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A new satirical animation shedding light on the pollution crisis shows UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson drowning in plastic.
Wasteminster is directed by Jorik Dozy and Sil van der Woerd for environmental organization Greenpeace. It is voiced by acclaimed impressionists Jon Culshaw and Matt Forde and produced by Studio Birthplace.
Boris Johnson satirical animation
The animation begins with Johnson at 10 Downing Street speaking to press about being a ‘global leader in tackling plastic pollution’.
Directors Sil and Jorik purposely used direct quotes from the politician and his government, as they didn’t want to ‘put words in the Prime Minister’s mouth’.
During Johnson’s speech, a barrage of plastic starts pouring down from above. Eventually, this causes a surge that floods Downing Street.
The film then cuts to real-life footage of plastic waste that has been discarded overseas.
Greenpeace says the piece aims ‘to put into stark contrast the bold promises the government has made about reducing the environmental impact of plastic, with the reality that plastic production has been rising while the government’.
‘The shocking truth’
Nina Schrank is a Senior Campaigner at Greenpeace. In a statement sent to PBN, she said: “This powerful film will show people the shocking truth about what happens to plastic the government tells us is being recycled.
“And, who better to enlist for the voiceovers than impressionists from the legendary Spitting Image… The impeccable voice talents of Culshaw and Forde.”
“We need a complete ban on all plastic waste exports and legislation to make companies reduce the amount of plastic they produce…”
Sam Chetan-Welsh, Political Campaigner at Greenpeace UK
Moreover, Sam Chetan-Welsh is a Political Campaigner from Greenpeace UK. He added: “The plastic we carefully wash and sort for recycling is being shipped off to other countries… It overwhelms their waste systems. And, much of it ends up illegally dumped or burnt, poisoning local people and polluting oceans and rivers.
“The government could put a stop to this but so far Boris Johnson is only offering half measures.
“We need a complete ban on all plastic waste exports and legislation to make UK companies reduce the amount of plastic they produce in the first place.”
Plastic pollution
Studio Birthplace has also published an animated series and augmented reality app.
The animation aims to help ‘visualize the incredible data related to our abuse of the planet’.
Humanity’s Impact is also written and directed by Sil and Jorik. Sean Lin produces.
It illustrates how a staggering 100,000,000,000 plastic bags are used globally, every year. And, that 1,000,000 plastic bottles are produced every single minute – by showing a town that gets flooded with plastic.
