Exploring Risk 2022 Programme

10:00 BST Welcome by Sim Reaney on behalf of the Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience

10:05 Sensing and Telling: Short Films of Climate Emergency

Introduction by Francisco-J. Hernández Adrián, MLAC / School of Modern Languages & Cultures

Najil Aak, directed by David Díaz, Mexico, 2022, 29’21”

Najil Aak explores the terrible environmental problem of the marine turtle’s loss of habitat in the Mexican Caribbean under growing pressures by the tourist industry and by plastic particle contamination.

TR333, directed by April Lin 林森, UK, 2021, 10’

TR333, by artist-filmmaker April Lin 林森, is a speculative construction of a new species of tree developed in conversation with ecologist Dr Nalini Nadkarni. Using 3D animation, found footage, and a musical score based on data sonification, TR333 recasts the ecological crisis from a multispecies and affective gaze.

Water is Life / Cansuyu, directed by Anıl GÖK, Turkey, 2020, 4’52’’

Water is Life (Cansuyu) is the story of people who carry a lifeline to fish trying to survive in a dried-up lake.

10:50 Panel discussion one 20 mins

Chaired by Francisco-J. Hernández Adrián

11:10 Break for Coffee

11:30 BST Films about Lockdown experiences and struggles

Introduction by Hanna Ruszczyk, Department of Geography

The Shack, directed by Tebogo Chologi, South Africa. 7’13”

In The Shack, Shack tells the story of Buti’s daily life amidst daily struggles in his immediate and greater environment, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. In other words, The Shack tells the story of Buti, who stays in The Shack.

Fragile, directed by Ersin Sel, Turkey, 2021. 13’01”

Niyazi, a café owner, has to shut his café down due to the coronavirus pandemic. He feels lonely as he loses his social environment. Along the restrictions and economic problems, his concerns transform into depression. That situation causes him to come across Murat more frequently.

Red, directed by Paula Szczyrba, UK, 2019. 5’

Set in a dystopia, Red deals with the reality of climate change and global warming when the temperature rises to an unacceptable and dangerous level, to the point that the country is in lockdown.

Michael’s Map, directed by Claire Webster Saaremets, UK 20’14”

Michael’s Map has been produced in a partnership between the University of Edinburgh and Skimstone Arts. It is based in a research project funded by ESRC held by Charlotte Clarke and Heather Wilkinson and in partnership with the Mental Health Foundation and Alzheimer Scotland.  

12:20 Panel Discussion Two

Chaired by Hanna Ruszczyk with Alex Halligey, Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study at the University of Johannesburg, Dr Rishika Mukhopadhyay, Department of Geography and Dr Leonie Newhouse, Department of Geography.

12:45 Break for Lunch

13:15 BST Films about Drought, Floods and Volcanic Ash

Introduction by Sim M. Reaney, Department of Geography and IHRR

Life with Ash – Accounts from the 2010 Merapi Eruption, directed by Een Irawan Putra, Indonesia. 7’53”

This film shares the experiences of communities living near the Merapi volcano, Indonesia, and how they coped with the volcanic ash which fell during the 2010 explosive eruption. The film aims to help people learn about eruptions and what it is like to experience ashfall.

Cracked, directed by Mahmut Taş, Turkey. 5’

A little girl lives in a village with her mother, where water sources are dwindling by day. Drought affects her imagination, even her doodles and drawings. Not only people, but also nature, struggle with the unrelenting aridness. This little girl, though, never loses hope. She tries to do as best she can, sacrificing herself for her beloved nature.

Pathways to Resilience in the Indian Himalaya, directed by Richard Johnson, Pushpam Singh, Kesar Chand, Esther Edwards, Pushpam Singh, Kesar Chand, and Esther Edwards, UK. 15’30”

The ‘Pathways to Resilience’ film documentary is set in the Kullu District of the Indian Himalaya. Starting with reflections on a disastrous flood in August 1994, this provides a catalyst for wider evaluation of science and local community knowledge of hazards, disaster risk reduction and resilience.

On the Fringe, directed by Annie Griffiths, Mick Davie, Bangladesh. 6’

When Runa Khan saw that climate change was eroding away land in Bangladesh, she decided that the best way to help people was to outfit a ship as a floating hospital. But that was only the beginning…

The Last Mile Is the Longest, directed by Melanie Buford, Cambodia, 8’

In Cambodia, the monsoon season can turn entire communities into islands for months at a time, cutting them off from medical services. In a country dealing with an alarming tuberculosis crisis, this is a recipe for disaster. Thankfully for the people of Cambodia, the dedicated health workers of Operation ASHA travel on foot, by motorcycle, and even by boat to bring cutting-edge tuberculosis care to the most isolated.

13:45 Panel discussion three

Chaired by Sim Reaney with Prof. Clare Horwell, Department of Earth Science, Dr Jessica Lehman, Department of Geography, Prof. Simon Mathias, Department of Engineering and Mr Ivo Pink, Department of Geography.          

14:05 Break for Coffee

14:30 BST Feature film

The Salt in Our Waters, directed by Rezwan Shahriar Sumit, Bangladesh. 106 minutes

Salt in our waters screenshot.

For his latest art installation, Rudro journeys to a remote mangrove isle on the Bangladeshi Delta, a day’s boat ride and a world away from modern, crowded Dhaka. Welcomed by the local fishermen and their leader Chairman, Rudro’s modern ideas and lifelike sculptures enchant the village boys and his landlord’s daughter. But when the local iIish catch proves elusive, the elders blame Rudro’s “idolatry” for the curse of empty nets. In this vanishing land where sea and sky merge, a storm is brewing and change – welcome or not – is coming.

More details on the feature film are here.

16:10 Q&A with The Salt in Our Waters director Rezwan Shahriar Sumit

Chair: Francisco-J. Hernández Adrián

16:40 Closing remarks on the day and Grand Prize Winner Voting. Sim Reaney

17:00 Close

Note: all times are British Summer Time (GMT+1)