Why is the lifestyle of consumerism a source of such rage today? How come the privilege of buying goods does not automatically lead to happiness? Why all this emptiness despite our wealth?
Erik Gandini's approach through Surplus is to portray this issue from an emotional rather than a factual perspective. Shot in the US, India, China, Italy, Sweden, Hungary, Canada and Cuba during three years. Surplus is the result of a complicated editing process by talented music composer/editor/percussionist Johan Söderberg.George W Bush's famous "shopping-speech" calling for a war against terrorism that deters the nation from the fear of consumption. Castro responding with hymns to the anti-consumerist, advertising-free island of Cuba. Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer preaching that the computer will give us peace on earth "bringing people together" while Adbuster Kalle Lasn warns that advertising pollutes us mentally, that over-consumption is unsustainable and that we are running out of oil.
Surplus main man is John Zerzan, controversial philosopher whose call for PROPERTY DAMAGE has inspired many to take to the streets. "That is not violence. Sitting there doing dope and watching MTV . Then you go and get a job. Just schlep along. To me that is violence," says Zerzan. "We are terrorized into being consumers."
In November 2003 Surplus was awarded with the most prestigious prize a Documentary can get, The Silver Wolf at Amsterdam's IDFA, and has spread widely around the globe since then.
"... This film about consumerism totally consumed us. It used the language of music video, propaganda and commercial advertising as a response to the forces of globalisation. It fights fire with fire. The questions it raises are ultimately more important than any answers it might suggest. And we believe audiences can only profit from the debate that will ensue. For its originality, sense of humour, irony, forcefulness and visual virtuosity, the Silver Wolf Award goes to SURPLUS." The Jury of the International Documentary Filmfestival in Amsterdam, Nov.2003.
"...juxtaposes images and music with great rythm and technical perfection" Il Manifesto
"Surplus is an open declaration of war on terror" Adbusters Magazine
Surplus was recently awarded with two major international Environmental film awards, FICA in Brazil and ECOCINEMA in Greece "The Cora Coralina prize and trophy, for the greatest of all the productions presented goes to"Surplus",..... for the creative way in which it denounces the current standards of production and consumption, especially in rich countries, as extremely harmful to the environment and to interpersonal relations. The issue, which justified an inspired and surprising editing work, is absent in the media, badly explored in literature, and of fundamental importance for the understanding of the causes of the civilization dilemma that affects everyone in our days."
In October 2004 Surplus was awarded with two Special Mentions at Environmental Film Festival of Torino, the Jury statement is: "Un film che, partendo dai concetti anticonsumistici di un personaggio-contro, sviluppa in maniera dinamica, sarcastica e modernamente aggressiva i pericoli immanenti di un modo di esistere che tutti ci riguarda."
