We are in Kenya where tusks are being measured and stacked. This striking image of humankind’s depletion of a natural resource is the first shot in this documentary; its final image is of the same ivory being burned by the government in a bid to curtail the black market. Is there any hope for a last-minute turnaround? In-between these shots, the film circumnavigates the globe and shows us how landscapes have been irrevocably changed and destroyed by humans. These dark places are, at the same time, frighteningly beautiful. Following the ‘Anthropocene’ theory, meaning an era in which humankind has consistently sought to subjugate the earth, the film depicts the momentous transformations that nature is suffering as a result. After Manufactured Landscapes (2006) and Watermark (2013), ANTHROPOCENE: The Human Epoch is the final part of a trilogy in which Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier and Edward Burtynsky have set out to document in spectacular images the consequences of humankind’s actions on our planet. Their series of stunning vistas and dramatic sequences unleashes a deep well of emotions.
by Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, Edward Burtynsky
with Alicia Vikander
Canada 2018 English, Russian, Italian, German, Mandarin, Cantonese 87’ Colour Documentary form

With

  • Alicia Vikander (Narrator)

Crew

Director Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, Edward Burtynsky
Screenplay Jennifer Baichwal
Cinematography Nicholas de Pencier
Editing Roland Schlimme
Music Rose Bolton, Norah Lorway
Sound Design David Rose
Producer Nicholas de Pencier
Executive Producers Edward Burtynsky, Nicholas de Pencier, Daniel Iron, Nicholas Metivier

Jennifer Baichwal

Born in Montreal, Quebec, she grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, and studied philosophy and theology. Her first feature-length documentary, Let it Come Down: The Life of Paul Bowles, won an Emmy. She has been working as a documentary director and producer for over 20 years.

Filmography

1998 Let it Come Down: The Life of Paul Bowles 2000 The Holier It Gets 2002 The True Meaning of Pictures 2006 Manufactured Landscapes; co-director: Edward Burtynsky 2009 Act of God 2012 Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth 2013 Watermark; co-directors: Nicholas de Pencier, Edward Burtynsky 2017 Long Time Running; co-director: Nicholas de Pencier 2018 ANTHROPOCENE: The Human Epoch

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2019

Nicholas de Pencier

The Canadian documentary filmmaker, producer and cinematographer regularly directs series and documentaries for TV. Together with Jennifer Baichwal, he most recently directed Long Time Running which screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2017.

Filmography (as producer)

1998 Let It Come Down: The Life of Paul Bowles; DoP 1999 The Holier It Gets 2002 The True Meaning of Pictures; DoP 2003 The Hockey Nomad; TV documentary 2006 Manufactured Landscapes 2009 Act of God; DoP 2013 Watermark; DoP 2016 Black Code; Screenplay, DoP 2017 Long Time Running; co-director: Jennifer Baichwal 2018 Anthropocene: The Human Epoch

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2019

Edward Burtynsky

Born in St. Catharines in Ontario, Canada, in 1955 to Ukrainian émigré parents, he studied graphics at Niagara College in Welland. His photographs are held in the collections of museums including the National Gallery of Canada, MoMA and the Guggenheim in New York.

Filmography

2013 Watermark 2018 Anthropocene: The Human Epoch

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2019