

CATEGORY
JUSTICE IN UNJUST TIMES
program
• 26 August, 18:30, VERDE STOP ARENA
The film will be screened in the presence of: Monica Lăzurean Gorgan
Monica Lăzurean-Gorgan is a Romanian producer and director. Monica produced or co-produced a number of feature length fictions and documentaries with established Romanian directors, with films selected or awarded at Berlinale, Sundance, Locarno and many others festivals (A Mere Breath, Chuck Norris vs Communism, The Cage, Domestic, Timebox etc). In 2011 MY VOTE, her medium length documentary as director was selected for Rotterdam IFF, Documenta Madrid IFF and many others and awarded in Sarajevo IFF. A MERE BREATH feature length documentary (2016) premiered at Vision du Reel, International Competition and was awarded at Sarajevo IFF 2016 with The Heart of Sarajevo/Best Documentary Film, at LET’S CEE Cinema Austria with Best Documentary in Competition, Romanian National Awards/GOPO Award for Best Romanian Documentary of 2016, at ASTRA IDFF with Best Romanian Documentary award, 2017, at DocuArt with Best Director, selected for Chicago IFF and many other festivals, screened on Mubi, Amazon etc.
synopsis
From the taiga in Siberia over the primary forests of Romania to the primeval forest in Peru: around the world, billions of dollars are made from illegal logging. First World consumers are happy about low prices at the hardware and furniture stores, but would doubtless be shocked if they knew the origins of these goods. Alexander von Bismarck, the Iron Chancellor's great-great-great-nephew, has been on the timber mafia's trail for years. As head of the Environmental Investigation Agency in Washington, he tirelessly takes to the road. He doesn't shy from changing persona and appearance and employing concealed technical means to bring illegal activities to light. He knows the swamp of crime can't be drained while corrupt politicians and idle authorities remain indifferent to these illegal activities. So for Alexander von Bismarck, an essential part of his work, over and above his detective activities, is creating political and public awareness of the disastrous consequences of forest depletion – as the state of the planet's "green lung" has long since assumed dramatic proportions. This wake-up-call documentary follows Von Bismarck and his comrades into the hell of profit-lust and back again.