People's Planet Project Takes the Stage at Tomorrow Climate Film Festival
November 26, 2024
We were proud to join forces with Dutch film platform Cinetree during the Tomorrow Climate Film Festival at DeLaMar Theater in Amsterdam, where our founder Abdel Mandili took the stage to speak about how film is being used as a tool for Indigenous and environmental rights protection.
During his talk, Abdel shared the vision behind People’s Planet Project, a global collective of filmmakers, geographers, and human rights lawyers working alongside Indigenous communities to document environmental and human rights violations. He spoke about how traditional storytelling methods, combined with geospatial mapping and legal strategy, are being used to protect the planet’s most vital ecosystems.
“For years, I documented stories of climate injustice, land grabs, and resistance. But we started asking a deeper question: what if the cameras were in the hands of the communities themselves? What if the stories became legal evidence?”
That question sparked the creation of the GeoStory Camps. On-site workshops where community members receive training in filmmaking, drone use, and geospatial analysis. These tools are then used to document land boundaries, record environmental destruction, and build legal cases to defend Indigenous rights and protect biodiversity.
The Tomorrow Climate Film Festival, curated by Cinetree, brings together climate advocates and filmmakers to explore the role of storytelling in the climate movement. This year’s theme focused on reimagining the future of the planet through powerful stories and real solutions.
Our participation in the festival highlighted the importance of supporting Indigenous-led storytelling and grassroots legal empowerment. The conversation is growing, and we’re honored to be part of it.
