And on the sixth day God created man from dust and earth. Then he planted a garden in Eden toward the east and put the man he had made into it... But their stay was short-lived. The Fall brought expulsion, punishment, and the beginning of an endless competition: Who is the better creator, who is the better judge? From paradise to the forces of nature, from man to machine, from exploitation to the artificial creation of the earth. Nature, technology, capitalism, and ideals of creation collide in this program and show us the way to a “new paradise.” (Linn Löffler)
The carefree play of a child, the tranquility of gardening, the lush greenery, and the presence of luminous mountain creatures conjure up a touch of supernatural atmosphere in which cosmic and spiritual forces weave a web of mutual care between the living and the dead. A tender and touching film letter in memory of the filmmaker’s father.
… >>>In a millennia-old olive grove, the hot wind sweeps through the leaves. The dry spell shows no sign of ending, bringing with it fears of drought and the annual fires. A family of olive farmers tries to keep their business going despite the recurring fires. Solutions are sought across generations, and alternative irrigation systems are devised to combat the water shortage. But the fight is not an equal one... Named after the paradise from Greek mythology, ELYSIAN FIELDS explores landscapes of devastation and hope, as well as the search for the strength for a new beginning.
… >>>The rose, queen of flowers, beguilingly fragrant and since ancient times celebrated in numerous stories and songs, and entwined with myths and legends. On an Ecuadorian rose farm, however, it is grown as a mass product, solely to generate profit. Packed tightly together and sorted for flawlessness, the roses are prepared for transport to the global North. But not only the roses, the workers too are part of the capitalist exploitation system. In lockstep, they pack and measure, like machines, without a moment’s pause.
… >>>Dozens of men, women, and children work on a large, dusty construction site to produce thousands of bricks – all by hand. A centuries-old process of shaping, cutting, and firing clay – from wet to dry and from brown to red – is revealed in stunning beauty in this short film. Carts full of bricks are stacked and transported: day and night, in the blazing sun and fresh rain.… >>>
We dive into the fake world of the plastics industry. Plastic flowers are machine-made, withered lawns are recolored green, and a synthetic nature is created to replace the “old” one. The raw material for this is petroleum, both in refined and unrefined form. And with it comes the bloody logic of petrocapitalism and its global extraction practices. Using footage, the filmmaker approaches the new ideology of world creation and reveals the absurdity of these technologically oriented visions of the future.
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