Hi!
My name is Meike, I’ve been interning at Planet in Focus since August as part of my Masters in Human Ecology at Lund University in Sweden. I’m very happy to have the opportunity to work at Planet in Focus because I strongly believe that visual storytelling is an important driver of change – something PiF strives to do through their year round programming. In one of my courses at university I learnt that messaging about environmental issues and climate change can make people experience feelings of fear, anxiety, helplessness and guilt, making them want to ignore this information and live their life in denial of it, rather than being inspired to take action. This is why I think it’s so important to have festivals like Planet in Focus that not only inform, but also inspire change, by showcasing extraordinary people who devote their lives to saving the earth.
One of these people is Slater Jewell-Kemker. Her film Youth Unstoppable shows her and her committed friends as they develop as adolescent activists in to wholly engaged climate change fighters as adults. Watching the rise of the youth climate movement through her eyes gives you hope and really makes you want to join her fight.