Norsk filminstitutt

The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything (Einstein).   

Civil Disobedience takes you along when three generations of activists from Extinction Rebellion and Just Stopp Oil change their tactics from actions against jet fuel to roadblocks and “attacks” on famous artworks and sports events.

This observational documentary invites you behind the scenes of direct actions, and emotional and strategic reconsiderations. It gives you insight into the motivation of the actions as activists are prosecuted and taken to court. When the police move in, the filmmaker himself is arrested while cameras are rolling. An intense and empathic depiction of the here-and-now of the activists, the film also offers a larger perspective: What drives ordinary people into using civil disobedience and taking on the state and corporate powers to fight the climate emergency?  

Production and distribution

Production Year:
2023
Production country:
Norway
Release date (international):
2024-09-19
Production company:
Plymserafin
Producer:
Thomas A. Østbye

Director

  • Thomas A. Østbye

    Thomas A. Østbye (b. 1979) is a distinctive artist and filmmaker. His films, including Take #2, Imagining Emanuel, Human, and In Your Dreams, combine artistic reflections on the documentary genre with contemporary political dilemmas. Østbye's works have been bought by the Arts Council Norway,   broadcasted, screened at Hotdocs, IDFA, and MoMA NY, and received several art and film awards, including CPH:DOX Award.   Østbye's latest documentaries   The Play of Everyman (2021) and Civil Disobedience (2023) are part of a trilogy of observational documentaries on strategies of resistance in the struggle for climate justice.      

    Thomas A. Østbye

Awards

2024:
The Norwegian Short Film Festival
Terje Vigen Award

Festivals

2024:
The Norwegian Short Film Festival

Crew

Director:
Thomas A. Østbye
Cinematographer:
Thomas A. Østbye
Jostein Venaas
Editor:
Astrid Skumsrud Johansen
Lars Apneseth
Thomas A. Østbye
Sound Design:
Liana Degtiar
Sigrun Merete Mongstad

Technical information

Genre:
Documentary
Politics
Society & Politics
Environmental
Format:
DCP 2k
Colour:
Colour
Length in min's:
39'
Language:
Norwegian
English
Subtitles:
English

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