Earth Day marked by C4 season

Channel 4 is to mark Earth Day with two science films from Arrow Media and Century Films, supported by a year-long project from virtual artist John Gerrard.   

The broadcaster’s Man-Made Planet season gets underway on Earth Day (22 April).

Programming around the period includes an hour-long film from Growth Fund indie Arrow Media, Man-Made Planet: Earth From Space (working title).

The documentary from the Live From Space producer will explore how humanity has transformed the planet since Apollo 17 astronauts captured the Earth in a single frame for the first time in 1972.

It was ordered by head of specialist factual John Hay and will be executive produced by Ash Potterton. John Smithson is the creative director while Kenny Scott will direct.

Separately, Century Films is to produce Escape to Costa Rica (working title).

The 3 x 60-minute series following science writer Gaia Vince as she moves from Britain with her young family to explore one of the world’s most biologically dynamic countries. Vince will explore initiatives such as Costa Rica’s national grid, which is powered by volcanoes and rovers, as it bids to become the first carbon-neutral country on earth.

Escape to Costa Rica was commissioned by head of factual Ralph Lee and will be executive produced by Katie Bailiff and Brian Hill. Eoin O’Shea will direct.

Spindletop

Alongside the two programmes, Hay has commissioned a year-long major digital piece from artist John Gerrard.

Western Flag (Spindletop, Texas) 2017 depicts the site of the Lucas Gusher – the world’s first major oil find - as a digitally-simulated moving image which updates in real-time to capture the passing of time.

The silent work will break into C4’s schedule on Earth Day and be made available via a dedicated section on online service All 4. It will also be shown on a screen in the courtyard of Somerset House for one week.

“As a channel, we exist to find fresh ways of talking about the great issues of our time, and this season does exactly that,” said Hay. 

“I’m particularly proud to be collaborating with an artist whose amazing work will – I believe – be seen by future generations as both prescient and profound.”