2022-23

Want to look into the whole process? Look at my documentation website!

SCREENINGS

Winds of Change was screened at:
Lumière Cinema – Maastricht – June 5th, 2023
Ecodorp Boekel – Boekel – June 24th, 2023
Sustainability Hub – Maastricht – June 27th, 2023
Mareel Cultural Center – Lerwick, Shetland – September 5th, 2023
OT301 – Amsterdam – September 19th, 2023
Industrie Museum (for Oxfam) – Gent – May 1st, 2024

LAST WORKSHOP

March 2023

After 8 Saturdays with this lovely group of Shetlanders, we celebrated and reflected with brunch. In the first workshops, the focus was on conversation and connection. Later on, we wrote different things like a manifesto and letters to the future, to eventually make the bridge to script writing. Inspired by experiences and our imagination of the future, we created scenes and characters. Individually, every participant has their own scene, as well as one big group scene. The whole creative process of making the film is discussed together, from details like what the main character wears to the internal conflicts of the character.

I am really thankful for this group of people, who all have different perspectives but still were able to work together great. With this brunch, surrounded by all the written material we created, we closed the workshops. But not the whole project yet, as we will see each other again at the screening at the end of August 🙂

ARTISTIC CONCEPT

March 2023

SYNOPSIS

Winds of Change
Logline: A community project on the Shetland Islands that uses film as a bridge to ease the tension caused by the wind farm.

A group of Shetlanders comes together in the same room every Saturday to reflect on their position within the energy transition. They all live on the Islands that became rich by the oil and are now building a huge wind farm. But this change created polarization in the community and it’s a very sensitive topic. In this film, different perspectives come together to write a fictional story that combines their experiences. They are writing a fictional story about Sarah, a 40-year-old mother who moves to the Shetland Islands to give her daughter a better environment to grow up in. However, her image of renewable energy is challenged when she sees how a wind farm is being built and the damage it causes to the land.

As Sarah grapples with the conflict between nature conservation and the climate, her hopeful outlook for her daughter’s future on the Shetland Islands becomes clouded with nightmares of a dystopian future. With soundscapes from artist Renzo Spiteri, the fictional scenes translate the mixed emotions of the participants.

This fictional story is interspersed with conversations and interviews with the group of Shetlanders. It becomes clear how the filmmaking process brings the group together. They all have different perspectives, which creates interesting dialogue, and a deeper understanding of the social impact of the energy transition on the Islands. The community is cooperative in a way that has been lacking because of the sensitivity of the subject. The Shetland Islands have been a centre of controversy over the construction of the wind farm. The project, which began construction in 2021, has faced opposition from locals who argue that the turbines will harm the natural landscape and wildlife. The project seeks to address this tension by using the filmmaking process as a way for Shetlanders to connect. The film is made by a diverse group, including an activist, high school student, grandpa, visual artist and inventor.

In conclusion, the ‘Winds of Change’ project is a community effort to use the filmmaking process as a bridge to ease the tension caused by the wind farm on the Shetland Islands.

POSITION PAPER

January 2023

ABSTRACT

The energy transition is an elusive and complex challenge. To make it more graspable, I went to the Shetland Islands to see the energy transition on a local scale. These islands are rich in oil but are now building a big on-shore wind farm. This created a strong polarization within the community. With this project, I will be making a film together with the community, on the energy transition on their island. This way we can get insight into the social aspect of the energy transition. Keywords are: wind farm, energy transition, polarization, and community film.

FIRST WORKSHOP

December 2022

On Saturday the 10th of December, I gave my first workshop in the library of Lerwick (Shetland Islands). We explored the themes of oil, wind farm, climate crisis and the environment while talking, discussing and writing. It was a source of inspiration for the script of the film. The conversation was not finished yet, so we will continue with the workshops and write scenes together in January and February. I felt new energy to move on with my project from the enthusiasm of the five participants. In the days after, I was left thinking a lot about the questions we talked about, like: How do we keep out greed? What does it take for Shetland to be less dependent on oil? Is the pollution of the production of a wind farm worth the clean energy it provides? How do we give nature more space and limit human intervention? Who should have power over the land?

ENTERING SHETLAND

October 2022

This first week in Shetland, I have been mapping the situation regarding the wind farm. Why is the wind farm built here? What is the view of Shetlanders on the building of the wind farm? What are the effects of the build?

A BRIEF SKETCH

GRADUATION STRATEGY

June 2022

This year, I will tackle the existential struggles that arise among climate activists, by researching and experimenting with different forms of artistic activism. This includes my own journey against climate crisis tiredness and my passion for filmmaking.

My main research question is:
How can I use poetic filmmaking as a climate activist, together with a local community, to address a bigger story regarding the struggles we face while working towards a more sustainable world?