Fight for tree-dom

After Hours tracked down acclaimed American environmentalist Julia Hill, the inspiration behind Deepa Mehta’s next, ‘Luna’

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Rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers dedicated their song ‘Can’t stop’ to her, the TV show ‘Simpsons’ paid tribute to her in its 12th season and now our very own Deepa Mehta had declared a dream project, ‘Luna’, based on Julia Hill’s life and mission.

For those of you who came in late, 33-year-old American environmentalist Julia Butterfly Hill is amongst America’s most spoken about environmentalists and best known for living in a 180-foot-tall, 600-year-old tree named ‘Luna’ for 738 days, in protest against an American company that was cutting redwood trees.

Hill, since then, has dedicated her life to the preservation of the environment and become a muse for several international NGO’s, including ‘Earth First’.

Says Hill, who is clearly excited about working with Mehta, “She is a woman of incredible vision and strength. When I met her at Cannes last year, I realised she could tell stories that need to be told with intensity, while at the same time be insightful of beauty and grace.”

Hill’s character will be played by Hollywood actor Rachel Wiesz in the film which also has John Abraham and Dustin Hoffman in prime roles.

“I thought John was perfect for the part; he really resembles Antonio Banderas,” says Julia. “Deepa had in fact asked me whether I would be comfortable playing myself in the film, but I guess with Rachel, the character would a slightly more objective.”

Julia’s life story has been played out in TV and radio, and she understands the unique requirements that depicting it through on film would entail. “I do not expect anyone to be able to tell my story in the same way I tell it.

I know that the final result will be from the perspective of the writer and the editor. I do not want a world of ‘blind followers.’ What I want is a world where people pose questions about harming their own society.”