Max Sänger

A bear is hunted and caged. But he escapes again and again. He is loved as much as he is feared. A hybrid of wilderness and projection. The film PAPILLON follows his trail. And also becomes a hybrid. Of documentary and myth.

Men are felling trees in the rain forest, barefoot, using chainsaws to cut through the huge trunks. They live in nature, off nature and against nature. Illegal wood selling seems to be their only chance to feed their families. At the same time, they are destroying – tree by tree – their own livelihood. This quiet observation ends with the arduous transport of the wood out of the forest. Anyone who thinks ahead knows that it will end up in our apartments, too, as a mahogany table or Bangkirai floor.

Through three scientists, viewers embark on a journey through the wetlands, discovering the importance of specialized wetland ecosystems, which store concentrated amounts of carbon and offer habitat for endangered wildlife. One MoorFutures expert is determined to find marketable solutions in nature conservation through the world's first carbon certificate program dedicated to rewetting the peatlands. With its meditative approach, the film explores alternatives to reforestation schemes and holistic understandings of nature.

A bear is hunted and caged. But he escapes again and again. He is loved as much as he is feared. A hybrid of wilderness and projection. The film PAPILLON follows his trail. And also becomes a hybrid. Of documentary and myth.

Men are felling trees in the rain forest, barefoot, using chainsaws to cut through the huge trunks. They live in nature, off nature and against nature. Illegal wood selling seems to be their only chance to feed their families. At the same time, they are destroying – tree by tree – their own livelihood. This quiet observation ends with the arduous transport of the wood out of the forest. Anyone who thinks ahead knows that it will end up in our apartments, too, as a mahogany table or Bangkirai floor.

Through three scientists, viewers embark on a journey through the wetlands, discovering the importance of specialized wetland ecosystems, which store concentrated amounts of carbon and offer habitat for endangered wildlife. One MoorFutures expert is determined to find marketable solutions in nature conservation through the world's first carbon certificate program dedicated to rewetting the peatlands. With its meditative approach, the film explores alternatives to reforestation schemes and holistic understandings of nature.