State of Necessity

Autumn 2019: A group of activists dressed as clowns play a game of tennis at a Crédit Suisse branch in Lausanne. Their aim is to seek out Roger Federer, for whom the bank is one of the main sponsors, to draw his attention to the toxic investments of the Swiss financial center. This action caused a worldwide sensation when a Vaud judge acquitted the activists a few months later, justifying their action with the threat of climate change. However, this was only the first step on a long legal journey that would take the young activists all the way to the European Court of Human Rights. This film takes a behind-the-scenes look at some of the episodes of climate justice. It is an intimate, powerful, sometimes funny and moving journey that takes the protagonists through the offices of lawyers and the back alleys of the courts. A journey with countless pitfalls, tensions, hopes, bitter disappointments and fleeting triumphs.
The film will be shown in French with German subtitles.
After the film, it will be possible to ask the director questions about his work via Zoom. There will also be a discussion on the criminalization of climate activists.