Private Project

Sentinels

Created entirely from the words of the plaintiffs, Sentinels tells the true story of 25 young Colombians who took their government to court for the deforestation of the Amazon.

If they lost they would set a precedent for inaction. If they won they would open up a new front in the fight against climate change.

  • Mark Knightley
    Director
  • Mark Knightley
    Writer
  • Emily Barritt
    Producer
  • Lucia Michiels
    Key Cast
  • Jamie Partridge
    DOP
  • Kieran West
    CGI
  • Jonathan Charles
    Music
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Magical realism, true story, drama, verbatim
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 34 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 31, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    9,300 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • London Design Biennale
    London
    United Kingdom
    June 8, 2023
    Kings College: Communicating Research Award
Director Biography - Mark Knightley

Mark is the artistic director of Crowded Room and has worked primarily in theatre. As a director, film work includes the short film 'There's Nothing More Patriotic Than To Die For Your Country' and immersive video exhibition '2030' which was produced by Collusion and shortlisted for the Samuel Beckett Theatre Trust Award and 'La Lucha' which was funded by the Arts Council, Unity and produced by the BAC.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Sentinels is a collaboration between myself and Emily Barritt who is a Senior Lecturer in Environmental Law at Kings College London. I wanted to deepen my creative work by using research to tell environmental stories and Emily wanted to use theatre and film to communicate her environmental research.

Emily suggested exploring a case whereby 25 young Colombians took their government to court for deforestation of the Amazon. We interviewed the activists - they were young, vulnerable and deeply determined. Their story was an inspirational fight for an eco-centric world and a high stakes, battle through the courts where nobody thought they would be succeed.

We then had to decide how to present their story. One incredible outcome of the case was that the judge granted the Amazon rainforest rights, like a human. This result suggested a significant shift in the relationship between humans and nature. After all, if trees could go to court, if fish could protest in parliament square, if badgers could vote, would we continue on our path of deforestation? We took that idea further and, using a healthy dose of Colombian magical realism, we imagined a world where a Colombian narrator travels to an English forest to tell the story to a tree. Their hope is that, upon hearing this story, the tree might rise up, go to court and fight for its rights for protection and restoration.