Solastalgia (/ˌsɒləˈstældʒə/) is a neologism that describes a form of mental or existential distress caused by environmental change. (Glenn Albrecht).

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Short, Lyrical, Dramatic Film

13 mins

2019

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When the panic over global crises threatens to engulf her, Ava embarks on a vision-quest to put things in perspective. 

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SOLASTALGIA is a lyrical  film that explores the anguish that climate change and a global state of uncertainty can impart upon the human psyche.

Ava, a mother of two young children, is bombarded throughout her day with news of global disasters. Over the airwaves, on the internet, overheard at a grocery store - cataclysmic stories of the effects of climate change steadily erode Ava’s inner peace. She acutely feels the burden of guilt for her entire species. She worries about her children's futures. Her mental health is unwinding as she searches for solace and a new perspective. 

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SOLASTALGIA is a film that lies somewhere on the boarder of drama and documentary - essentially it is an ‘inner landscape documentary’ - a lyrical expression of the director's internal world. It utilizes non-traditional, stock and archival sources for some of its imagery. It is set to the formidable poetic verse of Tanya Davis (former poet-laureate of Halifax) and music by Philip Glass, Russell Louder and Devon Ross.

SOLASTALGIA places the human experience within the vast timeline of the earth, poetically evoking the idea that life has meaning with or without us.

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