In Your Palm
In 2016, a study published by Harvard revealed 100,000 premature deaths in Southeast Asia due to a widespread haze crisis. Indonesian provinces such as Sumatra and Kalimantan experienced air quality levels that reached 2,000 AQI, which, according to the EPA, is seven times higher than what is considered hazardous for human health. This toxic haze is directly connected to fires burning carbon-dense peatlands in Indonesia, releasing pollutants exceeding the average daily emissions of the entire U.S economy. Just last year, the fires returned - putting the region on the brink of yet another climate and public health crisis.
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What is causing these fires and why is no one talking about it?
“In Your Palm” is a short documentary revealing a link between the annual fires in Indonesia and an ingredient that all of us are unknowingly consuming every day: palm oil. Filmed over two years across five countries, In Your Palm exposes the reality of local communities living next to industrial-scale palm oil plantations, which intentionally burn vast land to grow the world’s most lucrative vegetable oil.
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Director: Carter Kirilenko
Producer: Carter Kirilenko
Cinematography: Godfrey Cheng and Carter Kirilenko
Editor: Finley MacNeil
Music Score: Danahyah Evans