Finalist
Earth: Muted
Maa: Helitu
2021
2021
Entry 21-412 | Sweden | 2021 | 70’ | Language: Chinese | Subtitles: Estonian
At the bottom of Hanyuan valley in Sichuan province of China, bees are going extinct due to extensive use of pesticides and monocultures. In this lush landscape that hides an ecosystem on the brink of collapse, three farming families work hard in the field worrying about their children's future. They are shown in relation to nature – in an orchard without pollinating insects, among the hives of the last domesticated bees and in a mountainside forest where wild bees still fly. Their stories reveal an universal human conflict - the difficulty to choose between your dear ones’ immediate needs and the bigger picture, the well-being of planet and mankind itself.
Director
Mikael Kristersson, Åsa Ekman, Oscar Hedin
| Cinematography
Mikael Kristersson
| Editing
Janne Tavares
| Composer
Magnus Jarlbo
| Producer
Oscar Hedin, Marina-Evelina Cracana
| Production Company
Film and Tell
| Original Title
Earth: Muted
2021
A deeply multilayered film that conveys a universal message. In a delicate manner, without opposition, but through connection, the authors depict a painfully familiar conflict - the difficulty to choose between your dear ones’ immediate needs and the bigger picture, the well-being of the planet and mankind itself. Through three characters the filmmakers unroll a profoundly felt story that should provide food for thought for every viewer.
2021
A great film tells more than any jury summary can tell in a few sentences. The Grand Prix of Matsalu FF 2021 goes to a very special film that grabs its viewer from the first shot, where we see treetops heavy with cherry blossoms. They are not surrounded by bees though, but instead being pollinated by an old Chinese couple with sticks. People doing the work of bees, is a stunning metaphor to the absurdity of being human - possessing the ability to dominate other species, in a system where domination itself inevitably means perdition. A beautiful and delicate reminder that one can not have their cake and eat it too, but that as a humankind, we’ll all stand eye to eye with our choices sooner rather than later.
| Director | Mikael Kristersson, Åsa Ekman, Oscar Hedin |
| Cinematography | Mikael Kristersson |
| Editing | Janne Tavares |
| Composer | Magnus Jarlbo |
| Producer | Oscar Hedin, Marina-Evelina Cracana |
| Production Company | Film and Tell |
| Original Title | Earth: Muted |
| Entry Number | 21-412 |
| Country of Production |
Sweden
|
| Year of Production | 2021 |
| Running Time | 70’ |
| Language: | Chinese |
| Subtitles: | Estonian |
