Description

EARTH was filmed at seven locations that humans have transformed on a grand scale: Entire mountains being moved in California, a tunnel being sliced through rock at the Brenner Pass, an open-cast mine in Hungary, a marble quarry in Italy, a copper mine in Spain, the salt mine used to store radioactive waste in Wolfenbüttel and a tar sands landscape in Canada. Initially shown from above as abstract paintings, these terrains are subsequently explored on the ground: The film weaves together observational footage of machines in operation with conversations with the workers. Alongside statements on work processes, environmental damage and technological change, EARTH makes this constructed world visible in unique fashion by subtly paring it down: the piles of grey matter, hills and mountains. The blackness and the cracks. The sandy landscapes, criss-crossed by an array of mechanical devices that scuttle about like caterpillars or worms. The dimensions are gigantic, the proportions out of control; the world has slipped from humanity’s grasp. “There is always a bigger machine, a bigger engine and when all fails there is dynamite. We always win,” boast a quarry worker. Or do we?

Reviews

“This documentary depicts searing images of the destruction of Earth’s topography and candid conversations with workers, engineers, and scientists. The jury commends the lamentation for Mother Earth spoken by an aboriginal Canadian woman at the conclusion of the film, which is an invitation to reflect on our responsibility.” —Jury statement, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, Berlinale Forum 2019

“Geyrhalter proves again that he is a unique figure in world cinema.”
— The Guardian

“High ambition is matched by impressive execution, resulting in a thought-provoking contribution to ongoing ecological debates.”
-— The Hollywood Reporter

“One of the most important and poignant environmental documentaries in recent years”
— Cineuropa

Festivals

IDFA

Berlinale Forum, 2019, World Premiere – Ecumenical Jury Prize (Forum)
Diagonale, Festival of Austrian Film, Graz, 2019
Lichter Filmfest Frankfurt International, 2019
Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival (BAFICI), 2019
Copenhagen Architecture Festival, 2019
Festival of Tolerance – JFF Zagreb, 2019
Magnificent 7, Belgrade, 2019
Moscow International Film Festival, 2019
Filmkunstfest Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Schwerin, 2019
Docs Against Gravity Film Festival, Warsaw, 2019
Seoul Eco Film Festival, 2019
Docaviv International Film Festival, Tel Aviv, 2019
CinemAmbiente Filmfestival, Turin, 2019
Sheffield International Documentary Festival, 2019 – Sheffield International Documentary Festival
International Award