Lonely Oaks

Lonely Oaks

102' 2023
dir.: Fabiana Fragale, Kilian Kuhlendahl, Jens Muehlhoff

Young activists work to save a forest, blocking an energy corporation's expansion plans. A shocking film where facing the death of the filmmaker tests the limits of sacrifice in defence of nature. 

The fight to save Germany's Hambach Forest from clearance for a vast mine expansion has become one of the most iconic environmental struggles in recent history. Amidst this conflict, as police clear out a protest camp in the forest, a tragedy unfolds: a young filmmaker, who spent years chronicling the activists' endeavours, meets a mysterious death. His footage, which makes up the documentary Lonely Oaks plunges viewers into the heart of the turmoil, among the treetops that house a network of the protesters' hidden sanctuaries. The film's dynamic, vertigo-inducing aerial shots mirror the dizzying moral heights the young filmmaker's questions reach: What are we prepared to forfeit in the fight for our convictions? And in such a battle, can the idea of an impartial observer truly exist? 

Michał Matuszewski 

Festivals

2023 Berlinale  
2023 Sheffield DocFest  
2023 WATCH DOCS IFF (Green Dog Award) 

 

102' 2023 Germany
Director
Fabiana Fragale, Kilian Kuhlendahl, Jens Muehlhoff
Cinematography
Carina Neubohn, Steffen Meyn
Editing
Ulf Albert
Production
Filmproduktion