Those Who Live On It

Those Who Live On It, a fiction about soil

Location of activities and scope

Montpellier, France

France – Festival animation

Executive Summary

Our motive is to spark curiosity in those less familiar with soil by guiding them through a gradual process composed of different medias, very accessible at first —image, video capsule— then growing in complexity —fiction and interviews. At the heart of this journey is a short fiction film that weaves together contemplative imagery, dialogue excerpts from expert interviews and sensory storytelling. The fiction builds an emotional bridge with the audience by showing how soil issues affect their everyday life. Expert voices add technical insights, while sensory / contemplative imagery illustrates this knowledge. Visuals, scenarios and interviews are being shaped in close collaboration with scientists and other professions related to soil, some of whom will appear on-screen. By linking knowledge of living systems to everyday experience, we aim to inspire, empower, and point toward practical solutions. This approach reframes soil from an overlooked element to a vital ally worth protecting.

Motivation Statement

Soil is the foundation of life. Part of our planet’s crust, natural or man-made, where we stand, move, live, evolve, and die. Created from the interaction between the mineral and organic worlds, it is an environment in constant flux on which we depend. We use it to produce our food or building materials, but it regulates the climate, hosts the richest terrestrial biodiversity, it’s the cornerstone of our ecosystems, including the fertility of the oceans, and rivers flow. Our dependence on soil raises questions around exploitation, legitimacy and sustainability. Unfortunately, it is a limited environment that was, and is, degraded by human activities (agriculture, urbanization, industry). To rethink our relationship with the living world, we need to look at it through rational understanding but also with a sensory approach. Our future is at stake; it depends on our connection to soil. Should it be defined through indifference, disgust, economic interest, tradition, sensation or wonder?