After more than 6 years that include research and fundraising, Holy Shit (formerly titled Shit Happens) is in production! Read on and enjoy three short videos.

Shooting began in Geneva, Switzerland where we documented the Cressy and Soubeyran communities of the Equilibre Cooperative. In both communities wastewater is treated locally without a sewer connection, and converted into fertilizer to grow food. From the very beginning, before a stone was laid, the residents participated in the process of selecting the architect, designing the building, and becoming responsible for the local management of their own excrements. Can the answer to our housing and wastewater treatment crises reside in the active and participatory work of citizens?

A pot-luck lunch in Soubeyran before working on their local wastewater treatment system.

Afterward, we visited the Jenfelder Au community in Hamburg, Germany where a young girl, and a seasoned wastewater professional guided us in learning how methane gas, generated from the poop and pee of its over one thousand residents, powers and heats their apartments.

In Jenfelder Au, Hamburg, Germany, with the Ahrens family.

Most recently we returned from Ystad where we visited with Carl Lindström, the inventor of the Clivus Multrum. If Kleenex is the name for facial tissues, and Pampers for diapers, Clivus Multrum is for dry toilets. During our stay in the windy coastal town in southern Sweden, we documented the latest low-tech technologies that can replace sewer connections and wastewater treatment plants, at a fraction of their price, in suburban and rural areas, without polluting the environment, while recovering the nutrients for agricultural use.

“The best nutrients are dumped into waterways”, says Carl Lindström.
Two thirds of the trio: Hajo Schomerus and Ralf Weber (L to R) at the beach in Ystad.

Next stops (COVID19-willing): Barcelona’s Nativity Scene, and the Parisian sewers.

Stay tuned for more.

12 Comments

  1. Hello Professor Abruña! It’s Gisela Padró former student graduate from Sagrado. Last we spoke you were at MDC. Is great to see your work! All the Best!!

  2. Rubén, this is magnificent! Do you think there are any grants out there that you can apply to get more funding for this wonderful documentary specifically marketing and PR? What a labor of con loudness your are bringing to us! Thank you soooo much! Brilliant!

    1. Author

      Hola Mari:

      Thanks for the comments. I believe this is an important story that needs to be told.

      Having more funding would be great. We did not reach our budgetary goal of almost €650K, but got close enough to start production.

      We recently agreed to work with Think-Film Impact Production (TFIP) in the outreach campaign, to reach a broader audience, especially the policy makers, to effect infrastructural and legal changes related to the stories and topics presented in the film. Both companies that produce the film (Thurn Film -from Germany- and Peacock Film -from Switzerland) along with TFIP, continue to seek new funding sources. We haven’t been able to break into the North American market yet, but hope to do it in the future. Any ideas or tips from you are certainly welcomed.

      Gracias y mis mejores deseos para ti y tu familia.

  3. Que bueno que ya arrancaron con el proyecto. ¡Esperaba “Despacito” en lugar de la Valkyries!…pero que se puede hacer…es Suiza y Alemania…¡Wagner era la única opción!

    1. Author

      Es una referencia musical cinemática doble: Ocho y medio de Fellini, y Apocalypse Now de Coppola.

  4. Excelente primo.
    Sumamente interesante aparte de que hace perfecto sentido.
    Un abrazo

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