The Life and Death of Gaia
A brief biography of Planet Earth, from conception until death, told entirely through black-and-white images. It’s a story about the origins of Life, the rise and fall of Homo sapiens, and the emergence of a new planetary consciousness.
A short film by Jerry Toth.
About the Project
Contributions from over 300 photographers from across the world
Principal photography by Yulia Filatova in Mexico City
Featuring Mónica Noguera
Written, directed, edited, and sound mixing by Jerry Toth
Inspired by Chris Marker’s classic Sci-Fi art film La Jeteé (1962)
Music composed by Dmitri Shostakovich, Arnold Schoenberg, Richard Strauss, Sergei Prokofiev, Hector Berlioz, and Franz Liszt
The point of departure for this film is the Gaia Hypothesis, formulated by the ecologists Lynn Margulis and James Lovelock. In this context, humans are not a virus that has infected this planet. Rather, our species is part of a continuum of the evolution of life by this planet. In effect, we are a conduit through which the planet is developing her capacity for intelligence and, dare we say, consciousness. Like all species that have come before us, Homo sapiens will eventually be supplanted by a more advanced expression of life. What will that look like? How far out into our galaxy will it reach? This film paints the picture of one of many possible directions in which that could go. It is also a reminder that, even though Life does go on, it also eventually ends…even for a planet.
About the Story
About the Filmmaker
After briefly working as an investment banker on Wall Street, Jerry Toth abruptly left and relocated to South America twenty years ago. He nomadically roamed the continent for several years, writing for a radical leftist magazine and working odd jobs. In 2006, he laid down roots in Ecuador, where he founded a rainforest conservation organization (Third Millennium Alliance), created a 2,500-acre rainforest preserve (the Jama-Coaque Reserve), co-founded a premium chocolate company (To'ak Chocolate), and wrote and directed the short film “Kissing Gaia” (2019). "The Life and Death of Gaia" is his second film. He studied Economics at Cornell University and was a Hansard Scholar at the London School of Economics.
Watch the Trailer
Coming Soon
The complete film will be made public after it tours the international film festival circuit.