The University of Manchester’s Humanities Environmental Sustainability team screened Emily Munro’s 2021 documentary film for its inaugural event, the first in a series to showcase and celebrate the diverse work on the environment by colleagues, alumni and students.

Colleagues and students gathered in the Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama on Wednesday, 30 April for the Environmental Humanities inaugural event, organised by the Faculty of Humanities’ Environmental Sustainability team alongside Creative Manchester. The event opened with a welcome speech by Dr Anke Bernau, Associate Dean for Environmental Sustainability in the Faculty of Humanities, before Dr Emily Munro’s 2021 documentary Living Proof: A Climate Story was screened for the first time in England.

Emily is Curator of Moving Image at the National Library of Scotland, a filmmaker and a writer. She is also a graduate from the University of Manchester’s Drama department in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures. Her film is an exploration of Scotland’s complex relationship with the global climate crisis through film and music, which draws extensively on archival footage. It has been screened widely in Scotland and abroad and was nominated for a FOCAL International award.

The screening was followed by a round table discussion featuring colleagues from across the Faculty of Humanities: Heather Alberro, Lecturer in Sustainability in the Global Development Institute; Sophie Everest, Lecturer in Film Practice in the Drama department; Henry McPherson, Visiting Lecturer in Free Improvisation and Research Associate with Creative Manchester; and Heather Urquhart, PhD Researcher in the Politics department. The discussion delved into Emily’s filmmaking, including her ideation, research process and stylistic choices. After questions from the audience, colleagues and students were invited to talk to Emily and network at a reception.

Anke, one of the organisers of the event and chair of the panel, said: “We were delighted to host this event, celebrating work by a Humanities alumna. Living Proof is Emily’s second film, and this was its first screening in England. When Emily went to check the set-up before the screening, she met with Karl Spencer, Technical Services and Building Manager, at the John Thaw Studio, who, it turns out, had taught her editing when she was a student here!

“We want to thank all colleagues and students who supported this event and whose questions made the fantastic panel discussion and Q&A such an engaged and engaging experience.”