Emma Wall, Betsy Hershey Talk U.S. Climate Activism in Adam McKay-Produced ‘Just Look Up’: ‘It’s No Coincidence Venezuela and Iran Are Oil-Producing Countries’

During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, filmmakers Emma Wall and Betsy Hershey (“Guerrilla Habeas”) jumped on a life-changing Zoom call organized by a lauded host: Oscar-winning director Adam McKay. The “Don’t Look Up” helmer would become a direct influence on the duo’s feature debut, the reverentially titled “Just Look Up,” following the work and impact of American activist group Climate Defiance.

The documentary, world premiering at Cph:dox and headed straight to the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, centers around Climate Defiance founder Michael Greenberg. The young man launched the group in 2023, aiming to end fossil fuel extraction on U.S. federal lands and waters and elevate climate change to a top-three political issue in American politics. To attract attention to their cause, Climate Defiance often disrupts public events, directly confronting Big Oil corporate key figures and the politicians who enable them. Videos of their confrontations have amassed millions of views online.