CANCER ALLEY, by Pamela Falkenberg and Jack Cochran
Documentary, Experimenta; United States of America; 2023; 8’58”
Commentary by António Araújo

Synopsis

Our latest collaboration with the renowned poet Lucy English combines footage shot on location in Cancer Alley with images of nature, especially cypress forests, which are as fragile and threatened as the communities of Cancer Alley. The images are accompanied by a poem describing what it is like to live in small towns along the Mississippi River, between East Baton Rouge and New Orleans, which are now dominated by more than 200 chemical plants and oil refineries, sometimes located literally next to residents' backyards. Cypress trees can live for more than 1,000 years if they are not cut down for vegetation cover or if their habitat is not destroyed. The lifespan of humans is much shorter, but we may not survive as a species unless we stop living exclusively in the present and learn to think on the timescale of trees.


WASTE WHISPERS, by Achmad Rezi Fahlevie
Documentary; Indonesia; 2023; 17’4
Commentary by António Araújo

Synopsis

Waste Whispers tells the story of a huge waste disaster in Yogyakarta. When the Piyungan landfill closed for two months due to excess waste, the city faced a confusing situation. As waste collection services were interrupted, waste began to accumulate everywhere. People didn't know what to do, so they started dumping waste on the streets, in rivers, forests, and even in the ocean. In the midst of this crisis, air pollution skyrocketed to high levels due to the practice of burning waste.