documentary
Niederlande, 2010
DVD, 75 Min. (OmeU)
by Floris-Jan van Luyn
followed by a discussion
7. December
Filmhauskino
5.00 p.m.
Rainmakers is a four-part documentary seen through the eyes of four civil activists who refuse to accept the ecological devastation of their homeland: the People’s Republic of China. In a village in Zhejiang province the fish taste of industrial waste, a carcinogenic stink emanates from the wells everyone is forced to drink from and, despite outbreaks of severe illness and proof of illegal toxicity levels, the local authorities remain callously nonplussed. In Beijing and Changsha the air is dangeroulsy polluted, in central China the water is contaminated, and in Inner Mongolia they are facing desertification. Each case confirms that China's radiant economic success in recent years has come at a terrible price.
Green Award (Sheffield Doc/Fest)
Marc’Aurelio Award for Best Documentary in the Extra Section (International Rome Film Festival 2010)
WWF Award for Biodiversity (International Rome Film Festival 2010)
Docville Leuven prize in category “Weten en Geweten” (The International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights in Geneva)