Films
A cinematic meditation on humanity’s massive reengineering of the planet, ANTHROPOCENE: The Human Epoch is a four years in the making feature documentary film from the multiple-award winning team of Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier and Edward Burtynsky.
Third in a trilogy that includes Manufactured Landscapes (2006) and Watermark (2013), the film follows the research of an international body of scientists, the Anthropocene Working Group who, after nearly 10 years of research, are arguing that the Holocene Epoch gave way to the Anthropocene Epoch in the mid-twentieth century, because of profound and lasting human changes to the Earth.
At the intersection of art and science, ANTHROPOCENE: The Human Epoch witnesses in an experiential and non-didactic sense a critical moment in geological history — bringing a provocative and unforgettable experience of our species’ breadth and impact.
pw: island
The short film Overcast aesthetically explores the uncanny presence of Forest City. Set against the eerie backdrop of the near-abandoned eco-smart city, the film captures a haunting atmosphere, heavy with disquiet, as it envelops the landscape like a fog. Buildings that resemble renderings fallen straight from a planner’s software confront material realities, oscillating between utopian ideals and dystopian outcomes. As the camera glides through the abandoned landscape, it reveals not only the physical structures left in disrepair but also the unintended habitats that have emerged in the wake of the project’s decay. Shifting the focus to those who still inhabit this liminal space, the film work tries to carve out a sense of belonging in a place rife with conflicts.
Research & Direction: Michaela Büsse
Production: Michaela Büsse
Cinematography: Konstantin Mitrokhov
Field recording: Konstantin Mitrokhov
Edit & Color Correction: Konstantin Mitrokhov
Composition & Sound Design: Andreas Kühne
Overcast was commissioned by Against Catastrophe (2023-24) and funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation.
