Songs of the Earth film sounds note of caution
ASIAN CLIMATE CHANGE ANIMATED MOVIE TO PREMIERE AT COP26
SOUMIK DATTA’S animation film, Songs of the Earth, which he has written and directed, and for which he has also composed the music, is due to premiere at the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow and the Royal Albert Hall in London, with a preview for delegates at 10 Downing Street.
The film is said to be a response to climate change, “weaving issues from migration, extreme weather to ocean pollution, deforestation and sustainable fashion through original narrative, songs and immersive visuals”.
The 24-minute film, which I have seen, reminds me a little of the magical Walking in the Air from The Snowman. There is also a touch of Kipling’s The Jungle Book.
The animation has been done by Anjali Kamat and Sachin Bhatt.
The film, commissioned by the British Council, follows Asha, a young climate refugee from Bengal, as she searches for her missing father through the flood banks of the Sundarban delta, burning forests and melting polar ice caps. Asha’s story unfolds at the same time as Amal, the Syrian puppet, walks across Europe and England, in search of her mother.
This is a story I can identify with as my niece in Kolkata is currently doing her PhD research in the Sunderban area, talking to local women about their lives. I keep telling her, “Be careful of the tigers,” but she says, “I’m in a town – they are far away.”
Songs of the Earth is a blend of vocals, saxophone, drums, sarod, cello and meditative samples of nature, bringing together an ensemble cast of musicians, singers and voice actors from the UK and India.
Soumik said: “At the heart of the film is a question – is our behaviour as a people sustainable? As consumers, many of us are part of a cycle of buying and discarding – and somehow the photos of polluted oceans, landfill mountains and toxic rivers don’t always connect back to us.
“I’d love for young people to respond to Songs of the Earth and think about how they could make small changes to the environment around them and start valuing this behaviour as a measure of good citizenship – as a badge of humanity.”
“I’m most proud of my collaborators Sachin Bhatt and Anjali Kamat who visualised the story from page to screen and helped me manifest my lead character, Asha, and the climate emergency that spirals around her.”
The Sunderbans are a long way from London, increasingly prone to flash floods. The world is looking to COP26, which is why I am glad that the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has announced he is coming.