“Anthropocene” refers to the geological age of human influence on Earth. This term is huge. Of such magnitude, in fact, that one has to ask what it actually encompasses. The four films of this compilation approach it in very different ways, both in terms of content and form. A smartphone video, a found footage collage, a participant observation and a performative production unite different perspectives on us humans, our togetherness, the treatment of our planet and whatever may come after us. They demonstrate humor, seriousness, creativity and clarity of vision, and encourage us to use our abilities to make the Anthropocene an age that does not end right now in a Super-GAU. (Julia Pirzer)
On a remote coast of the Siberian Arctic, a lone man in a windswept cabin waits, as he does every year, to witness an ancient gathering in which countless elective walruses leave the sea to mate. Warming seas and rising temperatures are bringing changes: more animals are arriving, space is becoming scarce, and fights are becoming more aggressive. The stunning and graceful images captured by the director duo of siblings stand in harsh contrast to the severity of reality.… >>>
Nominated:
Goldener Key
- Director: Evgenia Arbugaeva, Maxim Arbugaev
LAKE OF FIRE deals with religious filter bubbles in the social network Youtube and focuses on the fear of death and the different interpretations of hell as a place of annihilation or eternal damnation. Old and new iconographies of religious principals are interwoven with pagan customs, and it becomes more and more clear how dualistic religions override nature and its laws and what fatal consequences anthropocentrism has for planet earth.… >>>
Premiere:
German Premiere
Electronic eyes of mobile phones tell the journey of a group of young migrants. Left without job opportunities in Germany's first lockdown, they leave Berlin to work and live in a remote flower factory. Like a kaleidoscope, the film brings together a multitude of intimate images destined to be forgotten.… >>>
Nominated:
Goldener Key
- Director: Miguel Goya, Tin Wilke
In our age of accelerating technological development, environmental crisis, and sociopolitical complexity THIS PLACE IS A MESSAGE blends documentary and fiction to imagine a future that has evolved beyond the limits of our current iteration of homo sapiens. It positions children and young people as seers and prophets, and in questioning how we might communicate the danger of buried nuclear waste to future beings 24,000 years into the future, the young people become our guides, reflecting on humanity’s current state and envisioning possible posthuman futures.… >>>
Premiere:
World Premiere
Nominated:
Goldener Key
