Credit: Jeremy Bishop/Unsplash
24 July
Hollywood misses chance to spotlight climate crisis in blockbusters
Despite the climate emergency, Hollywood films rarely address the issue, focusing instead on pure entertainment.
David Smith reports for The Guardian.
In short:
- The film "Twisters" follows a 1996 disaster movie but avoids climate messaging, focusing on entertainment.
- Studies show that only a small fraction of top-grossing films address climate change explicitly.
- Filmmakers struggle to incorporate climate issues due to fears of audience backlash and perceived difficulty in storytelling.
Key quote:
“I just don’t feel like films are meant to be message-oriented.”
— Lee Isaac Chung, director of Twisters
Why this matters:
Hollywood, with its vast influence and global reach, has long been a powerful tool for shaping public consciousness. However, when it comes to addressing one of the most pressing issues of our time—climate change—the silver screen has often shied away.
Related EHN coverage:
www.theguardian.com