Be the Love - EN Version

B E T H E
you want to see in the world
L O V E
their message to the earth

Contents
Foreword..............................................................................................................................3
Arvol looking horse : the heart of everything that is...................................................5
The Dalaï-lama : universal peace and responsibility ....................................................7
Vandana Shiva : for a living earth....................................................................................9
AMMA : the path of love.....................................................................................................11
Autumn Pelletier : the sacred soul of water ................................................................13
Greta Thunberg : Unite Behind the Science & Unite Behind Love .....................................15
Naoto Matsumura : the last man in Fukushima ...............................................................17
Chamseddine Marzoug : The cemetery for the unknown .................................................19
Author : Sofia Stril-rever...................................................................................................21
Director : Alexandre Bouchet.............................................................................................22

may be threatened by the collapse of its ecosystems, but there are positive global
Humanity
that raise awareness and are a powerful source of inspiration. Everywhere in the world,
initiatives
are emerging and giving new meaning to collective effort. A call for universal responsibility,
figures
people through the crucial message that all forms of life on Earth are interconnected and
mobilizing
decided to meet with some of these inspiring figures. They all display immense respect: a
We
of love and veneration for the Earth. To avoid disaster, these everyday heroes are laying the
message
for a major change in our values, a cultural change requiring the adoption of a new
foundations
system centred on a profound respect for the Earth.
economic
United Nations has been sounding the alarm over the deterioration of the environment since
The
and has organized meetings of world leaders with a view to stimulating the collective capacity
1972
manage these global problems. Humans must consider themselves the guardians of the planet and
to
regarding nature as an inexhaustible stock of resources at the service of the world economy.
stop
wisdom of the Dalai Lama, Vandana Shiva’s ecological revolution or the shared love of Amma
The
the foundations of a relational process that not only brings people together but also
provide
them with their natural environment. They draw these lessons from numerous sources of
reconnects
such as indigenous communities who call this "living well".
inspiration,
memory, territory, choices, commitment, action and love, this series of documentary
Through
aims to provide some clues as to how we can reimagine our way of being in the world,
portraits
the planet and initiate a metamorphosis. The presentation in images of their peaceful
regenerate
aims to provide a positive energy and ask us collectively what can be done at the individual
combat
will present their peaceful combat, the positive energy that they convey and the concrete
We
that they propose, mixing portraits and sequences of immersion in their daily lives. Like the
solutions
waged by Naoto Matsumura on his farm in the Fukushima disaster region or the lesson in
struggle
given by Chamseddine Marzoug with his Cemetery for the Unknown.
humanity
foreword
biological diversity plays a vital role in the survival of humanity.
level.
3

visions that intersect, advocating a harmonious relationship with nature, also offer a message
These
love and hope, contributing to the change of paradigm necessary to achieve the 2030 Agenda and
of
17 Sustainable Development Goals. Each of us feels called upon to rise to the new challenges of
the
time, to invent a democracy of the Earth and co-create a civilization of the living world.
our
4

South Dakota, we will meet
In
Arvol Looking Horse on his
Chief
land, in the "heart of
native
that is", the
everything
Black Hills site
spectacular
has the shape of a human
which
outlined by the terrain
heart,
vegetation.
and
is crossed by rivers and
It
like arteries and veins.
streams,
the sky, the flow of the
From
creates a pumping effect,
water
the beats of the heart of
like
that is, accompanied
everything
as a peacemaker
Recognized
the United Nations, the
by
States, Canada and
United
Chief of the Lakota,
Australia,
Nakota Nation, he has
Dakota,
several prizes and
received
and has met with the
awards,
Lama and Desmond Tutu.
Dalai
work focuses on the
His
of the world
unification
ARVOL LOOKING HORSE :
THE HEART OF EVERYTHING THAT IS
community.
by rhythmic Lakota drum songs.
"I became aware of the importance of the
sacred sites at the age of 12. Our people have
strived to protect sacred sites
since the origin of time."
- ARVOL LOOKING HORSE
Be the Love 5

