Documentary following the fortunes of environmental activists in 2009 launches innovative crowd-funding appeal
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In early 2009, Emily James began filming the clandestine activities of several environmental direct action groups across the UK. Allowed unprecedented access, Emily documented a year of escalating action that began in spring with the now infamous G20 demonstrations in London. Always in the thick of it and with ever her trusty camera to hand she saddled up with The Climate Rush “Bike Rush” as they brought Westminster to a standstill, pitched up with The Climate Camp as they occupied Blackheath, masked up with The Great Climate Swoop as they stormed the fences at Ratcliffe-on-Soar coal power station, and then accompanied them all to wintry Copenhagen as they took their protest to the streets outside the UN COP 15 climate talks. And those are just the headlines!
‘Just Do It’ follows the triumphs, traumas and clandestine activities of civil disobedient environment activists as they take on the combined forces of global capitalism, run away climate change and the pesky Metropolitan Police. Having gathered over 250 hours of material, she and her team are now embarking on the challenging task of turning this footage into a feature length film, which will inspire people to take action on climate change. Check out the trailer here: http://just-do-it.org.uk/.
Set for release in 2011, the Just Do it model can be thought of as the ultimate in independent film production. Unlike a TV funded documentary, our innovative crowd-funding model allows us to work completely free from external interference, be it editorial or stylistic. This means that we can focus entirely on making a film that does justice to the exciting footage we have captured. Our production model gives us complete control. This is bottom up filmmaking, not the usual top-down, and it is driven by passion and creative vision, rather than by desire for ratings or commercial imperative.
“It’s precisely the kind of film that wouldn’t get made within the existing profit and ratings-driven funding structures,” explains Just Do It director, Emily James, “Crowd-funding through donation enables us, as creative artists, to be supported by our audience in a more direct way, without the involvement of cultural gatekeepers. This is another nail in the coffin for traditional media.“
‘Just Do It’ aims to tell an important story frequently obscured by the agenda of the corporate media. If you too think this is a story which should be told, then please donate here: http://just-do-it.org.uk/fund-this-film – whether it’s a tenner or a grand, it will be gratefully received.