Wrapping up my second day of Sundance documentary profiles: HOW TO LET GO OF THE WORLD (AND LOVE ALL THE THINGS CLIMATE CAN’T CHANGE), Josh Fox’s far-ranging consideration of survival in the face of planetary transformation.
Festival Section:
US Documentary Competition
Sundance Program Description:
How do we come to terms with the reality that our atmosphere is becoming damaged beyond the tipping point? Documentarian Josh Fox returns to the Sundance Film Festival (where his Academy Award-nominated documentary, GASLAND, premiered in 2010) to take on this question with personal passion and global reach.
When Fox realizes, after much soul searching, that the answers for how to respond to the degradation of our environment cannot be found in his own back yard, he travels the world to connect with communities that are already facing grave effects of climate change. What he finds is a complicated mix of tragedy and inspiration in the various ways climate change is affecting our value systems. HOW TO LET GO OF THE WORLD delivers a sobering portrait of the state of climate change, and takes stock of what makes humans survivors, and our societies so creative and resilient.
Some Background:
Director/Producer/Co-Editor: Josh Fox
Fox returns to Park City after the success of his feature documentary debut, GASLAND (2010), which was recognized at the festival with a Special Jury Prize and went on to win an Emmy Award.
Producer/Co-Editor: Deia Schlosberg
Schlosberg’s previous work has focused on human rights and environmental issues, including STORIES OF TRUST, a series of shorts exploring the work done by young people in response to climate change; and BACKYARD, a short examining the impact of fracking in four US states.
Associate Producers: Deborah Wallace, Robert Silverman, and Diana Meservey
Wallace has served as a producer on several of Fox’s previous films, including GASLAND PART II. This marks the first producing credit for both Silverman and Meservey.
Editors: Annukka Lilja and Greg King
King served as an editor on Sundance alum CITY OF GOLD (2015), and also worked on GASLAND PART II, for which Lilja served as co-editor.
Why You Should Watch:
While grounded in the first-person approach which helped catapult GASLAND and the fracking debate into the national consciousness, Fox’s new film takes a much more expansive approach. Traveling to a dozen countries, the director explores varied reactions to the destructive consequences of climate change on actual people and their communities, and, in the process, offers the potential for hope, despite the odds.
More Info:
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Trailer
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For Sundance screening dates and times, click the link in the first paragraph.
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