Arvol Looking Horse’s Be The Love declaration will be filmed on the sacred lands of the Lakota
Chief
nation, in South Dakota, at the site known as “the heart of everything that is”, He Sapa in the
first
language. He will explain his people’s prophecy, in which it is said that we are now at a
Lakota
either we unite in spiritual way as a people of the Earth, or chaos will ensue.
crossroads:
Be the Love 6

will meet the Dalai Lama in
We
in the north of India,
Dharamsala
he has been in exile for
where
than half a century. He
more
at the base of the
lives
mountain range, in the
Dhauladar
of the Himalayas. On
foothills
other side of the snowy
the
lies his native country,
peaks
"the roof of the world”,
Tibet,
the heavens. It is a
touching
of sages who have come to
land
frontiers of wisdom, yogis
the
in meditation
experienced
that reveal the true
exercises
of reality through a deep
nature
of the mind. They
understanding
kept alive the ancient
have
of these "internal”
traditions
that the Dalai Lama
sciences,
in an innovative
introduced
with internationally
dialogue
experts, including in
renowned
field of environment.
the
spiritual leader of the Tibetan
The
is the Kalachakra lineage
peoples
known as "The Wheel Of
holder,
a system of meditation on
Time",
destinies of the world which
the
multiple
reveals
between living
interdependencies
On the basis of this
things.
modern intuition in the
singularly
Buddhist wisdom, the
ancestral
Lama insists on the unity of
Dalai
global family.
the
teaches the notion of
He
responsibility,
universal
value was recognized
whose
the award of the Nobel
with
Prize in 1989, and
Peace
was the subject of a
which
in the United
resolution
Senate in July 2015.
States
senators honoured the
The
Lama’s role in the
Dalai
of universal
promotion
"a guiding tenet
responsibility,
how human beings should
for
one another and the
treat
that all human beings
planet
share”.
LE DALAÏ-LAMA :
UNIVERSAL PEACE AND RESPONSIBILITY
Be the Love 7

condition for
necessary
survival of humanity
the
"Each individual is
fundamentally
responsible for the
well-being of
humanity and the
Earth, because the
Earth is our only
home. We have no
other shelter."
- DALAÏ-LAMA
will show the
Images
stupa, a
Kalachakra
powerful
symbolic
constructed
monument,
the Dalai Lama’s
inside
residence,
and
of the
sequences
ritual, which
Kalachakra
place every year
takes
Namgyal, the Dalai
at
Lama’s
monastery.
personal
his Be The Love,
In
the Dalai
declaration,
will in particular
Lama
the importance
explain
assuming universal
of
responsibility
as he
individually,
this to be a
believes
in this third millennium.
Be the Love 8

Shiva, an icon of the
Vandana
revolution and alter-
green
is the face and
globalization
of a Living Earth. Her
voice
have enabled the
actions
of more than five
preservation
varieties of seeds
thousand
by patenting and
threatened
commodification of living
the
things.
will meet her in
We
her hometown in
Dehradun,
India. It is here that
North
created the Earth
she
whose teams
University
solutions to regenerate
test
planet that is
the
by an
threatened
economy. A
extractivist
which, in the space
system
50 years, barely the blink
of
an eye on the universe’s
of
scale, has disrupted the
time
cycle and
carbon
the biosphere’s
compromised
for self-regulation.
capacity
is why Vandana Shiva
This
the urgency of
emphasizes
the soil, by
recarbonizing
with a
experimenting
biodiversity-based
The latter
agriculture.
photosynthesis in
stimulates
with a view to
plants,
as much carbon
removing
as possible from the
dioxide
where it should not be,
air,
reabsorbing it into the
and
where it should be. We
soil,
film her teams who work
will
the conviction that the
with
use of these
widespread
could ultimately
practices
enough CO2 to
sequester
the atmosphere
rebalance
prevent a rise in
and
VANDANA SHIVA :
FOR A LIVING EARTH
Be the Love 9
temperatures.

her Be The Love declaration, Vandana Shiva will explain
In
"Earth Democracy” claims five fundamental human
how
over seeds, water, food, soil and forests,
sovereignties,
an interaction with the totality of living things for the
in
of all. Her fight is inspired by the eternal values of
good
upheld by Gandhi, of ahimsa or non-violence. A
India,
pollinator of consciences, she spawns hope
remarkable
all five continents:
across
« Life never gives up. That is
what gives us hope! The seeds
that we plant one day, always
eventually grow. And what we
must understand is that we are
all sowers of hope. »
- VANDANA SHIVA.
Be the Love 1 0

