WATCH: My Climate Change documentary "The Weight of Water" Premieres on TV worldwide!
WATCH: My Climate Change documentary "The Weight of Water" Premieres on TV worldwide!
Germany's Deutsche Welle is broadcasting the film internationally in four languages! That + other exciting updates on the film.
WATCH: My Climate Change documentary "The Weight of Water" Premieres on TV worldwide!
When Deej Phillips floated the idea of making a few videos on climate change awareness in mid-2019, I really had no big plans or expectations except maybe collaborating on a few videos together and being done with it. Fast forward 2.5 years and here we are making a slew of announcements on how far and wide the film is going and how our small idea has managed to grow into something far more substantial.
So here goes -
Worldwide TV Premiere Announcement:
First things first, I’m incredibly pleased to announce that The Weight of Water has been licensed by Germany's international broadcaster Deutsche Welle. A shorter (52minute), dubbed version will be airing on TV over the next week. The film was telecast in four different languages - English, German, Spanish and Arabic.
This is particularly exciting because the reason we made the film was to elevate the stories and voices from Global South on an international platform. And DW — with their huge audience of over 130 million, presence across many countries in multiple languages and several broadcast channels/mediums across TV and Internet — provides a great opportunity to get the film in front of as many eyes as possible.
Mission accomplished, I’d say!
Here’s how you can watch:
The shortened and dubbed DW edit of our film in 4 different languages can be viewed on Youtube / DW Website for at least a month or more. Details below -
IN ENGLISH: The Weight of Water - The Human Cost of Climate Change
On DW Website : https://www.dw.com/en/the-weight-of-water-the-human-cost-of-climate-change/av-61410660
IN GERMAN: Die Macht des Wassers - Klimawandel in Nepal
Watch the film on DW Website: https://www.dw.com/de/die-macht-des-wassers-klimawandel-in-nepal/av-61409943
IN SPANISH: La fuerza del agua en Nepal - El alto coste del cambio climático
Youtube link | DW landing page
IN ARABIC: سلطةالمياه - تغريالمناخ يفنيبال
Youtube link | DW landing page
On Satellite TV:
There were 25 telecasts in English, German, Spanish and Arabic all over the world, between April 7 and 16th, 2022. Only Arabic telecasts are happening now, schedule below.
Physical Screenings in Glasgow, Kathmandu! And perhaps in your city next?
On March 5th, 2022, we had the first big physical screening of “The Weight of Water” and it was all kinds of nerve-wracking and exciting. From biting tension that no one would turn up to see the film to being a packed event where we had to turn people away, I’m fondly looking back at the crazy wild ride it has been from making the film as absolute novices to a stunning, encouraging reception after release.
There are a lot of learnings for us as we embark on our next film project but we’re taking a moment to appreciate this journey. And I’m taking a moment to appreciate the fact that I’ve built a life and community in Kathmandu who showed up to support my film and how! This event wouldn’t have been possible without all the friends, colleagues and well wishers who supported me in various ways throughout this filmmaking journey and showed up diligently to my first film screening ever.
At first count, we estimate more than 120 people attended the event, which is honestly mind blowing. For Deej and I, this screening event held a special significance I would say, as a resounding validation for the work we set out to do and seeing it has turned out to be what we intended to be. The audience were fantastic and engaged with the film deeply, which is all I ever wanted.
Special thanks to the climate experts who were at the event to interact with the audience & all the audience who came to see the film. Much thanks to @surajshakya & @sattyamedia who managed to put up a great event & @theyellowhouse.ktm who provided a dream venue for the screening.
More pictures from the screening here.
We also had two mini screenings at Glasgow during COP26, and at ICIMOD more recently for World Water Day, which was on March 22nd. We also have a fourth screening event at Utopia Kathmandu this April 12th with climate and urban entrepreneurs and I am quite excited to meet this new to me crowd (climate startups that is).
