By Lisa Biehle Files
The first-ever Virtual Movie Club Night kicked off on July 15 with a discussion of the documentary “The Ants and the Grasshopper,” directed by Raj Patel and Zac Piper. Exclusively for One Earth Collective Members (membership starts at $25 annually), the Virtual Movie Club will meet regularly to analyze environmental films, provide like-minded community, and promote change. New members are welcome to join at any time.
After watching the film on their own earlier in the week, 24 One Earth Collective members of all ages converged on Zoom to talk about the film. After a brief introduction, the group split into three smaller groups, facilitated by Doug Dixon, Stephanie McCray, and Jess Senger.
The film itself centers around Anita Chitaya, a community educator from a small town in Malawi, who travels coast to coast in the United States in order to communicate how climate change is impacting her rural community back home. Excessive greenhouse gas emissions from developed countries are impacting less developed countries, causing extreme weather patterns, droughts in her region, and floods and super storms elsewhere.
When the discussion started, Stephanie mentioned a poignant moment in the film when Anita and her translator washed their clothes by hand and laid them on the pavement to dry outside their hotel, patiently waiting in the heat. “It was such a contrast with busy Americans who don’t have time to watch their clothes dry.”
“We act in ways that we know are harmful to the environment just to save time,” said Frank Fiorito. “Yes, time is the jewel,” Brandon Pineda added.
All groups puzzled over the meaning of the film’s title “The Ants and Grasshopper,” which is the title for one of Aesop’s fables. “Is climate change the grasshopper while we are the ants trying to carry the weight?” Doug Dixon asked. One viewer thought perhaps America was the grasshopper while the ants were less developed countries.
Jess Senger repeated a line from the film, “Why can’t men learn from women, rich people learn from poor people, white people learn from black people?” she said, “And I might add, why can’t older people learn from younger people?”
In the film, Anita had a small measure of success with a young farmer who started out as a climate change denier but later wound up as an organic chicken farmer. He apologized for dismissing her ideas initially. This was hopeful for some One Earth Collective members.
Getting the word out, continuing to communicate about climate change is a productive way to take action, said many. Even creating rural/urban encounters might help, other viewers added.
Jess reiterated an important quote from Gandhi that encapsulated the film’s message: “Live simply so others may simply live.”
To join the next Virtual Movie Club Night in October, become a One Earth Collective member here: https://www.oneearthfilmfest.org/members
Actions suggested by One Earth Collective Members at the first Virtual Movie Club Night.