On the Stage: Hidden Costs
The films comprising this programme make visible the often overlooked consequences of climate change, the energy transition, and large-scale infrastructures – from Dhaka to Rotterdam, from Mexico to – maybe even – Mars?
From the drowning of ancient villages and the quiet displacement of communities, to the geopolitics of hydrogen and the polarising return of nuclear energy, these stories reveal how progress extracts a toll from ecosystems, but also from histories, homes, and the people who live closest to the edge. Hidden Costs is an invitation to reckon with human ambition, environmental impact and the urgent need for a reality check.
In the programma Hidden Costs
Black Water
As far as the horizon reaches we see water – where once there were villages, fields and people. Lokhi decides to move with her family to Dhaka, the fastest growing city in the world. A shocking view of an apocalyptic world.
Hydrogen – Revolution or Illusion?
An eye-opening investigation into hydrogen’s role in the global energy transition, exposing the political, economic and ecological complexities behind this controversial clean solution of the future.
Shifting Baselines
Boca Chica, Texas – also known as Starbase, the launch base of Elon Musk’s space company SpaceX. While Musk dreams of a journey to Mars, the nearby nature reserve is plagued by pollution. Shifting Baselines tells a nuanced story, but one in which the shadows of nostalgia and colonialism are never far away.
Shorts: Landscapes After Us & Klimaat Academie Rotterdam Debate
These four documentaries argue for a radically different relationship between humans and nature. From a solarpunk-like plea for unity with nature, via a confronting visual essay on the waste our society produces, to a hopeful future in which technology and landscape together create space for renewed connection.
The Town That Drove Away
Due to the Ilisu dam project in Turkey, the historic village of Hasankeyf will be submerged. A brand-new Hasankeyf is being rebuilt further from the Tigris. The large, modern houses initially seem like progress, but soon the villagers are struck by homesickness.