Sustainable Viewing: ‘Demain’ Documentary

Anne-Sophie invites students like herself to take a break from reading countless essays and academic literature to watch her favourite sustainable documentary ‘Demain’ (Tomorrow). In this article she discusses why students should all watch ‘Demain’ and gives a brief overview of the documentary film. Anne-Sophie believes more students concerned with sustainability should use documentaries as an easy and relaxed way to educate themselves on climate change.

A few years ago, I had a revelation. After two years at university, spending all my time reading academic papers about abstract issues and concepts that are so distant to my daily reality I felt a bit lost. I started feeling guilty and disconnected for not keeping myself informed by watching the news and reading five different newspapers every day.

Looking for a change, I started thinking about alternative ways to educate myself on sustainability issues, to become more knowledgeable, relax and enjoy myself at the same time. As a big fan of the arts, I turned towards that medium as a source of inspiration and education on what is going on in the real world outside university.

In this article I will try to lure you into watching one of my personal favourite movies on sustainability; ‘Demain’  (Tomorrow in English).

Climate news can be overwhelming to follow along with studying

Why it is a must see:

Hearing of the potential catastrophic impacts of global warming coming our way, we can feel overwhelmed, lost and full of despair. This documentary is a cure for that. It is a movie which makes you feel hopeful and encouraged. It tells the stories of mindset change and community empowerment by showing the opportunities arising from the challenge that is sustainability.

Sooth your ears for a while to the sound of Melanie Laurent and her team of sustainability tale storytellers. You will embark on the journey of wonderful people all over the world who are striving to be more sustainable (worry not, you do get used to the subtitles).

This documentary tackles five main themes; agriculture, energy, economy, democracy and education. It enlightens us about the status quo and questions it by showing the innovation, creativity and excitement that can arise from finding alternatives solutions and opportunities.

I hope you will give this documentary a try and feel as inspired by it as I have to reinvent our ‘Tomorrow’.

The quick run down:

1. Length:

1h 58 minutes

Yes, it is quite long for a documentary, but it is made of five big chapters. You can easily savour it by watching it like a series and save some for later.

2. Soundtrack:

Music can be a powerful tool to convey emotions. In this inspirational soundtrack, the melodies fit perfectly the atmosphere of the movie and the lyrics express the reality of the world we live in an inspirational manner. Inviting people to take a stand for their future. It has personally become my go to study soundtrack to keep me going to meet the deadlines.

3. Crew:

Melanie Laurent (known for her role in ‘Inglorious Bastard’ and ‘Now You See Me’), Cyril Dion and more.

They visit 10 different countries to understand what is causing the current biodiversity and humanitarian catastrophe and how to prevent it.

4. Reach:

It first aired in cinemas in Francophone countries and had more than 1 million viewers in France alone. Since then, it has been shown in 27 countries and won the French equivalent of an Oscar (César) for the best documentary. It has become a phenomenon. Driving people to be a part of the progress they want to see and adapt to a world in great need of change.

‘Demain’ is just one example of a documentary film surrounding sustainability. Sometimes taking time away from the books and understanding climate issues from different perspectives can give us students inspiration and hope, as well as a nice earned study break!

Want more sustainability documentaries to keep you occupied this autumn? Check out these top 5 sustainability documentaries on Netflix.

About the Author: Anne-Sophie is a Swiss-French 3rd year university student in Human Geography and Environment at the University of York. She is passionate about sustainability and the opportunities raising from its challenges. She follows that passion wherever it leads her. You can find her on instagram @thehungrytravellingsisters.