Save the Earth!
Marleen van der Werf/Netherlands/14:40/Documentary/2014
Sitting in her favorite oak tree, 11-year-old Filine encounters little wonders in the natural world around her. She observes the beauty and dramas of life in and around a tree most people are not even aware of. As trees fall down in the forest, Filine starts to fear that one day she will lose her special oak tree.
Director : Marleen van der Werf
After finishing her MSc in Biology and MA in Philosophy at the University of Amsterdam, Marleen van der Werf graduated in the UK with an MA in (wildlife) documentary filmmaking with the film ‘Wadland’. In ‘Once Upon a Tree’ Marleen again combines her love for both nature and philosophy.
<Message from the director>
"All things of value are defenseless" This line, written by the Dutch poet Lucebert, explains for me exactly why we should actively take care for the environment.
Planet in Focus Film Festival 2014 (Canada) Best Short Film
Camerimage Film Festival 2014 (Poland)
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam 2013 (Netherlands)