Cathy Henkel (The Man Who Stole My Mother's Face, TFF '04) returns with another engaging and provocative film. Whereas her previous film was more of a personal crusade, The Burning Season is an inspirational and uplifting eye-opener that follows the incredible crusades of others.

Every year, poor farmers on the Indonesian islands set fire to areas of pristine rainforest to set up palm oil plantations. The smoke chokes up the air of neighboring countries, endangers forest wildlife, and emits vast tons of carbon (Indonesia is now the third largest carbon emitter behind the United States and China). Henkel bridges three stories affected by these fires. Dorjee Sun, an Australian entrepreneur, believes there's money to be made from saving rainforests in Indonesia and sets out to find investors for his carbon-trading plan. Meanwhile, a Danish expat cares for displaced orangutans. And on the other end, a small-scale farmer wrestles with the dilemma of contributing to climate change and needing to feed his family.

Realizing that the overarching situation is quite complex, Henkel uses animated sequences and narration by Hugh Jackman to creatively illustrate points. She has successfully made an environmental film that doesn't just point out the problems, but shows that change is possible.

Directed by

Cathy Henkel