An Evening with Yann Arthus-Bertrand
As part of the first San Francisco Green Film Festival, I recently had the pleasure of spending an evening with one of the most inspiring activists and artists of his generation: Yann Arthus-Bertrand.
En route to France via San Francisco, he was in California for another TED Talk in Monterey and I had the pleasure of watching him present his recent film, HOME, followed by a Q&A discussion, time with attendees, and a gala reception downtown.
The film highlights the dangers human activities create to planet earth. Produced by Luc Besson and financed by the PPR Group (a French multinational company), it was Yann Arthus-Bertrand's intention to show the state of our planet and the challenges humanity faces, using aerial photography to document images of nature in a captivating narrative.
Following the show, he spoke with an enthusiastic energy about the importance of raising awareness of the impact/relationship between people and the planet. With a characteristically French charm and thick accent, he confessed, "I am only a film-maker" in admitting that he does not have all the answers to the questions raised by the film.
However, his artistic perspective shined when he suggested that the world is in need of a "spiritual revolution" in contrast to political or market-based solutions. Politicians and corporations, in his view, are often too narrow in focus and objectives to think about the future. He cited the culture of corruption and consumption as contributing factors to an imbalance of wealth and power that, unchecked, cannot be expected to effectively respond to the planetary crisis on our hands.
Instead, he used the film and its powerful images in tandem with statistics, science, and an evolutionary story-telling narrative to evoke some of the most basic messages about humanity and nature.
It was an absolute honor to meet him!
Planetary Philanthropy
Yann Arthus-Bertrand is much more than an artist and activist. A man with many facets, he’s also a planetary philanthropist, as his work is widely available, shared freely, and with no commercial sponsorship. Today, HOME is available on DVDs and free, via streaming on the internet (Arthus-Bertrand gave up his author's rights).
In my view, his work is an inspiration in the ways that it contributes to an exchange of ideas. Free of cost and wide in distribution, his work has a sense of accessibility that inspires action.
He explains in a statement from the Home Project s YouTube Channel:
We are living in exceptional times. Scientists tell us that we have 10 years to change the way we live, avert the depletion of natural resources and the catastrophic evolution of the Earth's climate. The stakes are high for us and our children. Everyone should take part in the effort, and HOME has been conceived to take a message of mobilization out to every human being. For this purpose, HOME needs to be free. A patron, the PPR Group, made this possible. EuropaCorp, the distributor, also pledged not to make any profit because Home is a non-profit film. HOME has been made for you: share it! And act for the planet.
-Yann Arthus-Bertrand, GoodPlanet Fundation President
2011 Year of the Forest
For one of his most recent projects at the GoodPlanet Foundation, the United Nations appointed Yann Arthus-Bertrand to produce an official film for the launch of the International Year of Forests, 2011. Of Forests and Men is a 7-minute short film on forests filled with aerial images from Home and the Earth from Above television series.
The film was shown during the plenary session of the Ninth Session of United Nations Forum on Forests (24 January - 4 February 2011) in New York. It s currently available to the public, at no charge, for worldwide distribution.
The images are absolutely stunning and make me miss the mountain forests where I grew-up in Montana. If you've got 7.5 minutes, watch it here:
Of Forests and Men from GoodPlanet on Vimeo
You can download the film for free - I even uploaded it to my iPhone for regular viewing. Much like his personal sites, the GoodPlanet Foundation s other websites are loaded with information, all of which is freely available:
Finally, in researching his accomplished career, I am seriously impressed with the content of his personal websites. It features thousands of photos, including free wallpaper images, along with enough reading and digital images to make a geek like me happy for so small amount of time!
Check it out and you’ll see the work of a living luminary.