Berg des wolfes | Adresses aux survivants
Berg des wolfes | Adresses aux survivants
AS TRES CHAMAS
Tale of the three flames
Portugal, Hungary, Belgium, Switzerland | 2023 | 21’ | documentary
Production: Luna films and Docnomads
In central Portugal, in the heart of a post-apocalyptic landscape, the relationship between humans and forest is gradually revealed, oscillating between magic, exploitation and coexistence.
Direction, sound: Juliette Menthonnex Assistant: Maya Kosa Cinematography: Ilona Szekeres, Sergio Da Costa Editing: Antoine Flahaut, Juliette Menthonnex Sound Editing and mixing: Yatoni Roy Cantu Colorgrading: Rodney Musso, Jean Baptiste Perrin Colorgrade Production: Agnès Boutruche, Véronique Vergari Consultants and tutors: Marta Andreu, Maria Grazia Goya, Isabela Monteiro de Castro, Margardia Cardoso, Tiago Hespanha, Victor Candeias
with the support of Swiss films and Federal office of culture (OFC) for distribution
Festivals and Awards:
“ (...) Mrs. Maria undoubtedly belongs to those communities that still converse with the land, recognizing in the landscape more than inert matter. These are people who still know the properties of plants, distinguishing those that heal from those that poison, identifying which fruits must be picked at the exact moment of ripeness and which must remain on the tree to develop their full flavor. They are those who, when faced with a predator or a venomous snake, do not retreat out of fear but because they have learned to negotiate life with other presences, understanding that survival is built on mutual recognition. In the 1970s, as the first signs of the environmental crisis emerged, some researchers began to question the paradigms underlying contemporary Western societies. Among them, several women in academia revisited communal ways of life in which female participation in resource management and collective care played a central role. These communities often proved to be more sustainable and ecologically balanced. Scholars such as Carolyn Merchant, Vandana Shiva, and Maria Mies critically examined how modern scientific and economic thought relegated both nature and women to the domain of utility, establishing a direct connection between the two. (...)”
Vera Carmo (Rampa Art Gallery)
“(...) Humans and nature in southern Europe may be used to forest fires, but that does not change the facts: The ever more massive conflagrations are caused by climate change. We have long been living in the age of fire. In the Portuguese interior, a forest fire has just devastated a large area. Wounded nature is silent, not a single bird is heard, only the wind that makes the charred tree trunks rustle. But the vegetation recovers astonishingly fast. Where all life seemed to be gone, greenery soon sprouts from the ruined trees. The residents of the affected region are engaged in the reconstruction with great respect for their natural environment. Because plants, too, are sentient creatures. In quiet, almost melancholic, but also hopeful images, the film pays tribute to the strength of the trees and illustrates how essential it would be for humanity to learn to live in harmony with nature again.”
Annina Wettstein (Dokleipzig)