Indian guru Amma (Mata
The
was born in a
Amritanandamayi)
village in Kerala; she is
fishing
recognized as an
now
a child, she shared what
As
food and clothing she had
little
the poorest people in the
with
and began her habit of
village
them to console them.
hugging
maternal embrace, known
This
Darshan, has become the
as
feature of her world
defining
She has hugged more
tours.
36 million people all over
than
world, consoling them with
the
teaching of "the path of
her
will meet her in her ashram,
We
the "place of
Amritapuri,
Located between
immortality".
Arabian Sea and the
the
Kerala backwaters, it
magnificent
now the headquarters of
is
NGO, one of the largest
Amma’s
organizations in
humanitarian
specializing in disaster
India,
and serving as a consultant
relief,
AMMA
THE PATH OF LOVE
international
humanitarian
figure.
love".
to the United Nations.
Be the Love 1 1

will film the daily prayer ceremonies that begin
We
the gentle light of the rising sun, with the fire
in
and the chanting of the 1,000 names of
sacrifice,
Divine Mother, followed by several hours of
the
and yoga. In Amma’s ashram, spirituality
meditation
not reduced to contemplation. The day is also
is
to the practice of "seva", selfless service
devoted
one of Amma’s many charitable works, such as
in
hospital that she founded, one of the most
the
in the country which gives free treatment
modern
the most disadvantaged. In the evening, the
to
or devotional chants resound in the golden
bhajans
of dusk, celebrating the love that the
light
have inspired in the sacred temple of
followers
her Be The Love declaration, Amma will
In
about her intense love for humanity. She
speak
explain how this love enabled her to create
will
NGO, "Embracing the World", which has
her
into a vast network of orphanages,
developed
centres, hospitals, social services,
health
training centres, microloan
schools,
and environmental projects all
programmes,
over the world.
their hearts.
Be the Love 1 2

will meet 16-year-old
We
Peltier on her native
Autumn
of Manitoulin, in
island
Canada. Aged 13,
Ontario,
asked the United Nations
she
Assembly in New
General
to give the same rights
York
the same protection to
and
as to human beings. In
water
and 2019, addressing
2018
United Nations, she
the
for a revolt against the
called
of water sources
pollution
damage to the
and
that results
environment
irresponsible
from
Chief Water
Nation
she now
Commissioner,
a group which
heads
the demands of
represents
40 First Nations of
the
(Canada). An activist
Ontario
the oil pipeline
against
in the United
proposals
and Canada, she
States
the awareness
symbolizes
young people of the
among
to act as quickly as
need
in order to preserve
possible
planet.
the
Peltier’s fight for
Autumn
defends a
water
human right,
fundamental
in the 2030
enshrined
as an SDG
Agenda
Development
(Sustainable
and highlights a crucial
Goal)
of our times linked to
issue
financialization of “blue
the
gold”.
AUTUMN PELLETIER
THE SACRED SOUL OF WATER
Anishnaabe
Appointed
industrialization.
Be the Love 1 3

her Be The Love declaration, Autumn Peltier will
In
about the values inherited from her ancestral
talk
which inspire her peaceful fight as a water
culture,
At the 2017 United Nations forum, she
warrior.
declared :
"Growing up and understanding
how everything is linked to
water, and the extent to which
our waterways are vital is
surprising in itself. My people
still live on the land, we eat
game, we collect medicinal
plants, our water sources are
essential for the provision of
drinking water to millions of
people".
- AUTUMN PELLETIER.
Be the Love 1 4

will meet Greta Thunberg
We
front of the Swedish
in
where she
Parliament,
the movement that
launched
become the global school
has
strikes. The Fridays
climate
Future movement has
For
all over the world,
spread
in countries where
including
have been
demonstrators
or arrested, such as
punished
Russia, Ukraine and
in
as well as in
Afghanistan,
where the climate
countries
threatens the survival
crisis
the inhabitants, as in
of
Africa and the
southern
islands.
Pacific
icon for the climate
An
Greta Thunberg has
generation,
combined her climate
always
with a call for social
demands
She makes a point of
justice.
her media coverage with
sharing
young anonymous
other
who are in the
activists
of the battle against
frontlines
warming and for the
global
example, at her press
For
during COP 25 in
conference
at which more than a
Madrid,
journalists from all over
hundred
world were present, she
the
with several young First
arrived
representatives and,
Nation
a very short speech, gave
after
the floor. Her goal was to
them
media attention to the
draw
Indian peoples’ plight
American
the earth wisdom that is
and
for the regeneration of
crucial
planet.
the
this same spirit, during her
In
in the United States in the
stay
of 2019, she met with
autumn
First Nations and visited
the
Rock, a symbol of
Standing
resistance. It
environmental
there that her historic
was
with Chief Arvol
meeting
GRETA THUNBERG :
UNITE BEHIND THE SCIENCE & UNITE BEHIND LOVE
Looking Horse took place.
protection of biodiversity.
Be the Love 1 5

