EARTH: MUTED

BIO

By Mikael KRISTERSSON, Åsa EKMAN, Oscar HEDIN

FILM AND TELL - as PROD

Documentary - Completed 2021

Three farming families in Hunyuan, China, strive to give their children a better life amid an ecological crisis caused by overuse of pesticides.

Festivals
& Awards

Matsalu Nature Film Festival 2021
GRAND PRIX
Matsalu Nature Film Festival 2021
BEST DIRECTOR
Matera Film Festival 2021
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Smaragdni Eco Film Festival 2021
BEST FILM
Life After Oil Film Festival 2021
BEST FEATURE FILM
Cinema Ambiente Avezzno International Film Festival 2021
BEST FEATURE FILM (Far Off Worlds Section)
Green Montenegro International Film Festival 2021
SECOND PRIZE (Ecology section)
    • Year of production
    • 2021
    • Genres
    • Documentary, Environmental, Social issues
    • Countries
    • SWEDEN
    • Languages
    • CHINESE
    • Budget
    • N/A
    • Duration
    • 70 mn
    • Director(s)
    • Mikael KRISTERSSON, Åsa EKMAN, Oscar HEDIN
    • Producer(s)
    • Oscar HEDIN (FILM AND TELL), Marina-Evelina CRACANA (Film and Tell), Åsa EKMAN (FILM AND TELL)
    • Synopsis
    • At the bottom of the Hanyuan valley in Sichuan province, China, bees are going extinct due to widespread use of pesticides and monocultures. In this lush landscape, that hides an ecosystem on the brink of collapse, three farming families work the fields worrying about their children’s futures.

      Cao, a successful fruit cultivator, follows the recommendations of the authorities to spray pesticides and hand-pollinate hundreds of trees. Season after season, his wish to send his granddaughters to university outgrows the realization that his work may harm the environment. Jingjing, the seven-year-old daughter of beekeepers Zhang and Chen, travels thousands of kilometers up north to see her parents. They had to move away from Hanyuan to save the bees and leave Jingjing behind with her grandparents. Ye, a single parent living on the top of the mountain, wants to spend his last money on an organic cherry orchard. To finish his house and pay for his son’s education they need to raise their income. When his father puts pressure on him to spray the crop to protect it from pests, Ye is prone to give in.

      Cao, Jingjing, and Ye are shown in relation to nature – in an orchard without pollinating insects, among the hives of the last domesticated bees, and in a mountainside forest where wild bees still fly. Their stories reveal a relatable battle: the difficulty of choosing between your loved ones’ immediate needs and the bigger picture, the wellbeing of the planet and mankind itself.