IT is famed for its neolithic sites and majestic cliffs that withstand a daily battering from Atlantic storm that sweep across the desolate landscape.
But the Orkney islands will take centre stage at the glamorous Cannes Film Festival next week where they will appear alongside Hollywood A-lister Leonardo DiCaprio,
For years Orkney – not least the internationally significant neolithic treasures nestled behind its exposed coasts – has become extremely vulnerable to rising sea levels caused by climate change.
However, the archipelago has also become a symbol for green energy of the future as Orkney sits where the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea collide, making it an ideal location for turning the ferocious tides into electricity.
Many of the world’s leading marine engineers are working on projects to harness the Pentland Firth tides and the potential has also reached Hollywood.
So on Tuesday, DiCaprio will debut a major new documentary about Orkney at the Cannes Film Festival next week.
His film, Ice On Fire, a real-world horror story of climate change, will line up alongside all the latest art house flicks, thrillers and comedies in the glamorous French Riviera.
DiCaprio, who is the work’s producer and narrator, will highlight Orkney’s pioneering technology, as he asks
whether humanity can now reverse climate change.
Director Leila Conners and director of photography Harun Mehmedinovic filmed the Orkney segment of Ice on Fire in 2017, focusing on Orbital Marine Power’s tidal turbine and the work of the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC).
Ms Conners, of US based Tree Media, said: “Orkney was an incredible location and the renewable energy technologies in Orkney are unparalleled, truly. We had a very good shoot on board the SR2000 with James Murray and Chris Milne of Orbital Marine Power, and Neil Kermode was kind enough to give us a tour of EMEC, a very rational and good idea to help new tidal technologies get started. As such we were impressed with the support for tidal which can be such a powerful addition to solving climate disruption.
“Thanks also to Orcadians for their kind hospitality.
The documentary will be shown on the HBO channel in the US next month.
Ice On Fire asks whether humanity can now reverse climate change, highlighting the critical impact that rising global temperatures and climate instability are having on the planet. While delivering a stark message on the scale and severity of the climate challenge, the film also has a hopeful message, exploring the efforts being made around the world to bring CO2 out of the atmosphere and pave the way for a reduction in global temperatures.
Ms Conners and the documentary’s director of photography, Harun Mehmedinovic, filmed the Orkney segment of Ice on Fire in 2017, focusing on Orbital Marine Power’s tidal turbine and the work of the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC).
Filming in the islands was supported by the Digital Media Orkney Project, which is funded by LEADER and co-managed by Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Orkney Islands Council.
Ms Conners said: “Orkney was an incredible location and the renewable energy technologies in Orkney are unparalled, truly. Thanks also to Orcadians for their kind hospitality.
Mr Kermode, managing director of EMEC, said: “EMEC were delighted to support the Ice On Fire documentary, which has allowed us to share the important work being carried out at our state-of-the-art wave and tidal test sites.
“Mankind’s use of technology got us
into this dangerous position and new technologies and new thinking will need to get us out of it. We firmly believe marine renewables will be part of that technical fightback.”
Ice on Fire will premiere at the Grand Théâtre Lumière, Cannes, on the May 22. It will be shown on US TV in June.
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