Activists perched in trees, legal appeals, zad, a commission of inquiry, alternative projects… For almost two years and the start of work on the A69 motorway, which will link Toulouse to Castres, the fight against this infrastructure is in full swing in Tarn and Haute-Garonne.
Widely publicized on a national scale, in particular thanks to the three large gatherings organized near Castres at the call of the Earth Uprisings, the fight against the A69 takes several forms, several modes of action and brings together multiple collectives or associations . This is precisely what Isabelle Haelvoët, director of the documentary Alliances terrestreswanted to tell in this 89-minute film.
The title of the documentary reflects an essential reality: the creation of alliances between various actors — activists, farmers, scientists and citizens — united by the same desire to protect this territory and its resources. The director sensitively illustrates the solidarity that is built in resistance, despite the tensions and pressures exerted by prefectures and state forces.
The film thus celebrates the collective intelligence and ingenuity deployed to confront the disproportionate means implemented by the State. More radical activists in the zad fight alongside citizens, climbers join forces with scientists… The documentary is an ode to the complementarity of modes of action.
Strength of struggle
At the heart of the documentary, of course, the A69 motorway. A project which symbolizes the clash between two world views. On the one hand, that of economic development based on concrete, growth and road expansion ; on the other, a more collective design, respectful of ecosystems and local ways of life.
The documentary highlights the direct consequences of this project: destruction of agricultural land, fragmentation of natural habitats and lasting ecological impacts. The images of threatened landscapes, interspersed with poignant testimonies, underline the absurdity of this project in view of current climate challenges. Isabelle Haelvoët draws on her own images, but also on archives or videos filmed by activists.
The documentary is not limited to the simple denunciation of a controversial infrastructure project, but offers an in-depth reflection on the environmental, social and human issues that arise from it. Through a poetic and documented story, he gives a voice to those who speak out against this project and, more broadly, against a productivist logic threatening our ecosystems.
Alternating between wide shots of threatened landscapes and more intimate scenes of gatherings, the production plays on a duality between the fragility of nature and the strength of the struggle. The scenes of felled trees and areas flattened by enormous machines are contrasted with those of collective jubilation between activists. The film is punctuated by poetic, almost meditative readings taken from the book by economist Geneviève Azam Letter to the Earth — And the Earth responds.
Hymn to resistance
This documentary also goes beyond the framework of a simple local fight, to be part of a global reflection. We thus find throughout the film the sociologist Geneviève Pruvost, who evokes the need to « repoliticize our daily lives » and returns to the notions of subsistence and freedom with an ecofeminist perspective. Bridges are also established with other struggles for the preservation of life, notably the Chipko movement, born in India in the 1970s and led by the ecofeminist Vandana Shiva, or more recently the defense of the Hambach forest, in Germany .
Filming of the documentary continued until the end of last March, and the provisional victory of the activists on the Crem’Arbre site who obtained a truce for the felling of trees. A few months later, the area was razed, but other occupations multiplied everywhere along the 53 km route, leading to ever more intense repression against activists.
Isabelle Haelvoët’s film is ultimately a hymn to resistance, where citizens, scientists, seasoned activists, sociologists and farmers take turns. The struggle is a way, as they confide, to emancipate oneself, to move from despair to collective action, to come together and hope to build a world more respectful of human beings and nature.
The documentary is regularly screened throughout France, often accompanied by a discussion after the screening. The screenings can be found here.
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