Keystone Species, short film, 2025
A cultural keystone species is one which is of exceptional significance to a particular culture or a people. These species influence social systems and culture and are a key feature of a community's identity. In many indigenous cultures around the world there are still natural keystone species that are crucial for their survival and thriving.
Our western society seems to have forgotten most of their keystone species, since we are now, more than ever, dependent on governments and big coorperations to fulfill in our daily needs. This also has an effect on how we look at our natural environment. Too often we treath it as mere decoration, as something futile. When we look at these indigenous cultures, there is an immense amount of care and respect for their natural environment, since they deeply understand the mutual dependency that exists between them.
At Nomad City we explore what keystone species can once again play a part in our local context, in our everyday lives, not to go back in time and ignore modern civilazation, but to restore our care and respect for our natural environment, so we can avoid the collapse of natural ecosystems.
This film was made by Elke Cuppens and Stef Lemmens.
‘Keystone Species’ was selected as the Winner of MEOW Short Film Festival 2025 at FAX, Hasselt
A cultural keystone species is one which is of exceptional significance to a particular culture or a people. These species influence social systems and culture and are a key feature of a community's identity. In many indigenous cultures around the world there are still natural keystone species that are crucial for their survival and thriving.
Our western society seems to have forgotten most of their keystone species, since we are now, more than ever, dependent on governments and big coorperations to fulfill in our daily needs. This also has an effect on how we look at our natural environment. Too often we treath it as mere decoration, as something futile. When we look at these indigenous cultures, there is an immense amount of care and respect for their natural environment, since they deeply understand the mutual dependency that exists between them.
At Nomad City we explore what keystone species can once again play a part in our local context, in our everyday lives, not to go back in time and ignore modern civilazation, but to restore our care and respect for our natural environment, so we can avoid the collapse of natural ecosystems.
This film was made by Elke Cuppens and Stef Lemmens.
‘Keystone Species’ was selected as the Winner of MEOW Short Film Festival 2025 at FAX, Hasselt