Werner Boote on truth-telling, responsibility, and finding hope in the details
For more than two decades, acclaimed Austrian filmmaker Werner Boote has travelled the world exposing some of the most confronting environmental realities of our time, from the plastic crisis, to corporate greenwashing, to the systems driving inequality and ecological collapse. His documentaries Plastic Planet, Population Boom and The Green Lie have influenced global audiences, sparked policy change, and challenged us to rethink how we live and consume.
Now, as he turns his lens to the defining challenges of our century, Boote has come to Ecopia. A place he describes as “marvellous” and “full of care,” to explore what resilience and regeneration can look like in practice.
Welcome to Eco Leaders, a curated interview series by Ecopia. Each conversation invites you to slow down and sit with people who are reimagining how we live, lead, and care for the planet.
Some of our guests have stayed with us here at Ecopia. Others are planning their first visit. But they all share something in common: a deep commitment to living with intention, heart and with a reverence for the land and its ability to restore us.
We hope you feel as inspired as we do.
You’ve spent your career turning a lens on confronting environmental truths. What first drew you to this kind of storytelling?
It began in 1999 when I read a tiny newspaper article: fish in Devon could no longer reproduce because of plastic waste in the river. It was a nightmare scenario and if true, something the world needed to know. At the same time, I was working as an assistant director on Hollywood films in the Sahara. Even the desert was full of plastic bags blowing across the sand. Those two moments pushed me to make my first cinema documentary, Plastic Planet, about the dangers plastic poses to both human health and the environment.
Your films — Plastic Planet, Population Boom, Everything’s Under Control, The Green Lie — have challenged audiences to think and act differently. Your latest project looks more broadly at three global concerns: climate and species extinction, economic inequality, and military conflict. What inspired this shift?
As a filmmaker you spend years on each documentary — two, four, sometimes eight — researching, investigating, trying to uncover truths people deserve to know. You hope the film won’t just be watched, but that people will act afterward.
That’s what has happened with my previous films. Plastic Planet helped spark new laws — in Austria, across Europe, even in the Emirates, where the Minister of Water and Environment banned plastic bags after watching it.
So with this next film, I hope it continues: that people change habits, pressure politics, and shift the systems harming our future.
What brought you to Ecopia, and why did you choose Kangaroo Island as part of this new film?
There are species here facing real threats, and I wanted to document them before they disappear. And Ecopia, it is a marvellous, sustainably designed retreat. Every detail reflects care for nature. I wanted to show how places like this are already living a better future.
What struck you most when you arrived at Kangaroo Island and Ecopia?
The attention to detail. Every decision here is thoughtful, sustainable, and practical. Guests can see how easy a more sustainable life can be.
After years educating people about environmental challenges, what does a sustainable life look like for you personally?
Every film changes me. After Plastic Planet, I stopped drinking from plastic bottles and removed plastic from my life wherever possible — especially food and packaging. After The Green Lie, which exposes greenwashing and the damage of palm oil, I avoid products containing palm oil. From Population Boom, I learned how important it is to look after each other and our planet. And what gives me hope is seeing so many people trying to do better — like the people here at Ecopia.
After all these years, what still shocks or surprises you in your work?
Very little shocks me anymore — I spend months researching before filming. But many things make me sad: wars, destruction, injustice. Still, the sadness motivates the work.
What gives you hope — especially now?
People ask why I’m optimistic. It’s because when I travel, I see so many groups, communities, and individuals creating solutions, not waiting for politicians or CEOs. Here at Ecopia, every small detail is made with love and intention. That’s happening everywhere. We are not alone. My documentaries aim to show what we should know and what we could change. When people act — even in small ways — we become stronger together. There won’t be one solution. There are many. One step after another — that’s how the world changes. Thank you for the wonderful time here. You can follow Werner Boote’s work here.
