Note: The film is in English (partly with English subtitles), and the panel discussion will also be conducted in English.
Programme
17:00 Doors open: sandwich and fruit (included in the ticket)
17:15 Film (120 min)
19:30 Panel discussion with director Abby Martin
Venue and fika
Venue: Aulan Folkuniversitetet Nygatan 43, Umeå
Fika: vegan
About the film
Earth’s Greatest Enemy is a groundbreaking environmental documentary highlighting the fact that the U.S. military is exempt from international climate agreements. It emits carbon dioxide, pollutes water, and destroys landscapes around the world. By combining investigative journalism, striking visuals, and stories from affected communities, the film challenges the audience to reconsider the hidden costs of a global military empire and its effects on the planet. The film is provocative, urgent, and eye-opening.
About the Panel Discussion
In recent years, a global rise in right-wing authoritarianism has challenged fundamental values such as democracy, human rights, and solidarity, while deepening social and political divisions. In the U.S., particularly since Donald Trump came to power, shifting norms have further intensified polarization and put previously taken-for-granted principles under pressure. Given the country’s global influence, examining these developments is especially relevant — not as a critique of the U.S. alone, but as part of a broader commitment to a more peaceful, democratic, and sustainable world grounded in respect for the environment and human rights.
The panel
Abby Martin is the director of the movie, a journalist who has reported on the Iraq War and founded Media Roots (an independent media platform) to highlight local and global issues. During Occupy Oakland in 2011, she documented police violence against peaceful demonstrators, which brought her international attention. In 2014, she launched The Empire Files, a non-profit media platform producing socially relevant journalism focusing on US foreign policy and militarism. By interviewing politicians, celebrities, and academics, and through her uncompromising approach to her work, she has become a central figure within alternative media.
Stellan Vinthagen is a Swedish researcher particularly known for his work on nonviolence and civil disobedience. He is a professor of sociology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA, as well as the founder and research leader of the Resistance Studies Group, and a former guest professor at the University of Gothenburg. He is also recognised for his activism, lectures, and books in fields such as social movements, conflict resolution, and strategies for peaceful change.
David Swanson is an American author, activist, and advocate for peace. He is one of the founders of the organisation World Beyond War, which strives to create a world without war through global peace activism and awareness-raising. He has written several books on war, peace, and American politics, including War Is a Lie, When the World Outlawed War, and Peace Almanac. He has a background in philosophy and literature and is a respected lecturer and educator in the subject of “peace culture" - a way of thinking and living that rejects war and violence as inevitable or acceptable options.
The discussion will be led by Ingvar Rönnbäck, founder and chair, Another Development Foundation.
Collaboration
This event is a collaboration between Folkuniversitetet, Studieförbundet Bilda, Spark! Human Rights Film Festival and Another Development Foundation – People, Places & Planet
