Date: Monday 28 May 2012
Time: 7-9pm
Venue: Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Speakers: Pierre Lacourt, Professor Eric Neumayer, Benjamin Poumey

The international premiere of Pierre Lacourt's 2011 film, Back to Earth (Retour sur Terre) presented in association with the Swiss Embassy, London.

Oil is our daily energy staple. Or is it a drug our society has been flying high on for over a century? And isn't it time we started getting ready to detox ?

Pierre Lacourt sets up temporary home in a petrol station and engages Alain, the petrol attendant, in his search for answers. Together they turn that symbolic microcosm - where money meets energy - into a stage where they re-evaluate their own beliefs and carry out experiments to illustrate the extent of our addiction and dependence. For good measure, they call in energy and environment experts to take stock and predict the different paths - some optimistic, some less so - we may have to go down in the future.

The film screening will be followed by a panel discussion with the film's director Pierre Lacourt, the film's producer Benjamin Poumey and Eric Neumayer, professor of Environment and Development and head of the Department of Geography and Environment at LSE.

The LIDF is the UK’s largest documentary festival. Running each year for over a week, it takes place at many venues across London and offers an unprecedented snapshot of the contemporary world as seen through the preoccupations of documentary filmmakers. Alongside established names like Martin Scorsese and Steve Soderberg, the festival also presents the best emerging talent from around the globe.

The films are always both pretext and context for discussion. Always entertaining, moving, and provocative. The LIDF adopts a questioning, critical attitude to the cultural, social and political issues of the day, engaging with filmmakers, their subjects, academics, cultural commentators, and our audience to create a highly distinct public forum for dialogue and interaction.

The LIDF 2012 runs from 24 May to 2 June at various venues. The gala screening on the Festival's opening night, Thursday 24 May will also be held at LSE, Shadows of Liberty.

Suggested hashtag for this event for Twitter users: #lseLIDF

Ticket Information

This event is free and open to all however a ticket is required.

Update, Monday 28 May, 3pm: The ticket line for this event has now closed. There are still tickets remaining, and these will be available on the door on a first come, first served basis.

For any queries email events@lse.ac.uk.

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CPD

This event has been certified for CPD purposes by the CPD Certification Service. Self-Assessment Record forms will be made available for delegates wishing to record further learning and knowledge enhancement for Continuing Personal and Professional Development (CPD) purposes. For delegates who wish to obtain a CPD Certificate of Attendance, it is the responsibility of delegates to register their details with a LSE steward at the end of the event and as of 1 September 2014 a certificate will be sent within 28 days of the date of the event attended by the CPD Certification Service. If a delegate fails to register their details at the event, it will not prove possible to issue a certificate. (For queries relating to CPD Certificates of attendance after a request please phone 0208 840 4383 or email info@cpduk.co.uk).

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