Ritual

The film “Ritual” is an experimental documentary that explores the greed for energy as a social phenomenon, and employs ritual as an artistic method. It has been filmed in eleven locations in Sweden: Burseryd, Kinnekulle, Sandviken, Hofors, Grängesberg, Njakafjäll, Meselefors, Kallak, Ligga, Messaure and Jokkmokk with a focus on extraction of energy and raw materials in relation to an increasing dependence on digital technologies. Rituals were conducted in each place, resulting in a "road movie," that explores energy shortage in Sweden from a unique perspective. The filmmakers chose to highlight how life in urban centers is dependent on nature and the people living in sparsely-populated communities in Sweden. The result is a meditative journey of hope and renewal, and a poignant reminder of how consumption is destroying this world. The film was shot with both digital and hand-powered 16mm cameras. Vegetation found growing at the sites was used to create images (phytograms) directly on the film’s emulsion. The soundtrack of music and ambient sounds are made explicitly for the film, and it has a Swedish voice-over with English subtitles.