Climate activists take centre stage as French films warn of eco-catastrophe

The Cannes Film Festival has always showcased politically engaged films and this year is no different, with a particular focus on the climate crisis. Two French films have won plaudits for their exploration of the issue – “Acid”, portraying a world racked by toxic rain, and “The Animal Kingdom”, in which a mysterious epidemic transforms people into animals. Amid the film screenings and red carpets, activists have been carrying out direct action to denounce the use of private planes and mega-yachts during the festival.

Issued on: 24/05/2023 - 

The promotional poster for the French film "Acide". © Pathé

Text by: David RICH

Just when they were about to take off from Cannes-Mandelieu airport on Saturday, the passengers on board a private jet had a strange encounter. They were on the runway when a remote-controlled car blocked their path, releasing a cloud of green smoke to stop the plane taking off. The French branch of environmental activist group Extinction Rebellion said they were responsible, adding that they wanted to highlight the “absurdity” of the super-rich lifestyle.

“Is it really the moment to burn gallons of petrol just to go on the red carpet for a few seconds? Stop the private jets,” the group said on Twitter.

“At a time when we must collectively and individually reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, the Cannes Film Festival is an indecent spectacle in which stars turn up in private jets and then go for a drink on a yacht,” the group said in a statement. There is a double standard that means the “working and middle classes” are asked to reduce their carbon footprint while “stars and billionaires” are exempt, it continued.

According to estimates by French Twitter account, “Mega Yacht CO2 Tracker”, which monitors the activity of luxury boats on the Croisette, one hour of use generates two tonnes of CO2 emissions – equivalent to almost a quarter of the average French person’s annual carbon footprint.

During the festival, environmental activists have been naming and shaming big polluters. After the criticism of Tom Cruise’s visit last year – when he arrived in a helicopter before a flyby of French jets accompanied the “Top Gun: Maverick” premiere – Harrison Ford has been the main target of climate activists' wrath.

Ford made an impassioned plea to act on climate change on TV station France 2 on Sunday, saying: “If we don’t move our ass now, we’re going to lose this planet!” – pointing the finger at climate change deniers.

But while the Hollywood icon received a rapturous standing ovation for “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”, Ford has come under fire for what many see as hypocrisy: He is an avid pilot who owns several private planes, and once said: “I’m so passionate about flying I often fly up the coast for a cheeseburger."

‘Greenwashing’?

Activists are not just accusing Hollywood royalty of hypocrisy. In 2021, the festival’s secretary general Thierry Frémaux and former president Pierre Lescure announced 12 new ecological measures aimed at drastically reducing plastic waste, switching to electric vehicles and encouraging recycling – including recycling the famous red carpet.

The Cannes Film Festival has also started financing ecological projects. But its flagship scheme, designed to protect a forest in Zimbabwe, was roundly criticised in an article by investigative website Disclose, published a few days before the current festival got under way – accusing the organisers of “greenwashing”.

A special selection of films entitled “Cannes for the Climate” was set up in 2021 as a way of "embodying" the festival’s commitment to tackling climate change – including films about the extinction of species, a drought in Niger and young people’s commitment to the environment.

But over the last two years, climate issues have been less prominent at Cannes.

There are, however, two big exceptions at this year’s festival. Thomas Cailley’s “The Animal Kingdom” plunges characters played by Romain Duris and Adèle Exarchopoulos into a dystopian world where a mysterious epidemic causes animal mutations in humans, transforming some of them into other species. The film’s environmentally friendly production methods earned it on Sunday the Ecoprod Prize for the festival’s most ecologically responsible film.

“Acid”, meanwhile, is a disturbing sci-fi work that forcefully conveys – and magnifies – people's rising climate anxiety.

Not every character has the same perspective. “It’s the end of the world every other day,” says Michael, played by Guillaume Canet, as he turns off the news. This sparks an argument with his daughter – who is far less sanguine about what is going to happen. But, at this stage, people’s different states of mind are of little importance, because the acid rain will spare no one


This article was translated from the original in French.