For his latest feature documentary Grasp the Nettle, director Dean Puckett gave up his normal life to live with activists in the Kew Bridge echo village and democracy village on parliament square, documenting not only the lives of the residents but also the wider societal issues their various movements attempted to address. Dean joins us to discuss the practical challenges of shooting the film and getting beneath the surface veneer by committing to a ‘method documentary’ filmmaking approach.

Grasp the Nettle (2012)

Grasp the Nettle follows the exploits of a ragtag band of land rights activists in London as they struggle against corporations, government, police – and themselves – in their efforts to create alternative communities outside the framework of consumer society.

Often the intention is not the reality & I think that’s what I became fascinated with[…] I just felt there was this really interesting friction between idealism & reality.

One Response to DN278: Grasp the Nettle – Dean Puckett

  1. Suma Dworka says:

    This has all been done before in the 1960’s, in Freestonia, west London. why do people want to claim they are the first all the time? why not give respect and acknowledge the struggles of those before you? Why so much ego trips? Why make a film about it and make out your some kind of amazing film maker? Its all about ego. If you were humble and truly spiritual and wanting a real alternative lifestyle to show the world, no more leaders please. soemtimes the wisest person is the quietest. If you want a different life from consumerism it takes money – buy land, and hard slpg to get planning permissision, thats the way to do it not to squat a land which you know you will be brutually evicted from. whats the point of that? we all know the state is violent. This sort of temporary eco squat wastes peoples time, energy, and demoralises people. Get together, pull your money together and buy land. Stop trying to make yourselves famous out of activisim. Its all ego let it go

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