20 t h P L A N ET IN FOCUS FILM FESTIVAL the
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beyond climate | directed by ian mauro with david suzuki
BY JORDAN ADLER
the opening night of last year’s Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival, the atmosphere was initially fraught, but ultimately hopeful. Katherine Bruce, the festival’s executive director, recalls that there was a sense of urgency at Toronto’s Royal Cinema that evening. In front of a packed house of young adults and outspoken activists, including Commander Chris Hadfield and Dr. David Suzuki, 26-year-old director Slater Jewell-Kemker’s premiered Youth Unstoppable, which chronicles the rise of the global youth climate movement. At one point during the post-film discussion, Suzuki was close to tears as he addressed the filmmaker. “I was really struck by the anxiety in the room for this generation,” Bruce says. “We were a festival, but it was so much more than showing a film. We brought people together, there was discussion, 42 | the COLLECTION
there was meaningful exchange. It was a place for young people to come to try to find answers and solace and support.” The growing concern around the climate crisis has spurred the programmers at Canada’s largest environmental film festival to plan a significant 20th anniversary event. This year’s milestone installment will run from October 15 through 20th, the six days preceding the federal election — one where climate change is expected be a critical issue for many voters.
