Activism: Aymeric Maudous and the Arcadia Environmental Film Festival

When Parvati returned from the North Pole, the message given to her was simple and stark: “The ice is melting; there are fewer animals; the people are suffering; please tell the south to stop polluting.” Can it get any simpler than that? Yet, this call is often being ignored by governments, organizations and even us as individuals. With the global economy in the doldrums, many have the mistaken impression that the environment can take a back seat. But this is a fallacy. We need to will this planet to our children in a responsible manner, and that starts with efforts now.

The Arcadia International Environmental Film Festival (AFF) is one such responsible effort. The festival will be launched at the end of the year simultaneously in over 25 cities worldwide. The intention is to showcase at least 15 movies, with additional short environmental documentaries. The focus will be on environmental protection, food security, social inequalities, climate change, pollution and eco-activism. The aim is to enlighten and empower individuals and communities globally to take actions that promote responsible and sustainable lives.

Aymeric Maudous founded the film festival and is its creative director. “I have always been fascinated by the power of film and documentaries,” he told Parvati Magazine. “They can transport you into a world of unexplored feelings and make you realize that you are not alone. My breakthrough with this project came after watching a documentary about water. I remember some of the facts: of all the water on earth, only 0.003% is suitable for drinking. Some villagers in India kidnapped women from neighbouring tribes to gain access to water holes. I left the movie deeply moved and started to change my own habits at home by collecting the warm-up water from my showers to use in my washing machine and plants. I then realised the impact of my actions and thought to myself ‘wouldn’t it be awesome if everyone saw this movie?’ So slowly, the Arcadia Festival came to my mind.”

Aymeric has already shared his project on a platform called PlanBig, a milieu where talents, ideas, passions, suggestions and inherent gifts come together and offer their expertise in various projects being launched. He says this has allowed for constant feedback from other members who come up with suggestions, encouragements and ideas.

Aymeric knows that solutions to our actual environmental challenges can be and will be found collectively. As Yann Arthus-Bertrand, a French photographer and one of the world’s leading environmentalists puts it: “The Solutions, we will find them together”. Yann is one of Arcadia Festival’s screening partners. The project is gathering a lot of attention, and has already received the support of leading environmentalists such as Indira Naidoo, Tim Silverwood and David Kennett, all based currently in Australia.

Aymeric says he needs three things to make the film festival a success. “First off, we need a quirky logo for the Festival, then we’ll need a brand new website; and above all we need financial community support.”

He says, “We need to work together. The way we treat our planet is a reflection of our own compassion, our responsible reasoning, and our ability to act from higher consciousness. Eventually we take responsibility to live well and happy lives, and give these well and happy lives to future generations. We survive well, as we act well.”

For more info or ways to get involved with the Arcadia Festival please check out the following links:
Website: http://www.arcadiafestival.org/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ArcadiaFilmFestival
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/ArcadiaFilmFest
Pozible: http://www.pozible.com.au/index.php/archive/index/4616/description/0/0
PlanBig: http://www.planbig.com.au/arcadia-international-environmental-film-festival

by Parvati Magazine staff