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Day Zero

Day Zero can be a starting point or an end. Surely it’s a turning point in history. Are we saving this planet for the future or are we destroying our environment to gain more economic growth? Through the eyes of people living close to nature, we are invited to experience pristine nature at risk and the question of how to balance our relationship with our environment. Are we part of a problem or part of a solution?

Day Zero is portraying climate change in a different way - by immersing the viewer in nature’s bounty and by listening to stories told by local people. Filmmaker Nils Bökamp has identified unique spots around the world where nature’s pristine wilderness and beauty are threatened to be lost by the effects of climate change.

Episode 1: French Polynesia - Marine Life

The first episode explores exceptionally beautiful landscapes as well as rare intact marine life. Through the eyes of 32 year old Léa Brassy, we experience surfing, spearfishing and apnoea diving. Pierre Rabhi, a French philosopher and author, guides change perspectives towards nature. Through Léa and people we meet on the way, we learn about the reality the locals of French Polynesia are facing on these assumed paradise islands.

Episode 2: Alaska - Glacier and Icy World

In the second episode, French adventurer Vincent Colliard and Norway's well known explorer Borge Ousland bring awareness to the climate crisis by crossing glaciers for their joint project Ice Legacy. Local Alaskans voice their dependency on an intact nature for fishing, which is a major source of income.

Episode 3: Austria and Bhutan - A Glimpse Into the Future

This episode stands for reflection. What can each individual do to perserve nature and our planet? Does our consumerist behaviour have a future? How can we learn to look differently at what we buy and at what we really need?

These questions lead Nils to Bhutan, a small country with the Himalaya in the north and India to its south. Whereas Europe has already faced the limits of growth in the 70's, Bhutan has nearly been left untouched by any industrial revolution. People have been living as farmers and in balance with nature. Bhutan has been brave in turning their agriculture to purly organic by 2020. They have exchanged the GDP for GNH – Gross National Happiness. Nils meets Dr. Julia Kim, Head of the GNH Centre, in Thimphu. What can we learn from the Bhutanese philosphy and how can we transport their ideas into our daily lives?

Back in Europe, Nils hikes to Pasterze Glacier in Austria. Also in the Alps, the retreat of these icy giants is enormous. The art installation For Forest in the football stadium in Klagenfurt, Austria, asks what is around the corner if we don't change our behaviour. What if this is what our future would look like?

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The Day Zero includes the following titles:

Day Zero - Episode 1: French Polynesia - Marine Life - imageDay Zero - Episode 1: French Polynesia - Marine Life

Explores exceptionally beautiful landscapes as well as rare intact marine life.

First Hand Films | 2020 | 43 minutes
Day Zero - Episode 2: Alaska - Glacier and Icy World - imageDay Zero - Episode 2: Alaska - Glacier and Icy World

French adventurer Vincent Colliard and Norway's well known explorer Borge Ousland bring awareness to the climate crisis.

First Hand Films | 2020 | 43 minutes
Day Zero - Episode 3: Austria and Bhutan - A Glimpse Into the Future - imageDay Zero - Episode 3: Austria and Bhutan - A Glimpse Into the Future

Through the eyes of people living close to nature, we are invited to experience pristine nature at risk and the question of how to balance our relationship with our environment. Are we part of a problem or part of a solution? Episode 3 stands for reflection. What can each individual do to perserve nature and our planet?

First Hand Films | 2020 | 43 minutes

Visit the title page to preview any of the titles above.