Hope in a Changing Climate

This documentary demonstrates that it is possible to rehabilitate large-scale damaged ecosystems, to restore ecosystem functions in areas where they have been lost, to fundamentally improve the lives of people who have been trapped in poverty for generations, and to sequester carbon naturally. This approach has been dramatically proven on the Loess Plateau in China, the highland area spanning some 640,000 square km in north central China. It is the birthplace of the Han Chinese, headwaters of The Yellow River and home to a new environmental and economic paradigm; a degraded ecosystem of more than 35,000 square km of land now teems with life and supports the sustainable economic, social, and agricultural activities of its people.

Shot in stunning HD on location in China, Ethiopia and Rwanda, the film features a diverse collection of interviews, from world leaders such as president of Rwanda HE Paul Kagame, to local people telling their own stories.

The film was first screened in Copenhagen at COP 15 and on BBC World.

Since its launch, Hope in a Changing Climate has been translated into Taiwanese, French, German, Chinese, and Spanish.

CREDITS
Directed by Jeremy Bristow, producer of the award-winning BBC documentaries featuring Sir David Attenborough, “Are We Changing Planet Earth?” and “Can We Save Planet Earth?” Sam Gracey was cameraman.

ABOUT THE PRODUCERS
The film was produced by John D. Liu and Jeremy Bristow and presented by John D. Liu. John is an environmental filmmaker and ecological field researcher who has produced and directed documentaries for CBS, National Geographic and the BBC.
FILMMAKER CONTACT
John D Liu
Director, Environmental Education Media Project (EEMP)
Senior Research Fellow, IUCN
Visiting Fellow, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU (Vrije University Amsterdam)
johnliu@eempc.org
+86-13911-565016
(copy to Anna Beech, John’s assistant, abeech@civic-exchange.org)

MAJOR FUNDERS
“Hope in a Changing Climate” was produced with financial support from IUCN-Netherlands, Open University, The Rockefeller Foundation, the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture, and The World Bank.

AWARDS
Officially chosen to commemorate the United Nations International Year of Forests, 2011

Most view video on the WaterChannel for more than 12 months (2010/11).
Best Documentary Short Film Award at Green Screen in Vancouver, Canada, 2011.

Hope in a Changing Climate has received numerous awards, including:
Brazil: The International Festival of Environmental Film and Video accepted the film into its highly competitive global festival (June 2010)

United States: Best in Category: Ecosystem award from the prestigious International Wildlife Film Festival in Montana. In addition to the award for best ecosystem film, “Hope in a Changing Climate” also received six merit awards from IWWF (Presenter, Storytelling, Scientific Content, Conservation Initiative, Conservation Message and Human-Environment) in its 33rd annual film festival, May 2010, in Missoula, Montana.