Het Puntje x Movies that Matter: I Am the River, the River Is Me
This summer, together with beach bar Het Puntje, we are organising a film festival at the very tip of Scheveningen! Three evenings with three films that invite reflection, conversation, and connection.
On Saturday, August 2, the documentary I Am the River, the River is Me (2024) will be shown. The Whanganui River in New Zealand was recently granted the same rights as a person. This film explores the spiritual, legal, and cultural impact of this unique decision, and what it means to live in connection with nature.
About the film
The Whanganui River in Aotearoa/New Zealand is the first river in the world to be legally recognised as a person, a living and indivisible being. The Māori fought for this for more than 150 years. Māori river guardian Ned Tapa takes a group of friends, family members, and activists on a five-day canoe journey along this sacred river. Among them are a First Nations Elder from Australia and his daughter; as activists, they are working to save their own dying river back home. Also in the boat: an Australian artist and an international film crew.
Everyone in the group, including the film crew, has a voice and becomes a character in the film. The river organically unites them in their desire to bring about a fundamental shift in values, to protect our planet for future generations. The Whanganui River has sparked a global ‘rights of nature’ movement and serves as the iconic main character of the film. Filled with beautiful meditative images of breathtaking nature. “If you sit and listen, you’ll hear the land sing,” says Ned Tapa. “All together, interwoven, in harmony, in sync.”
Side Programme
At the screening, there will be an introduction and a post-screening discussion led by Leana Boven. She is a writer, researcher, curator, and program maker at Stroom Den Haag, where she recently curated the exhibition Beloved Waters. This exhibition explores the idea of viewing water as a living being. The art shows that water carries its own stories, memories, tensions, and hopes.
Practical information
Date: Saturday, August 2, 20:00
Location: De Komma (the annex of Het Puntje), Strand Noord 3N, 2586 ZZ The Hague. See here how to get to the location.
Entrance: €9.79
Language: more information will follow shortly
Tickets: buy your ticket via Het Puntje
This screening is made possible by Fonds 1818.