg , Freiburg im Breisgau 2012, OCLC 797203546 , pp. 378–388. (Working reports of the Institute for Forest Economics 59)

• "No more drugs" . Ute Scheub in: Harald Welzer , Stephan Rammler (eds.): The FUTURZWEI Future Almanac 2013: Stories about dealing well with the world. Fischer-Taschenbuch, Frankfurt 2012, ISBN 978-3-596-19420-9 .

Web links

Commons : Voices of Transition  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Official website for the film
• Voices of Transition in the Internet Movie Database (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Reinhard Lüke: Voices of Transition . In: Filmdienst 22, 2012, p. 29, accessed on January 4, 2013.
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Voices of Transition in the Internet Movie Database (English) , accessed on August 21, 2013.
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Team at voicesoftransition.org, accessed December 14, 2013.
4. ^ Voices of Transition on filmstarts.de, accessed on May 2, 2013
5. ↑ Cinema tour 2013 on voicesoftransition.org
6. ↑ Austria cinema release
7. ↑ ^{a b c d} Fred Keicher: Then the diet question arises: Nils Aguilar from Tübingen and his film “Voices of Transition” . In: Schwäbisches Tagblatt , December 14, 2012, accessed on January 4, 2013.
8. ↑ Martin Crawford, director of the Agroforestry Research Trust , cf. Author description at greenbooks.co.uk.
9. ↑ Private website of Christian Dupraz , co-author of the book Agroforesterie. ISBN 978-2-85557-150-8 .
10. ^ ^{A b} Claude Bourguignon ( French-language Wikipedia ), founder of the Laboratoire d'Analyse Microbiologique des Sols (LAMS) , cf. Le sol, la terre et les champs. 2010, ISBN 978-2-86985-188-7 .
11. ^ Mike Feingold's Permaculture Allotment on embody.co.uk, accessed January 17, 2013.
12. ↑ totnespound.org ; Rob Sharp: They don't just shop local in Totnes - they have their very own currency . In: The Independent , May 1, 2008
13. ↑ Lia Leendertz: Could Grofun get you gardening? . In: The Guardian Gardening Blog, April 7, 2009, accessed January 17, 2013.
14. ↑ On the situation in Havana, cf. The Avery Diet: The Hudson Institute's Misinformation Campaign Against Cuban Agriculture (PDF; 339 kB). Online publication: Funes, Altieri & Rosset, accessed January 4, 2013.
15. ↑ Jack Fairweather, Christina Asquith: How Can Cuba's Sustainable Agriculture Survive the Peace? In: The Solutions Journal. Volume 1, Issue 2, pp. 56-58.
16. ↑ WWF , Global Footprint Network : Living Planet Report 2006 ( Memento of the original from November 26, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Page 19. 
17. ↑ Nils Aguilar - Global Transition Initiatives (PDF; 300 kB). In: Boris Woynowski et al. (Ed.): Economy without growth ?! Necessity and approaches of a growth turnaround . In: Series of reports from the Institute for Forest Economics 59-2012, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg , Freiburg im Breisgau . Pp. 378-388.
18. ↑ Nils Aguilar - Global Transition Initiatives . In: Boris Woynowski et al. (Ed.), P. 378.
19. ↑ ^{a b} Itw de Nils Aguilar, réalisateur de "Culture en transition" , interview on YouTube , uploaded on November 11, 2011
20. ↑ Nils Aguilar - Global Transition Initiatives . In: Boris Woynowski et al. (Ed.), P. 379.
21. ↑ ^{a b} Background ( memento of the original from December 16, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. from voicesoftransition.org, accessed January 4, 2013. 
22. ↑ ^{a b c} Nils Aguilar - Global Transition Initiatives . In: Boris Woynowski et al. (Ed.), P. 383.
23. ↑ Supporters and partners at voicesoftransition.org, accessed December 14, 2013.
24. ↑ Voices of the Transition ( Memento of the original from March 12, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at sponsume.com, accessed January 4, 2013. 
25. ↑ Voices of Transition at startnext.de, accessed on January 4, 2013.
26. ↑ ^{a b} Jan Petersmann: Pick up your spade! The transition movement against the global gaming game. ( Memento of the original from August 10, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Conversation with Nils Aguilar in: fluter , March 29, 2014. 
27. ↑ show the film! from voicesoftransition.org, accessed December 14, 2013.
28. ↑ Kino-Zeit, accessed on September 16, 2014.
29. ↑ Christine Chemnitz: Strategies for ecological and fair investments in agriculture . In: boell.de , January 16, 2013
30. ↑ Kino-Tour 2013, accessed on September 16, 2014
31. ↑ Demonstrations at voicesoftransition.org, accessed January 4, 2013.
32. ↑ [1] , voicesoftransition.org, accessed September 16, 2014.
33. ↑ Voices of Transition ( Memento of the original from December 14, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , cinemapolitica.org, accessed September 10, 2013. 
34. ↑ Article about theatrical release from the Italian distributor Cinema. Retrieved October 19, 2016 . 
35. ↑ Catalog entry Greenplanetfilms. Retrieved October 19, 2016 . 
