It’s no secret that the world is terribly polluted, but we don’t see the half of it. In the North Pole though, the devastation of pollution is much more apparent as the pollution is taken up with the currents and with the wind. A Greenlandic woman sets out to discover where this pollution is coming from and on her journey to Africa, Asia and South America is astounded to find the truths that is in plain sight. Silent Snow brings a whole new perspective to the global warming issues as the truths are revealed and a disturbing realisation is observed. No longer can traditions be performed, for fear of having the poisonous chemicals passed on to children, the ice is melting and the whole natural system is screwed up. If something isn’t done sooner or later a whole culture will be lost and that’s just the beginning of the end…
Silent Snow is one of those tell-all journalistic documentaries that will disturb and frankly give folks another reason to hate governments. We are forced to face the reality of the problem as poison is allowed to enter our air and as chemical waste is dumped in the water, all ending up in the Northern Hemisphere and polluting the animals, fish and eventually people. As the prospects of human mutations become much more apparent in the not too distant future and death being the ultimate ending to not only mankind, but all of nature, it’s safe to say that if something isn’t done that is our fate. Silent Snow gives the viewer a warning that cannot be ignored as facts are presented from around the globe that there simply isn’t enough being done to keep pollution to a minimum.
This film by Jan van den Berg en Pipaluk Knudsen-Ostermann will open the viewers eyes to the inevitable and sadly as one watches and realise that no matter how many people are involved in keeping pollution to a minimum, the governments will have to step up and do what they have to do in order to keep the Earth safe from the silent killer. Sadly, greed is the only thing that these government officials understand and a revolution is needed to keep people from dying, it’s as simple as that.
But it’s not all death and gloom, in fact there are solutions presented as well in the documentary. As harmful chemicals are being sprayed to “prevent malaria” in Africa, we see positive results in South America where they have banned the harmful poisons and adjusted to nature instead… Malaria is no longer a number one killer in South America. In India, where big factories spurt out pollution into the water and air, we have activists that are struggling to get them shut down and although the fight is hard, they are slowly getting it done. Pesticides that are harmful to both humans when ingested as well as nature are being replaced by more natural manners of farming as organic food is more sought after. Yes, it’s a dire situation, but there are people fighting for a better world.
Silent Snow is a well-balanced documentary and should definitely be watched. South African audiences can watch Silent Snow at the Tri-Continental Film Festival that’s being held from 7-23 September in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria and Soweto at Ster-Kinekor Cinema Nouveau. For more information you can visit The Film Guide and Schedule of the TCFF, which is live on www.tcff.org.za or you can find ticket information at www.cinemanouveau.co.za or www.thebioscope.co.za
