Today marks the debut of creative director Niranjan Raghu’s strange short film Lungs Lined with Moss, which invites viewers on a transforming voyage of reflection and environmental concern. In this avant-garde short film, Niranjan Raghu skillfully weaves together visuals, music, and storytelling to explore the most pressing issue of today. Through a powerful narrative and evocative imagery, Lungs Lined with Moss delves into the urgent need to preserve the right to think and the imperative of embracing kindness and sustainability in the face of a burning planet.
“Uncertainty causes fear when it threatens our right to think for ourselves — and a burning planet ensures we lose that right. We are firmly set on that path today, with every man-made system extracting natural resources without pause or compassion to serve economic and (perceived) social growth. At an entire planet’s expense,” said Niranjan Raghu.
“This is unsustainable, and hence the concept of degrowth is important to pace ourselves and in turn, preserve our world while living with kindness. This kind future is written deeply in our sense of community. An amicable world that employs degrowth is the direct path towards that future. In other words, the choice is a degrowth world, or no world at all,” added Raghu.
ABOUT THE FILM
Lungs Lined with Moss is a short film that proposes kindness and acceptance as the first steps in correcting the world’s current course, and the right path to preserve the basic right to think. And in doing so, preserve all of the deeply interconnected, interdependent ecosystems.
The film consists of carefully arranged visuals revolving around decay as an extant form of life dead harvesters on desertified farmland, melting hoarfrost turning to raging oceans, the shimmer of hope in nuclear energy, and a new planet in which the future chooses to remember the people who chose to stay behind. The surreal colour story devised by Meghna M, along with the avant-garde soundtrack by Roshan C Machayya add up to specific emotions: pain, fond nostalgia, and the song of interconnected ecosystems that resonates deep within everyone.
The crushing weight of the future of humanity rests heavy on everyone now — weighed down further every year by anthropogenic action, as well as the gross incompetence of policymakers to do the right thing: preserve interconnected ecosystems, and build a world around degrowth, not exploitation. As ecologist Carl Safina writes : “We are sacrificing our money, sacrificing what is big and permanent, to prolong what is small, temporary, and harmful. We’re sacrificing animals, peace, and children to retain wastefulness – while enriching those who disdain us.”
The children in the future will suffer losing their right to live, and hence their right to think. Not this generation. It is up to everyone today to invite a better future for all of them.