Animation · Swedwatch

Defenders

Duration

01:57

Style

Mixed Media, Collage

Script, Sound Design & Edit

Philippa Young

Visual Design & Animation

Cynthia-ël Hasbani

About

A 2-minute animated video highlighting the threats faced by environmental defenders worldwide, who, despite protecting the land, ecosystems, communities, and human rights, face violence and intimidation masked behind green energy projects. They require protection and support to continue defending our planet. They require protection and support to continue defending our planet.

Two large halftone-processed hands rise from either side of the frame, palms facing inward as if cradling something precious, against a muted green background. The gestural composition frames a bold question, an invitation rather than a challenge.

A vibrant collage places four environmental defenders, including an Indigenous woman with traditional face paint and a young man speaking into a megaphone, at the centre of the frame, flanked on either side by armed soldiers and riot police rendered in grey halftone. Pointing hands descend from above, making the threat surrounding the defenders viscerally clear.

Four blue-tinted figures stand in a line against an orange background, each holding a placard identifying a different industry sector, their eyes obscured by yellow redaction bars. The ransom-note lettering above them and the anonymising bars give the image the feel of a suspect lineup.

A collage of billowing grey and black smoke clouds almost entirely engulfs a landscape of vivid green islands and yellow farmland, with only small fragments of colour visible beneath. The contrast between the smothered land and the thick industrial haze is suffocating in its scale.

A vivid collage places wind turbines and solar panels in a lush mountain valley, while a cascade of Euro banknotes fills the sky above like a windfall. The maximalist image ties clean energy infrastructure directly to the flow of investment and financial promise.

Two large halftone-rendered hands, one from above, one from below, cradle a photorealistic image of the Earth against a deep green background. The image is elemental in its simplicity: the planet held, carefully, between human hands.

A vivid collage photograph of snow-capped mountain peaks rising above lush green foothills and a bright blue lake, with a large sunflower bursting into the upper right corner. Set against a warm terracotta background, the image is a layered celebration of natural abundance.

Four environmental defenders from different parts of the world are grouped together in a vivid collage of blue, orange, and green, one speaking into a microphone, one holding a megaphone, one raising a peace sign, surrounded by a sunflower, a butterfly, a wind turbine, and a globe. The image pulses with collective energy, framing the defenders as the living centre of a movement.

Fossil Fuel ECAs

Oil Change International & Swedwatch

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