This is a film project that charts my journey in search of hope during COVID-19. At the end of February 2020, I left France after a year of research into sustainability thinking that we are doomed and don't have enough time left to tackle the climate crisis.
Prior to that, I spent years researching into systemic change and sustainability (Theory U, Sacred Economy, post-capitalism, UBI etc), which led me to switch from fashion to socially engaged arts practice and then move from the UK to France (a year of work at an NGO). At the end of the year, I lost a lot of hope and genuinely believed that the only way forward out of this mess is if we all quit cities to live in eco-villages.
In March 2020, I left for North America in search of innovative practices. It was my last bit of hope in finding something innovative that we can do in cities within this system. And then COVID hit. I ended up staying in Canada a lot longer than expected amidst a whole lot of uncertainty and flight cancellations. I volunteered at people's homes, was almost homeless at points, worked on organic farms, learned about permaculture, regenerative and restorative agriculture, change networks, co-ops, social innovation networks and various change making initiatives. In July I started a podcast documenting all these interesting conversations with people I met. Edited snippets of the podcast recordings will form the skeleton of the film, along with my narrative of this journey.
This is a film about this crazy journey during COVID, about me in search of hope but more importantly, about all these change making initiatives and actions people are taking all over the world. This is a call for action towards regenerative futures, but also an ongoing building of solidarity and support network. It is my search for hope but also an offering of various responses to our collective search for hope. This film is meant to inspire, empower and rejuvenate all those who care and to collectively take action.