When I met director Georgina Willis in Hertfordshire, the weather was particularly calm and sunny; here the thought of a global catastrophe seemed a distant improbability. Despite our surroundings, Georgina soon made it clear that nature faces some very real and immediate threats; Insect populations around the world are critically endangered. “We couldn’t live on the planet without insects,” says Georgina.
Georgina’s most recent documentary, Insect O Cide, is currently in post-production. The full-length film explores the causes of this population decline and seeks hope in the chaos of the modern world. In our conversation Georgina emphasized the severity of the challenges: “When insects disappear, we will ultimately follow suit, because we need insects in our environment just as we need oxygen. We have evolved quietly and often invisibly with insects and play so many roles to support our lives. “
Willis’ film consists of recordings that immerse the viewer in the nature of insects. Insect O Cide creates space so that these animals can be viewed in a different light. Insects are often overlooked or even denigrated. Here their beauty and sophistication can be clearly seen. The camerawork in this film is masterful.
Georgina’s first feature film, Watermark, was selected for the Cannes Film Festival and set a new standard for independent filmmaking. The visual storytelling in Insect O Cide is a spectacular continuation of these standards. The work successfully shows how urgent the situation is. The filmmaker remarked: “The most important thing is that we have to see them” [all insects] as vitally important. A few years ago there was a German study that showed that three quarters of the flying insects had disappeared in 30 years. That is a really terrifying decline. By and large, it could be said that this is due to intensive agriculture, habitat loss, climate change and the use of pesticides.
Insect O Cide is in post-production and will be released at the beginning of the new year.
subjects
#Georgina Willis #insects #Unconcerting trend