her Be The Love declaration, she will explain the
In
Unite Behind the Science, that was
slogan
on the sail of the boat in which she
displayed
the Atlantic. She will talk to us about how
crossed
she learned from the First Nations, who gifted
what
the name "woman who came from the heavens",
her
changed her perspective on her fight and
has
her to continue her movement. Is this
inspired
woman, who has agreed to appear on the
young
of the Dalai Lama’s book calling young people
cover
participate in a “revolution of compassion”,
to
to add Unite Behind Love to her slogan,
prepared
Unite Behind the Science?
"Our house is burning. [...] I want you to feel the fear that I feel every
day. And I want you to act. I want you to act as you would in a crisis."
- GRETA THUNBERG.
Be the Love 1 6

Fukushima, we will meet
In
Matsumura. He is known
Naoto
the Last Man in Fukushima
as
after the nuclear
because
explosion in March
reactor
he refused to evacuate
2011,
area, which has been
the
as top secret by the
classified
Government. He hid
Japanese
escape the forced eviction
to
survivors by the authorities,
of
to leave the irradiated
refusing
will film Naoto in his daily
We
on his farm where he has
life
his existence as a
organized
of one of the
survivor
disasters of our
greatest
We will also meet those
time.
NAOTO MATSUMURA :
THE LAST MAN IN FUKUSHIMA
support his struggle and
who
him with non-
supply
irradiated food.
of his ancestors and the
land
abandoned animals. In
various
solitude of Fukushima,
the
by the nuclear
irradiated
Naoto Matsumura
accident,
that even when there is
shows
left, conscience
nothing
the vital force of
remains,
who listen to their
those
conscience.
« We must listen to our intuition and
understand that we are a humble part of
this delicate fabric of relations that is called life.
We do not exploit or
destroy it. »
- NAOTO MATSUMURA.
Be the Love 1 7

his Be The Love declaration, Naoto Matsumura will explain how he manages to calmly declare on the
In
of Fukushima, ravaged by human recklessness, that humans are neither exploiters nor destroyers
site
life. With exemplary strength, he demonstrates his links with the natural world, and the respect and
of
that he continues to offer to other living things, at the risk of his own life.
care
Be the Love 1 8

meet Chamseddine Marzoug
We
the Cemetery for the
at
His hometown Zarzis
Unknown.
a small Tunisian port near the
is
border, at the frontline of
Libyan
European migrant crisis.
the
the coast, the sea washes
Along
the frequently dismembered
up
of dozens of drowned
bodies
migrants. Some no
sub-Saharan
have arms or legs.
longer
they do not even
Sometimes
heads. Chamseddine
have
to allow these corpses
refuses
a world divided by opposing
In
Chamseddine offers
identities,
and unity. He says
brotherhood
the Cemetery for the
that
does not have any
Unknown
or gravestones, since it
crosses
CHAMSEDDINE MARZOUG :
THE CEMETERY FOR THE UNKNOWN
be thrown into mass graves.
to
2011, he has been burying
Since
with his own hands, with
them
as his brothers and
tenderness,
in humanity, thinking of
sisters
families who will never
their
if their parent, child,
know
or sister is still alive.
brother
welcome all religions and
should
a place of peace and love.
be
« Life rejected them. So, let us not reject them
in death by denying them a dignified burial. It’s
the least we can do. You take nothing with you
on your final journey ».
- CHAMSEDDINE MARZOUG.
Be the Love 1 9

