Host A Film Screening Night!

Thank you to Dr. Alejandra Rodriguez-Remedi from the University of Aberdeen for contributing to this article.

The field of visual culture gives us a critical perspective to engage with contemporary image production and consumption, including those moving images that cinema has provided us with. 

Cinema was born amid the sweeping changes brought about by unprecedented technological developments and industrialisation processes which took place in the late 19th century.

Since its birth, cinema has given us a system of representation through which we make meaning and understand the world around us. Rather than mirroring the world, cinema constructs our perceptions through dramatisation and varied aesthetic approaches in documentaries, shaping our beliefs and habits to seem 'natural'.

But, is the way the world is ordered really natural?

Film and visual culture scholars interested in approaching the energy crisis from creative perspectives have been turning to cinema, over the past decade or so to explore how certain film visualise our cultural entanglements with fossil fuels. What emotional and psychological insights do these films offer on the challenges and transitions away from fossil fuels that science alone cannot resolve? As energy humanities scholar Imre Szeman, a champion of the reflection about the potential role of the arts not only in imaging a future 'beyond oil' but also in taking active part in transformative action, argues: it will be very difficult for us to let go of the oil which has made us and thus fully embrace an energy transition unless we understand these entanglements making up 'the fossil fuel-based societies' we inhabit, as he had often put it. 

Importance of Film Screenings

Film screenings are an incredibly effective and non-confrontational method of introducing important concepts and meaningful discussions within a community. By presenting thought-provoking films, you have the opportunity to engage audiences in a way that encourages reflection and dialogue. Moreover, incorporating elements such as guest speakers, panel discussions, group conversations, and Q&A sessions can further enhance the experience and deepen the understanding of the issues at hand.

Film screenings also serve as powerful tool for raising awareness and a sense of collective action. They provide a platform for sharing diverse perspectives, generating new ideas, and inspiring individuals to take meaningful steps towards positive change. Platforms like Take One Action offer a community screening, resources and recommendations for films that can spark conversations and mobilise communities.

Hosting film nights is not just about entertainment; it's about igniting conversations, building connections, and empowering individuals to make a difference.

Here are some film recommendations to inspire and engage your community at your next screening event! 

LONG FILMS

Louisiana Story (Robert J. Flaherty, 1948, USA, 78 minutes)

Did the world's first documentary filmmaker become a shill for the oil industry?

Commissioned by the Standard Oil Company Inc, Robert Flaherty filmed this bucolic portrait of a young Cajun boy's adventures in the Louisiana bayous with a pet raccoon, plenty of alligators, and a benevolent wildcat in an oil rig.

North East Scotland: Our Green Journey (NESCAN Hub, UK, 1 hour 8 minutes)

This is a shortened version of the film exploring and highlighting the climate action projects happening throughout the North East, as we are working towards mitigating climate change in our communities. 

Lessons of Darkness (Werner Herzog, 1922, Germany-France-Spain-UK, 54 minutes)

With one of his customary flights of imagination, the unique German auteur transports us to the otherworldly landscapes of the Kuwaiti oil fires of 1991. Do the hypnotic, poetic power and beauty of these images aestheticise or memorialise this manmade ecological catastrophe. 

RIVERWOODS: A Salmon's Journey (SCOTLAND: The Big Picture)

This film tells the compelling story of the inextricable relationship between fish and forest.

channel5: watch here 

Learn more about Riverwood Screenings here. 

Piper Alpha: Fire in the Night (Anthony Wonke, 2013, UK, 89 minutes)

BBC iPlayer: watch here

A documentary about the Piper Alpha disaster of 1988, the world's worst offshore oil catastrophe in terms of human lives lost. The film features moving interviews with survivors, and powerful recreations of that night, and also looks at the efforts of local visual artist Sue Jane Taylor to memorialise North Sea's oil's greatest tragedy.  

The Future Is Not F*cked (Sara Stroud, 2022, UK, 19 minute)

Vimeo: watch here 

A recent short film about a spoken-word poetry night in the Torry area of Aberdeen. Local poets address the ultimate petrocultural question: 'How do we let go of the world of oil and all it represents?'

Six Inches of Soil

This film is an inspiring story of British farmers standing up against the industrial food system and transforming the way they produce food - to heal the soil, benefit our health and provide for local communities.

You can watch the film, host a screening of the film and know more here.

They're Killing Our Kids (23 minutes 20 seconds)

This film is about Torry's story, as told by the people in this community. The life expectancy in Torry is 13 years lower than in the West End of Aberdeen - with the healthy life expectancy and incredible 20 years lower. Emotional film on the anger and frustration this community is facing. 

Offshore: North Sea Oil Workers On The Future Of Our Energy System (UK, 20 minutes)

Independent documentary that brings together varying perspectives on working in offshore oil, gas and renewable energy - and explores what the coming energy transition means for workers and communities around the UK North Sea. 

Torry People's Assembly (UK, 17 minutes)

This assembly was held during May amidst the beautiful St. Fittick's Park to focus on the park and address the question to how we can reclaim the power to make Torry a healthy place to live and grow up in.

SHORT FILMS

Climate Action Plans: Acting on the Views of Young People (NESCAN Hub, 2023, UK, 3 minutes)

This short clip describes the journey our local children went through when creating their Young People’s Climate action plans for Aberdeen City. Supported by AFW and APiC, children and young people from St Machar Academy, Woodside Primary, and Lochside Academy took part in this project in early 2023.

Our Green Journey Clips (NESCAN Hub, 2023, UK, various duration)

Short clips of the film exploring and highlighting the amazing climate action projects happening throughout the North East, as we are working towards mitigating climate change in our communities. 

Net Green Zero 

A short documentary exploring the different sides of the Energy Transition, in between the Ethos of saving the environment and making business for-profit.

Torry: Lost To The Harbour? (UK, 10 minutes)

About three times that Torry, Aberdeen lost land to Aberdeen Harbour and the battle to stop it happening a fourth time by saving the local St. Fittick's Park from the developers.

Children Climate Assemblies

This short film describes the outcomes of the climate assembly carried out by AFW and APiC, conducted in collaboration with the children and young people of St Machar Academy, Woodside Primary, and Lochside Academy in early 2023.

How can we help?

Whether you're a community organiser, an educator, or someone passionate about social and environmental issues, consider the power of film screenings as a catalyst for change.

By screening climate-conscious and thought-provoking films, you can raise awareness and inspire people to join in taking action. 

NESCAN Hub and North East Arts Touring (NEAT) provides you with the film package. NEAT is a service gap and became an organisation focused on providing small scale theatre for local audiences in rural communities. They would be providing support to hosting film screening.

Funding opportunities are available for organisations and individuals looking to promote and advance community-led climate action in Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire.

For more information, reach out to us at info@nescan.org