‘Just Look Up’ ignited passion for advocacy cinema at Tribeca Festival and proved that films with a meaningful message are going to help make the world a better place one frame at a time.
The North American Premiere at the SVA Theater in New York City on June 11 was one for the books during the summer affair. Climate Defiance and founder Michael Greenberg are followed in this documentary to put a light on his groups’ unabashedly disruptive protests that express their urgent demands for climate action.
The New York platform was an ideal place for the film to express its profound message and push for only the best for humanity. “Tribeca has such extraordinary films and they are willing to take risks. They’re willing to put voices out there that we are seeing less and less in our modern media,” director Emma Wall told The Knockturnal. “I think it’s so essential to have festivals like this in places where it’s readily accessible to normal people. This is something that’s helping to keep cinema alive and to help keep all of the important issues that we need to be remembering that aren’t necessarily at the forefront of our feeds, but actually remain the most important issues to be reminded of.”
(Photo credit: Kirra Cheera)
The powerful message for change was shared here and celebrated by many.
“Directors Betsy Hershey and Emma Wall provide a fascinating examination of Greenberg and his fellow young organizers’ planning, execution and rationale for these radical events, highlighting the activists’ humor, desperation, creativity, fallibility, and resiliency despite an ever-shrinking window to prevent the worst,” states film critic Sam Hood. “Amplified by a contemporary soundtrack that resonates this spirit of youthful resistance, the film reflects America’s political moment at a crucial crossroad, as well as generational debates on whether eschewing comfort and politeness constitutes the most effective method to gain momentum for the issue. Here we witness Climate Defiance’s fears and hopes for the planet they soon will inherit; once the world can’t look away, might we begin to listen.”
(Photo credit: Kirra Cheera)
Remarks by the filmmakers kicked things off and the screening was followed by Emmy Award Winner and Academy Award nominee Jeremy Strong moderating a Q&A with film subjects Michael Greenberg and Cheyenne; and New York Times Journalist David Wallace Wells and climate activist Margaret Klein Salamon.
(Photo credit: Kirra Cheera)
After the premiere screening, guests made their way to the new West Village hot spot, Le Dive, for a post-screening reception. The special event that is set to inspire generations to come also saw the likes of the film’s supporters including included Jessica Chastain, Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, and more.
(Photo credit: The Illuminator)
