Two long time friends set out in search of a dead woman and a glacier that may no longer exist. Along the way, they cut through the political noise to hear what real people think about climate action and find out what fixing our broken system could really look like.
Featuring Laura Tenenbaum and Ed Begley Jr.
1 x 60 Minute Documentary
LAURA TENENBAUM
Eminent scientist and former senior science editor for NASA’s Global Climate Change website, Laura Tenenbaum has been at the forefront of climate science for decades. She has also never quite fit the mould of what a “scientist” should be like. When climate-change-denier Trump took office, she found herself gagged then forced out of her job for refusing to keep quiet about climate change.
Edited out of science videos and swept behind the scenes for not fitting into the status quo of boring scientists in ugly clothes she, like many other radical thinkers, was silenced for believing differently, for asking uncomfortable questions and challenging the norm.
She firmly believes that “the norm” isn’t thinking radically enough in the face of the biggest challenge - and opportunity - that the world has ever faced. As women in a man’s world, daring to go where others won’t, Laura and Eliza have a lot in common - they were just born in vastly different times.
ED BEGLEY JR
Apart from acting for over 50 years in some of the most loved dramas (Young Sheldon, Better Call Saul, Curb Your Enthusiasm), Ed Begley Jr is so well known for his work as an environmental activist that he was even immortalised in The Simpsons - the ultimate kudos.
He has starred in hundreds of films, stage plays and tv series - including two of his own green living reality tv shows. His deadpan sense of humour lends itself to comedy but ed is serious about the environment. Ed was an owner of an electric car when they were deemed too ridiculous to be viable.
He is fascinated by new technology and innovation to solve climate-contributing issues but has been part of the "eco-world" for so long that he knows that we need to question greenwashing or "silver bullet" solutions. As the climate emergency becomes increasingly urgent, along with Laura, he is adamant that we can't just feel the fear, we have to fight - and nobody can be left out of the conversation.
Team
Director Eleanor Church
Eleanor has been making short to medium length docs films/photo stories for nearly 20 years telling stories that focus on society, environment, women, human rights, migration and supply chains. X Trillion is her first feature. With a background in documentary, investigative and creative filmmaking, the projects that she has worked on have taken her across the world. This has shaped her as a person and as a filmmaker. She is a UN video producer and AOP photographer and was commissioned recently to make two Waterbear originals. Her work has been shown widely, including on the Guardian, Al Jazeera, The Huffington Post, the BBC, International Broadcasters, at the US State Department, a number of high profile UN and international meetings, community screenings and film festivals (picking up a number of awards and official selections). A number of her films have contributed to policy change relating to environmental issues and human trafficking - something she is very proud of - as well as being core to kickstarting local campaigns and movements on air quality, plastics and perinatal mental health. Portfolio: www.larkrisepictures.com
Director Matthew Harmer
Matthew is an award-winning director and dop with over 12 years of experience making films, specialising in documentary and branded content. After starting out in broadcast television, he went on to work for a successful creative agency where he eventually lead the film department. From Jordanian refugee camps to Ivorian jungles, Matthew has made films all over the world, often in extreme conditions and covering sensitive subjects such as male suicide, child sexual exploitation, or the refugee crisis. In 2019 he was one of twelve filmmakers awarded the Barbican Centre film grant for a short documentary about digital identities. In recent years Matthew has made films for National Geographic, Waterbear Network, CNN, and the BBC, has had work screened at the Bertha Dochouse, and has been a guest speaker at Sheffield Docfest promoting sustainable film production. Portfolio: https://www.matthew-harmer.com/
Producer Verity Wislocki
Verity produced feature documentary another news story shown at festivals worldwide, had a theatrical release and is on itunes etc. She was longlisted as breakthrough producer at the 2018 Bifas. Verity produced On Our Doorstep which has a theatrical release in may 2023, Stormskater, which premiered at Sheffield Docfest in 2021, online on nowness and won best sport film at Kendal Mountain Festival, and Nice to Meet You All, which premiered at Norwich Film Festival 2021, won best mini doc award at oscar-qualifying Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, the anti-stigma award at the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival 2022 and was shortlisted for the Aesthetica Art Prize and then went onto the LA Times platform. She has X Trillion in post-production and just delivered as for me as part of the BBH ‘Differently Does It’ award.
