Brand takes visual route to promote green agenda

Pictures taken by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, a director of Terra, while shooting the documentary[Photo provided to China Daily]

It's not the first time that luxury has been aligned with environmental causes, but probably the first time through a visual and emotional feast.

Swiss luxury watchmaker Omega recently held in Beijing a special screening of the documentary Terra, in collaboration with GoodPlanet Foundation, a Paris-based NGO that supports sustainability.

The 90-minute movie traces the natural history of the Earth and human beings, shedding light on how human activities have affected the planet and other living species.

Michael Pitiot, who directed the movie with renowned photographer and environmentalist Yann Arthus-Bertrand, attended the screening.

Pitiot says that he hopes Terra will raise the public's environmental awareness and encourage people to take responsibility to protect the Earth.

"The film is not about something that is far from us. It is about us, our history and the connection between humans and nature. As things are a little bad, we all need to be committed to the change," he says.

The movie took two years to make and features more than 20 countries including the rain forest in Venezuela, Botswana, Russia and China.

The director also worked with Li Gang, a renowned Chinese photographer who is best known for his shots of horses in the snow the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

Pitiot recalls that they had to shoot with helicopters in Siberia. When in the rain forest in Venezuela, they set up a camp and stayed there for a week for the light to improve.

Aside from overall consideration for all living species, Pitiot calls for more awareness about small animals and plants.