REBELLION
Environmentalist movement Extinction Rebellion (XR) is profiled in this gripping, thought-provoking documentary, which follows the group’s rousing successes as well as the infighting and state interference threatening its survival. XR was founded in the UK in 2018 with the intention of forcing the British government to address climate catastrophe by engaging in large-scale civil disruption. The group achieves some early success in April 2019, shutting down parts of central London and forcing legislators to pay attention through their well-organized and highly publicized actions. But as their profile grows, internal tensions arise, with many members objecting to the hardline tactics of charismatic but divisive co-founder Roger Hallam. Directors Maia Kenworthy and Elena Sánchez Bellot offer nuanced portraits of several individual members, including Savannah Lovelock, Hallam’s passionate but conflicted daughter, and Farhana Yamin, a United Nations veteran newly invigorated by grassroots activism. Filmed over several key years, REBELLION offers a fascinating, even-handed inside look at the inner workings of a burgeoning protest movement.
In Competition: Documentary Feature
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