gReeN ScReeN

In need of wild inspiration? Here’s four nature-focused films to check out, recommended by Jack Harris at Grow Notts…

The Felling

The Felling follows a grassroots, community-led battle to save thousands of trees across Sheffield. Without locals’ intervention, the trees would have been lost needlessly by an imposing and seemingly blinded Sheffield City Council and their multinational corporate partners. Despite the sobering reality it unveils, the spirit of community shines, leaving a sense of hope and belief for what can be achieved when the power of the people is unified towards a meaningful cause.

Screening info at fellingfilm.com release,

The Age of Stupid

A premonitory climate change tale surrounding an archivist living in a dystopian and shattered world of 2055, and his bid to explore how this came to be. Searching through global archives of footage, he begins to reveal the unnerving truths of an ignorant, relentless society on a path parallelled emblematically to our very own.

Showing Saturday 25 Feb at mammothcinema.uk

Fantastic Fungi

A stunning and enlightening journey encompassing the magic of fungi. A beautiful painting of the alchemistic possibilities they hold in providing solutions to some of today's most prevalent issues alongside the synchronous and symbiotic mechanisms behind it.

Currently available on Netflix

Biggest Little Farm - The Return

A sequel to the widely acclaimed 2018 release, The Return revisits an incredible story of regeneration, inspiration and possibility at Apricot Lane Farm. A previously desolate landscape transformed into a utopic symphony of regenerative farming practises thanks to the dreams and determination of the Chester family, this provides an insight into the farm’s continuous movement towards modelling a truly sustainable framework for farming.

Currently available on Disney+

From documentaries to experimental films, cinema has a long history of being political, of acting as a force for empowerment. And here in Nottingham we have our very own activist film house - Mammoth - A Climate Action Cinema. For this special screen edition of LeftLion, we speak to founder Patrick Hort about why he’s dedicated the famously small Broad Street film spot…

Nottingham film buffs will surely already know the tiny cinema formerly known as Screen 22 and Screen Room, tucked away opposite The Lord Roberts pub on Broad Street. If you hadn't heard, it's recently been transformed into Mammoth - A Climate Action Cinema, and as per the tin, it’s got big ambitions.

The building also serves as home to Savoy Systems, owner Patrick Hort’s company that builds and manages point-ofsale software for independent cinemas. I first got to know Patrick via an interview at COP26 in Glasgow, where he was protesting alongside Extinction Rebellion (XR). As we take a seat - no popcorn in hand on this occasion, unfortunately - I get to know a bit more about his journey into avid environmentalism.

“In the nineties it felt like we could just do what we wanted and everything was fine, it was all under control. But by the time Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth came out in 2006, I was starting to wake up to the fact that a really big problem was coming down the road. Because it was presented in scientific terms, and I have a degree in physics - so that registered with me.”

For a while, Patrick felt that the upsurge in media and political interest, along with making incremental changes like cutting down on flying and meat eating, meant “we’d have a nice transition to a greener economy and a world where we don’t pump CO2 into the atmosphere”. But it wasn’t long before he began to lose hope, adding that “we were clearly still going in the wrong direction, and I was getting quite depressed about the situation”.

“XR struck me as the only thing that was offering any hope at that point,” he continues. “While I didn’t like the road blocking element, it did feel like the only way to get any media attention. Nothing changes unless you piss people off.” He feels that while XR have opened minds and shifted the dial, their “We Quit” pivot is a relief - they say they’re now dropping such disruptive tactics in favour of coalition-building and mass-mobilisation. “On 21 April 2023 we’re trying to get 100,000 people to go to the Houses of Parliament, and not leave until something changes.”

It was partly this discomfort with the negative side of protesting that birthed the idea for a climate action cinema. But why film? And can such a small cinema change enough minds?

“It’s clearly not going to change billions of minds, or those of politicians in Downing Street, but I’m motivated because I think that most people resonate with stories, and that’s what cinema’s all about. Obviously it’s a small place, but it is known to a huge proportion of Nottingham, and having that full name, Mammoth - A Climate Action Cinema, getting around and in the national listings, might help motivate people to act in environmentally-minded ways.”

Patrick hopes it’ll be more than a space for showing films, an aspect which he says is “still a work in progress”. There are already a raft of flyers on offer in the foyer pointing people towards groups they can get involved with, and there’s a dedicated events space upstairs too, which he’s offering out to the community.

We got people together with a film, but then they actually went away and did something that may well lead on to greater things.

That’s the ultimate ambition

One of the eight films coming up at the cinema at the time of writing is Bank Job, directed by a couple who set up a rebel bank that raised £40,000 through selling artwork banknotes, using half to set up social projects, and the other half to buy out £1.2 million worth of bad mortgage debt which they then cancelled. There’s an emphasis on inclusive system change here; it isn’t all nature-focused, or about their guests making a few lifestyle tweaks.

Patrick is an avid home sustainability improver, and is keen to share his knowledge. The Sunamp salt-based heat battery he’s got two of is news to me. At home, he says, “We’ve got a heat pump installed, but I’m sure we can eliminate some draughts and improve our insulation, so we’re going to get a thermal imaging camera to help. That’s something I hope we can lend out and share expertise in via the cinema.”

A recent success and demonstration of the cinema’s potential was their showing of We the Power - a documentary on community energy, and the talk that followed, which introduced an organisation called the Schools Energy Cooperative. “One of the guys that came along is on the board of seven academies, and the idea of working with the SEC is now going through feasibility. The City Council have been in touch about it too. So I was like ‘wow, something’s actually happening here’.

“That’s the ultimate ambition. We've got people together with a film, a chat, and a few free glasses of wine - that’s what made an evening of it, but then they actually went away and did something that may well lead on to greater things. That's the kind of model I want to try and reproduce.”

t eNSION F ORMuLA

Hey February, I’ve had some feedback about last issue’s Mini Meditation and how much some of you enjoyed the practice, so I thought I’d give you another that can help you relax before you sleep.

A body scan meditation will help you feel at home in your body and can be a brilliant tool to bring awareness to anything that needs addressing.

When you get into bed, lay down, get comfortable then begin your breathing exercise. Do this for a few minutes and once you feel calm, bring your attention to your feet. As you inhale, visualise the energy flowing to them and as you exhale, visualise any aches and tension leaving and allow your muscles to relax fully (wiggling your toes can help anchor into your body if you’re struggling). Move your attention to your legs when you’re ready, repeating the practice for a few minutes and working your way up and through each body part.