Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s visually stunning cinematic work of art about the human condition
Vienna (OTS) – 75 years ago, on December 10, 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris – a resolution guaranteeing equal rights to every person. As part of ORF’s focus on this occasion, the “dokFilm” will explore the fundamental questions of being human on Sunday, December 10, 2023, at 11:05 p.m. on ORF 2. What defines people? What is the meaning of life? Are we all really that different? Don’t we have more values in common than we think? If so, why is it so difficult to understand each other? And why do we always make the same mistakes from one generation to the next? The French photographer and documentary filmmaker Yann Arthus-Bertrand, who has become known over the past five decades primarily for his spectacular aerial photographs of the earth (including the photo and film production “The Earth from Above”), attempts to do so with his documentary “Human – Die “two sides of humanity” to find answers. He doesn’t look for this in numbers and statistics, but in the people themselves. The self-confessed environmentalist conducted 2,000 interviews in 65 countries for two years. The result is an extraordinary film, visually powerful and wordy. “A film in which the power of words resonates over the beauty of our world – a journey across landscapes, but above all through the stories of people,” as the filmmaker says in the intro. And: “Every story is unique.”
“I, who have photographed the planet for so many years, became interested in people’s faces, their expressions and words, in order to delve into people’s souls. There is a saying that says that the eyes are the mirror of the soul, and I believe that,” says Yann Arthus-Bertrand at the beginning of his film, which goes on without any comments. The interview sequences of the people who speak are uncut. People who talk from their innermost being about the joys and sorrows of human existence – about everyday life, about poignant encounters and difficult fates – and whose powerful words reflect nature in high-resolution images. Whether old people, newlyweds or children, on all continents they feel happiness and suffering, joy and longing. These are stories about life on our planet, brought together to create a visually powerful afilmic work of art about people themselves, but also about the special characteristics of the individual.