The ICIMOD screening felt extra special because not many of you may know but my journey into climate change communication began with ICIMOD when they invited me to join them on a trip as a travel and culture writer. But I ended up writing about climate (also wrote on culture for The Hindu Sunday Magazine) and since then I was, first depressed about, and then obsessed with climate change. The article that I wrote for Al Jazeera then, titled Climate change threatens 1,000-year-old monastery in remote Nepal, was seen by Deej who thought of contacting me to ask if I wanted to collaborate on a short film/videos. Couple of months later, Deej and I meet in Kathmandu for the first time in October 2019 and a couple of years later I go back to ICIMOD to show the same team who invited me then, this film I made on climate change now? I mean, isn’t that a sweet, serendipitous story? :)
Thoughts on physical screenings and audience interactions:
To be honest, I didn’t think much of physical screening events of the film. Because they usually mean some sort of preaching to the choir situation and I honestly don’t want to be in the echo chamber. Especially when it comes to climate, the goal was to go beyond our small bubbles. But the first screening opened my eyes to the fact that this film is a great conversation starter on climate change. Climate scientists, policy folk, disaster studies researchers, climate financing people, activists and all sorts of general folk interested in climate change in various degrees attended the screenings so far. And it was quite interesting to see what each person took away from the film and which part of the overall climate conversation they found interesting. I didn’t expect to enjoy these interactions as much but what’s more wonderful than thoughtful and collaborative dialogue? I now see this film as an invitation for people to take either take their first steps or deepen their commitment in their individual climate journeys.
All this is to say..
Do you want to have a screening of “The Weight of Water” in your city or organisation?
Write to us at neelima.vlg [at] gmail [dot] com or hi [at] deejphillipsfilms [.] com. And we’ll try to make it happen.
Don’t know what the film is about? These documents should help - Film Press Kit & Film Details
Testimonials, Press and other Updates:
“How does climate change impact water and through water, people? This question challenges [even] scientists to explain in their own language, and here the filmmakers explain through masterful storytelling. The three interwoven stories painted against the canvas of everyday life in Nepal help us to feel the ‘weight of water’ for those in the front lines of climate change impacts.”
— Laurie Ann Vasily, Head of Knowledge Management and Communication at International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Kathmandu.
“Compellingly told human interest stories about the impacts of climate change in the severely underrepresented, breathtakingly beautiful, and culturally rich country of Nepal, tied together by the theme of water.”
— Susanna Basso, Climate Crisis Film Festival Artistic Director, UK
“The Weight of Water is as engaging as it is educational. Although it is not an easy watch, the documentary manages to capture what so many scientific journal articles, news pieces, documentaries, and on-the-ground reports have failed to highlight: the human cost of climate change. The crisis is a superphenomenon that directly and/or indirectly touches all aspects of life. Through the stories at Salyantar, Hetauda, and Ghartikhola, The Weight of Water is successful in showing the complexity of the climate emergency, and how viewing its effects through an intersectional lens can further highlight its footprint in exacerbating socio-economic inequities.”
— The Record Nepal, The humanity of climate change in ‘The weight of water’
With its scenic footage and background score of melancholic string sections, the documentary looks at the delicate relationship between mankind and an elemental source of life — water — to highlight how the looming climate crisis can wreck the balance. But the 68-minute feature's biggest takeaway is its ability to dissect the complexity of the climate change issue.
— News9, “The Weight of Water”, on climate change's toll in Nepal, is the documentary this crisis needs
What is the human cost of climate crisis? “The Weight of Water” answers - on Indian Express
In other exciting news, The Weight of Water got longlisted for best Feature Documentary Award at One World Media Awards 2022! One World Media Awards celebrate the best media coverage of the global south from around the world, spotlighting underreported stories that break through stereotypes, change the narrative and connect people across cultures.
Full list of nominations and announcement here - One World Media Awards | Longlist 2022
So, this again is quite thrilling. For a debut feature, I’m over the moon to just have been nominated here!
Get in touch with ideas or requests!
If you are a journalist or other media interested in watching and reviewing the film, feel free to write to us for a link to view the film.
We have a lot more plans with film promotion, screenings, useful and creative events to take the message of the film forward along with raising awareness about climate change and climate justice in general. So if you have any ideas or if you want to collaborate, email us!
Write to us at neelima.vlg [at] gmail [dot] com or hi [at] deejphillipsfilms [.] com
I’ll quickly end this long spiel by asking you to review the film once you’ve managed to see it somewhere. Will be super helpful for us to get feedback and maybe hear some more good words, which will be very good for us and much needed because filmmaking is not an easy profession. Kindness and support most welcome ;)
I just watched it. Absolutely transfixed: so beautifully made, so evocative of the place, so empathetic and thoughtful - and it made me want to step up and do more. If that's typical of the emotional reaction you'll get from everyone, you've something really influential here. Thank you.