Ecocriticism-ecocinema: Nature and climate themes in Hollywood sci-fi cinema

In this century, which is also called the Anthropocene era, ecology-based problems are progressing by expanding their severity and sphere of influence. At the critical point reached by global ecological problems, the fragility of the climate and its relationship with system structures are closely related to the field of study of almost every discipline. The ecocinema approach is a subset of ecocritical theory that focuses on the system of representation of nature in films. It is an attempt to re-examine and re-evaluate cinema texts, which are cultural narratives, by taking ecological sensitivities into consideration. While ecocinema initially had a field of study based on experimental films about nature and environmental documentaries, over time, the idea that every film should be examined and researched with an ecocriticism-ecocinema approach became widespread. Ekosinema aims to make meaningful contributions to the spread of climate culture as an important means of defense of the ecological struggle in the cultural field to prevent ecological destruction and protect nature. Ecocinema studies carried out in the field of cinema are increasingly turning towards a focus that supports climate-based, globally permanent-sustainable system structures. Adopting the ecocinema approach, this study examines the ecological discourse strategy of nature and climate themes in Hollywood science fiction films. In order to evaluate the relationship between ecocentric and anthropocentric ethics in science fiction films, four examples of science fiction films from different contexts and periods; Soylent Green (1973), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996), The Day After Tomorrow (2004), Don't Look Up (2021) were framed. The ecocritical discourse analysis method was used for film analysis. It was found that the current debates of the period, political-ecological fears and scientific concerns were highly determinative on the representational structures and explicit/implicit ecological discourses of the sample films, and that anthropocentric structures dominated the films. Keywords: Ecocinema, Ecocriticism, Climate Change, Nature, Science Fiction