Keepers of the Future
Environmental Justice
•
23m
Directed by Avi Lewis • Documentary • 2018 • 24 minutes
In a fertile floodplain in El Salvador, where the great river meets the sea, a peasant movement puts down roots — growing resilience in the scorched earth of exile and civil war. But soon these farmers and fishing folk discover new challenges, and this time they are global: climate crisis, exacerbated by an economy of ruinous extraction. The solutions they come up with will be a revelation for audiences in the prosperous north. On the surface, the life of these campesinos may resemble the past: but in their model may lie the key to the future.
Canadian journalist and documentarian Avi Lewis, along with his wife, author Naomi Klein, has advocated for radically new social and political structures as the only viable and effective response to climate change. In KEEPERS OF THE FUTURE he profiles the Bajo Lempa coordinadora, a farmers' cooperative that demonstrates how 'deep local democracy' can build environmental, economic and political resilience.
"Disaster capitalism runs up against agroecology and community power! Keepers of the Future is a wake-up call for anyone feeling overwhelmed about climate change. A marginalized peasant community challenges corporate power and takes climate resilience into their own hands. A bold, simple, yet powerful tale that gives hope to us all." Eric Holt-Giménez, Executive Director, Food First, Author, A Foodie's Guide to Capitalism: Understanding the Political Economy of What We Eat
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