I recently watched Into the Soil, a beautiful and slowly intimate short documentary by filmmaker Mattias Olsson. I enjoyed it so much that later I watched two more of his films, one about a female solo-sailor and the nature of solitude, and the other a poetic presentation of compassion.
Olsson says the theme for his wider project is to create, “original short docs that explore different angles on how we can begin to write the next chapter of our collective story. Campfire Stories is a film and podcast platform which aims to inspire change towards a future of social and ecological balance.” I must admit that after a deeper dive into the website’s full film library, some of the content appeared to focus too much on escapist communes and ideology for my own taste. However, to be fair I did not watch more than what is listed here and would not want to claim full knowledge of the entire body of work. Since this recommendation is made on a public platform, I only want to offer my own hesitation as a disclaimer on some of the other videos. Part of internet culture…ugh, I know.
The three films that I watched (linked below) were striking in that they took large scale issues and made them very intimate and human, which for me is powerful. I am interested not only in the grand scale, systemic and institutional changes that we so desperately need, but also in the human center of change and connection that is both root and spark for lasting fundamental change across society. Part of uniting these two components of change is communicating in diverse ways .
Let me know if you enjoy these films and please share your favorite creative content in Z’s community forum!
☮️ Alexandria
A film about regenerative agriculture, fermenting vegetables, and making food a common resource featuring radical farmer Brigid LeFevre.
Solo-sailor Emma Ringqvist decides to leave the stress of modern life behind, and spends 164 days alone on the Atlantic. This film includes poetry from Stephen Jenkinson, recorded and arranged by Gregory Hoskins. It also features artwork from Daniel Beerstecher’s Land Sailor project, filmed by Erik Schimschar. Also: photography from the remote island Tristan Da Cunha by renowned travel photographer Andy Isaacson.
What is it like to be you? Would I have done things differently if I were in your shoes? A film about the importance of compassion, inspired from an essay by Charles Eisenstein. This film was premiered as part of an online symposium on the theme of compassion.
