The idea
ERIS [Climate Stories] will develop the first publication mapping Slovak and Czech examples of climate and environmental storytelling in modern and contemporary audiovisual culture.
While international initiatives such as Good Energy – The Climate Lens™ in Action: Case Studies, BAFTA albert and Futerra’s “Planet Placement Guide”, and the Climate Spring guide “The Climate Stories We Need, From Apocalypse to Regenerative Futures” provide a growing body of research, tools and international case studies, there is currently no comparable resource identifying and contextualising examples from Slovak and Czech screen culture.
The project will fill this gap by researching, selecting and analysing domestic works and making them accessible to filmmakers, screenwriters, students, educators and other audiovisual professionals.
What will we research?
Rather than looking only for films explicitly “about climate change”, the publication will apply a broader climate lens to Slovak and Czech audiovisual storytelling.
We will research examples in scripted fiction, animation and selected non-fiction/television content, examining how stories represent climate change and related themes such as landscape, water and drought, forests, biodiversity, food systems, pollution, energy, consumption, environmental justice and relationships between humans and the natural world.
Examples may range from stories where environmental change drives the plot to subtle representations embedded in characters, settings, dialogue or everyday life.
The aim is to demonstrate that climate storytelling is not a genre: it can be integrated into any kind of story.
Main output
A professionally edited and designed SK–CZ Climate Storytelling Handbook & Curated Mapping, bringing together:
- selected Slovak and Czech audiovisual examples;
- concise analysis explaining their relevance to climate storytelling;
- connections to established international climate-storytelling approaches and research;
- inspiration applicable to future screenwriting and audiovisual production.
The publication will be produced in a format suitable for digital dissemination, education, workshops and industry events, complemented by a limited printed edition where budget allows. The language will be both Slovak and Czech.
If you are interested in an English version, reach out to us at info@erisclimatestories.org
Credits: Anna Tabášková, Ondřej Kazík, Valentína Hučková, Mária Ferenčuhová