Footprints (Dokumentation)
Story >>>
Thanks to a highly successful campaign conducted in recent years, the problem of land mines has attracted a great deal of publicity in the media. The Ottawa Convention of 1997 prohibits the production, storage, use and passing on of anti-personnel mines. Unfortunately some big countries have not signed up to the convention. The USA is a case in hand. Land mines are still manufactured in various countries and are still used by countries at war.
Arms manufacturers in several countries (including Germany) have circumvented the prohibition imposed on landmines by developing new bomb systems. Cluster bombs have been developed for example. They have a far more devastating effect than land mines. 500 or so cluster bombs are jettisoned from aircraft at the same time. Of these only about 60 to 70 percent explode. The rest remain in the ground - most of them just under the surface - and are lethal in the same way as mines are. This type of mines can not be defused. The only way to render them harmless is to explode them. It does not seem to disturb the manufacturers and armies around the world that the "mines" are discovered by civilians after the wars are over, often with fatal consequences.
The International Red Cross is planning a global campaign over the mid-term against cluster bombs. The objective is to prohibit the use of these bombs by a convention to be signed by the international community. Our film is in support of this campaign.
THE CONTENTS
The contents of the film show on the one hand the destructive effect of cluster bombs and unexploded ordnance (UXO). The effects take several forms. Cluster bombs not only maim and kill, they also prevent farmers from returning to their land and shepherds returning to their flocks. They render roads unusable and entire regions uninhabitable. In short, they turn a living homeland into desolate territory.
On the other hand the film also tries to illustrate the political and military background leading to the use of these dreadful bombs.
Crew >>>
Director: Ben Hopkins | Script: Hans W. Geißendörfer und Ben Hopkins | Coordination: Christopher Horwood | Camera: Gary Clarke
FOOTPRINTS is a Co-production of gff, Köln, and "Tigerlily Films", London. The film was made on location.
