Billowing black smoke. Backbreaking work. A sprawling mass of unending landfill. The hellish images of the world’s largest electronics dump in Welcome to Sodom (dir. Florian Weigensamer & Christian Krönes) don’t make easy watching.
It’s just one of five films being aired at Dalston’s Rio Cinema as part of the UK Green Film Festival (UKGFF), an event showcasing the year’s best environmental films.
According to Andrew Woodyat, Head of Marketing at the Rio, such visceral images are increasingly necessary to “show the reality of climate change”.
Started in 2011, the UKGFF seeks to use film to highlight a variety of climate issues, from sustainable energy to the human cost of waste. Each year, a small number of the best environmental documentaries are selected and, unlike conventional film festivals, aired at several independent cinemas across the country.
“We hope these films can generate a new kind of thinking that can encourage a more ethical sustainable lifestyle,” said Dan Beck, the festival’s director.
“It is our belief that film is a great catalyst for change”
First founded in 1909, the Grade II listed Rio shows a variety of independent and blockbuster films. It is London’s oldest community run, non-profit cinema, and prides itself on its large youth audience and strong environmental ethos. “When you come to this festival not only are you watching a really great film, but you’re supporting a local cinema that is ethical and green,” said Woodyat.
The festival runs until 9 November, ending with showings of The Green Lie, an Austrian documentary on the dangerous effects of corporate “greenwashing”.
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Andrew Kersley is a freelance journalist and student at City University. His previous work has been published in The Times and The i Paper.