36. ↑ Nils Aguilar: Tour report 1st part for the magazine Eco123. Eco123, December 16, 2014, accessed October 19, 2016 . 
37. ↑ Réseau de la transition en Belgique francophone. Retrieved October 19, 2016 . 
38. ↑ Climaxi and Masereelfonds. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on October 19, 2016 ; Retrieved October 19, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
39. ^ Website of the film. Retrieved October 19, 2016 . 
40. ↑ Website blog entry about tour. Retrieved October 19, 2016 . 
41. ↑ international DVD , voicesoftransition.org, accessed September 16, 2014.
42. ↑ 2017 Palmarès de l'édition 2017 d'Univerciné , Festival Univerciné Nantes, accessed on January 6, 2017.
43. ↑ 2014 Colorado Film Award Winners , Colorado Film Festival, accessed August 5, 2014.
44. ↑ 2014 Oregon International Awards Winners ( Memento of the original from November 7, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Oregon International Film Awards, accessed November 9, 2014. 
45. ↑ ^{a b c} Winners 2012 at ekotopfilm.sk, Slovak film festival on sustainable development, 2010 with 72,000 visitors ( PDF , 5.9 MB ), accessed on January 4, 2013.
46. ↑ ^{a b} Catalog of the films shown in 2015. Retrieved October 17, 2016 (Slovak). 
47. ↑ Festival website. Retrieved January 6, 2017 . 
48. ↑ Film Festival website. Retrieved October 17, 2016 . 
49. ↑ Festival website. Retrieved October 17, 2016 . 
50. ↑ [2] , accessed on July 15, 2015.
51. ↑ [3] , accessed on July 15, 2015.
52. ↑ 2014 Winners Oregon Film Awards . Oregon International Film Awards. Archived from the original on November 7, 2014. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved November 9th 2014. 
53. ↑ [4] , accessed on September 17, 2014.
54. ↑ 2014 film catalog . The South African Eco Film Festival. Archived from the original on March 10, 2015. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 28, 2015. 
55. ↑ 2014 films catalog . Life Sciences Film Festival. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
56. ↑ Ecofalante Voces da transiçao , accessed September 17, 2014.
57. ^ Cultures en transition , festival-alimenterre.org, accessed December 14, 2013.
58. ↑ DREFF , accessed September 1, 2013.
59. ↑ Filmambiente Rio ( Memento of the original from October 24, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed September 2, 2013. 
60. ↑ GFFIS ( Memento of the original from March 15, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed April 13, 2013. 
61. ↑ FIFE Paris ( Memento of the original of February 27, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed April 13, 2013. 
62. ↑ Cinema Verde festival Gainesville, Florida ( Memento of the original from December 20, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed January 16, 2013. 
63. ↑ DC environmental film fest ( Memento of the original from September 18, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed January 16, 2013. 
64. ↑ Greenme Festival Berlin , accessed on March 6, 2014.
65. ↑ Voices of Transition ( Memento of the original from December 14, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , cinemapolitica.org, accessed December 14, 2013. 
66. ↑ Festival Génération Durable ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed January 4, 2013. 
67. ↑ Die Globale 2012 on attac-netzwerk.de, accessed on January 4, 2013.
68. ↑ globaLE 2012 on global-leipzig.de, accessed on January 4, 2013.
69. ↑ Cultures en Transition ( Memento of the original from January 28, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at festivaldufilmvert.ch, accessed on January 4, 2013. 
70. ↑ Cultures en Transition ( Memento of the original from February 19, 2013 in the web archive archive.today ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at festivalalimenterre.be, accessed on January 4, 2013. 
71. ↑ Voices of Transition on festivaldeslibertes.be, accessed on January 4, 2013.
72. ↑ Films documentaires ( Memento des Originals from March 5, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. from festival-film-bourges.fr, accessed January 4, 2013. 
73. ↑ The Top Ten films as chosen by Transition initiatives! at transitionculture.org, Rob Hopkins website . December 5, 2012, accessed January 17, 2013.
74. ^ Voices of Transition . In: Catalog from ekotopfilm , accessed January 4, 2013.
75. ↑ Franziska Weigelt: New in the cinema: Voices of Transition ( Memento of the original from April 29, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Dokumentarfilm.info, accessed January 4, 2013. 
76. ↑ Angelika Nguyen: Not in the cinema: "Voices of Transition", Der Freitag , p. 18, edition of January 30, 2014.
77. ↑ ^{a b c d e} www.voicesoftransition.org: "Lorbeeren und Festivals" ( Memento of the original from March 11, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , www.voicesoftransition.org, accessed March 4, 2014. 
78. ↑ Voices of Transition - now on DVD . In: Website of the Association for Ecological Economy , December 11, 2013.