In an experimental non-fiction film titled We Have Always Lived in the End Times, the portrait of a long struggling community of anarchists, activists and farmers will seek to better understand how/if a radical ecological protest movement can result in a utopian present. Since the early 2000s squatters have occupied a large zone in north-western France earmarked for the construction of a regional €580 million airport. Despite a massive, violent eviction operation in 2018, a surprising number of squatters remained and now over twenty groups have achieved legal status in a situation described as ‘relaxed without full mutual understanding’. Can a viable artistic, intellectual, civic and social way of thinking emerge as a result? As part of preproduction, Russell will visit the area and interview as many of the resident squatters as possible to understand the historical perspectives and ideological positions as well as identify potential community collaborators.
Ben Russell is an American artist, filmmaker and curator. He is currently based in Marseille.
