MINISTÈRE DES AFFAIRES ÉTRANGÈRES ET EUROPEENNES

N° 19 - mai 2009

Home: a film to face up to the state of the world

On 5 June, on the United Nations

sponsored World Environment Day, every citizen
on the planet will be able to watch Home, the latest
film by Yann Arthus-Bertrand. The photographer,
who has made it his speciality to show the earth
viewed from the sky, has made a documentary
intended to alert public opinion to the ecological
disasters that threaten us. Broadcast free, this film
can be seen in around a hundred countries, on the
internet, on television, on DVD and on cinema
screens…

Home has been made for the largest possible

audience in order to stimulate worldwide awareness
of the state of the world and to encourage the planet’s
inhabitants to change their lifestyle by adopting
behaviour that takes greater care of the environment.
Everyone, no matter how small their income,
no matter where they live, should be able to see this
© Yann Arthus-Bertrand – Home – Production Elzevir
Films/EuropaCorp film. On 5 June 2009, it will be broadcast
simultaneously in around a hundred countries, at the
cinema, on television, on internet sites and on DVD. Admission tickets at cinemas will be reduced and
will cover only the costs of screening. In Paris, beside the Eiffel Tower, on the Champs de Mars, the
producers and director will attend a free public outdoor screening of the film on a giant screen. Other
prestigious places, such as Central Park in New York or the Boston Institute of Contemporary Art in
the United States, the cities of London and Bristol in the United Kingdom, Barcelona in Spain, Athens
in Greece or Montreal in Canada, will hold similar screenings. On the same day, video media - which
will become educational tools for schools and associations – will be sold at cost price. On the internet,
the film can be downloaded or streamed free of charge. youtube has dedicated a special site to it. On
French television, the national channel France 2 will devote a special evening to the film: its broadcast
will be followed by political debates on the environment. In the Arab countries, the Al Jazeera channel
has also scheduled it. This free multi-broadcasting of such an ambitious documentary is unique and is
a major event in itself. In the view of Luc Besson, co-producer of the film alongside Elzevir film and
through his company EuropaCorp, who is responsible for broadcasting it, the benefits of the film will

DIRECTION DE LA COMMUNICATION ET DU PORTE-PAROLAT

SOUS-DIRECTION DE LA COMMUNICATION ET DE LA DOCUMENTATION
 MINISTÈRE DES AFFAIRES ÉTRANGÈRES ET EUROPEENNES

be counted by the number of viewers. For him as for Yann Arthus-Bertrand, success lies in the
planetary impact made by Home and in the raising of awareness that it may lead to.

A gigantic project which took nearly two years to film in over 54 countries, this feature-length
film was financed by the Printemps-Pinault-Redoute group to the tune of 10 million euros. It’s a
sizeable budget, unprecedented for a documentary on which, moreover, many people worked
voluntarily. Many subsidiaries of the luxury Group are planning promotional campaigns for the film in
order to get the message across. For instance, the luxury French jewellery house Boucheron will
celebrate the screening of the film by creating a piece of jewellery called "Magnetic Quatre" which
will be auctioned on www.ebay.fr from 6 to 13 June. All the profits from the sale will go to the
association Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance which promotes supervision of more
responsible practices in the mining of gold and other metals. In France, FNAC, a chain of book and
DVD stores belonging to the PPR group, has committed itself to raising awareness among as many
people as possible through various events. Home was filmed on board a helicopter using a high-
definition camera called "Cineflex", which gives the images great stability and allows them to flow
smoothly. The CO2 emissions related to the consumption of fuel by the planes, helicopters and cars
used in the production, were offset by supporting sustainable development projects, notably in India.

Yann Arthus-Bertrand wants to shake up people’s consciences and bring an end to resistance to
change and to empty speeches: “It’s too late to be pessimistic. It is time to act,” he declared in a
message so far translated into 23 languages. Other alarming reports on the state of the planet’s
resources are described by Glenn Close – in the English version -, Salma Hayek – in the Spanish
version - and Jacques Gamblin – in the French version. For the sake of credibility, these comments
were read in advance by Al Gore, winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, and by Lester Brown, the
famous advocate of ecology in the United States. These specialists have also contributed a few
clarifications backed up with figures. As Yann Arthus-Bertrand explains, “What is important is not the
50% of the forests that have disappeared, but the 50% that remain. What is important today is that we
are 6 billion intelligent beings who can take action. This film should make people aware that we all
have a responsibility and that we can all take action at our own level”. Beyond these committed
words, the film is a cinematic work in its own right. Even if the speed of some internet networks is
sometimes a bit slow and they interrupt or slow down the broadcast of Home, the film is so beautiful
that viewing it image by image even promises to be a real pleasure!

Anne-Laure Bell

http://www.home-2009.com/

DIRECTION DE LA COMMUNICATION ET DU PORTE-PAROLAT

SOUS-DIRECTION DE LA COMMUNICATION ET DE LA DOCUMENTATION