Cinema to save the forests
Nowadays we know, thanks to the work of many specialists,
that our natural heritage is at risk.
The over-exploitation of the resources of the planet,
the irresponsible greed for the economic profitability of the spaces
and the generalized indifference
make essential the raising of awareness of the danger
that the forests of the whole world suffer.
The National Museum of Natural History,
in collaboration with the Spanish Association of Scientific Cinema,
organizes a film season that aims to raise awareness about this,
taking advantage of the celebration throughout 2011
of the International Year of Forests.
(General secretary of the Spanish Association of Scientific Cinema)
Once a month, together with
the Society of Friends of the Museum of Natural History,
our association organizes these sessions of scientific cinema
in which we intend not only to watch films but to speak of science as well.
We fulfilled the function of promoting the documentaries that we find most interesting,
but we also talk about science. We fulfilled the function of promoting the documentaries that we find most interesting,
but we also talk about science.
When we start planning,
we always try to have something related to the ongoing year,
and this year we’ve decided to organize a season dedicated to forests.
In addition, we wanted the season to have something special,
and something we hadn't done before was to involve the university,
the undergraduates; so, we disseminate science
and at the same time we train or spark debate in college.
And as the association also has an agreement with the UNED
and we put everything together,
we started looking for the second headquarters,
which is a seat of the UNED outside the museum for a whole week.
During the first day, the documentary 'Giants with Feet of Clay' was presented,
from the COM4HD producer.
The work narrates the dramatic situation of the elm tree,
an emblematic tree that
in recent years has been attacked by Dutch elm disease,
which threatens to kill it.
(COM4HD director) The elm is a plant species
that has always been closely associated with
the life of human beings since ancient times.
It's surprising, or at least it was very surprising to me,
that a tiny fungus
carried by a beetle that is barely two centimetres big
is capable of knocking down an elm
in three or four weeks, no more,
taking into account their considerable size.
We thereupon started to look for information.
I thought it could be a really fascinating subject for a documentary,
that is, to see exactly the life and what surrounds the elm.
Although at first sight an elm tree may seem an element...
a very static being.
The documentary ‘Oak grove’ was also shown.
It was made in 1973
by the pioneer of the Spanish scientific cinema Guillermo Fernández Zúñiga.
The goods that nature provides us,
not only those of a material nature,
but the learning and conclusions obtained from a deeper study,
are so valuable that it is difficult to understand
their historical oblivion in the channels of information and broadcasting.
The UNED and its audiovisual centre along with other institutions,
such as the Film Archive and the UNAM of Mexico,
intend to spark the environmental debate,
producing and collaborating
in the development of audiovisual and educational programs.
Its purpose is to foster a response of the society,
now numb in the face of one of the great challenges
that are envisioned for the 21st century.