his Be The Love declaration, Chamseddine will explain his heartfelt anguish, when he spoke to the
In
of the European Parliament in April 2017, urging them to “protect humans and not borders”,
members
adding that, "I no longer expect anything from the governments of Europe or Tunisia, only the
but
can change things.”
people
endeavour highlights a
Chamseddine’s
of our times, which is likely to
tragedy
worse, and the responses to it
become
contradict fundamental human
that
Are we not all potential
rights.
What will happen when the
migrants?
disasters forecast by
environmental
scientists from more than 150
15,000
strike, which United Nations
countries
say could result in 250 million
experts
in the years to come? This
refugees
of Zarzis is fighting not only
fisherman
the sub-Saharan migrants, but also
for
generally for the humanity of
more
and of tomorrow. Does his care
today
the drowned not represent a final
for
for a human world faced
opportunity
the inhumanity and barbarity of
with
of the cruellest abominations of
one
time?
our
Be the Love 2 0

Stril-Rever initiated "BE THE LOVE you want to see in the world", in an
Sofia
of Gandhi, whose exhortation, "Be the change you want to see in the
echo
has become a modern-day mantra. BE THE LOVE are declarations of
world"
to Mother Earth, to humanity and to future generations by charismatic
love
and anonymous heroes of our time. Assembled in a book to be
figures
in September 2020 and in a series of videos projected during
published
events, the BE THE LOVE declarations’ purpose is to unite as many
public
as possible in an emotional intelligence in the service of the larger
people
family. What if in response to the global mobilization of youth and
global
society, the over-riding urgency was the urgency for love?
civil
graduate in Indian Studies, author and lecturer, Sofia Stril-Rever is the
A
biographer of the Dalai Lama with whom she has produced four books
French
have been translated into twenty languages and whose life she
that
in the documentary Dalai Lama, une vie après l’autre (Arte). She is
portrayed
the author of several books with Soeur Emmanuelle, including The
also
of Love and her spiritual testament. In 2016, Sofia Stril-Rever
Madness
the Universal Responsibility, Law and Environment conference
organized
the Paris Bar, bringing together 350 lawyers and international
with
experts and the Dalai Lama. In 2018 and 2019, she organized
environment
Better We, Better World lectures in Dharamsala, with the Dalai Lama and
the
Rinpoche. She spoke to the United Nations in Geneva on
Samdhong
responsibility in 2017 and 2020.
universal
Stril-Rever regularly holds meditation trainings and organizes teaching by Dr Nida Chenagtsang,
Sofia
specialist in traditional Tibetan therapies, at the Jardin de la Paix near Paris.
world
THE AUTHOR
SOFIA STRIL-REVER
Websites: https://www.betterwebetterworld.org and https://www.menlaling.org
Be the Love 2 1

received the Palme d’Argent at the
He
Green Awards Festival. He
Deauville
directed a feature-length
recently
called "Orla Mundo" about a
documentary
of musicians from around the
gathering
to record an album in the middle of
world
Brazilian jungle, and a series entitled
the
Cops”, which investigates
“Green
that fight crimes against the
organizations
environment.
Bouchet has directed more than forty films shown on
Alexandre
French and international channels. Fascinated by the last
several
wilderness regions and the challenges that we face in terms of
great
future of the planet, he frequently addresses these issues in his
the
Some of his documentaries combining human adventure with
films.
investigation of environmental issues have been selected at film
the
such as La guerre de la banquise (The Ice Cap War) at Figra;
festivals,
Monte: Amazonie sous haute tension (The Belo Monte Dam: a
Belo
for the Amazon) at Fipa and Une histoire amazonienne (An
Battle
Story) at Fica.
Amazonian
is currently directing a series entitled Peuples racines (First Peoples) for the Arte channel. These
He
document indigenous communities who fight on a daily basis to save the biodiversity of the
films
in which they live. He also directs fiction, his first short film “José”, a comedy thriller,
environments
the cinema channel prize (BETV / Canal +) at the Brussels Short Film Festival and was selected at
won
THE DIRECTOR
ALEXANDRE BOUCHET
New York Film Festival and the European Film Festival.
the
Be the Love 2 2

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Created
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productions
today.
DELHOMME
LAURENT
- +33 6 03 19 02 35
ld@yemaya.fr
BOUCHET
ALEXANDRE
- +33 6 78 78 17 25
ab@yemaya.fr
France 24 : Reports
PRODUCERS