A documentary that examines the motives of Lambeth Extinction Rebellion members has won the top award of the London Documentary Network’s competition.
The short film “Together whatever the weather” explores the motivations of local rebels to get involved with the international rebellion against government inaction on the climate and ecological crisis.
It was created by film-makers Noemi Hatala, Tony Ivanov and Noemi Varga in a 36-hour competition over the 27 and 28 April. Tony explains:
“The topic of the competition was ‘rebellion’. We decided to create a documentary about the obvious, but to come at it from a different angle. So not just what was happening, but the human stories of why people with no background of activism felt so strongly that they were ready to be arrested”.
In one scene, a rebel movingly recounts a story from the rebellion:
“We were on waterloo bridge after we had occupied it one evening, the police arrived in force. Lots of very young people lined up in front of them and sat down and linked arms and were ready to be arrested. The police gave a warning and said “you have to move”, and the police were moving in, it was frightening. Then suddenly, all these elderly people, and I mean in their 60s, 70s, came and sat in front of them said “we don’t want you to have a criminal record. You can arrest us instead” and they sat in front of the younger people and were arrested and carried off by the police. It was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen”
The award was given on 7 May by the London Documentary Network, which is a not-for-profit organisation that brings together some of the best film-makers in London to celebrate and collaborate on brilliant documentaries. The network also organises other social meetings, screenings and events aimed at connecting, educating and supporting the documentary community in London.
The prize was a meeting with Spring Films, an Oscar-nominated, Emmy Award-winning production company focused on high-end feature and television documentaries.
