Zimov Hypothesis

SYNOPSIS

At the end of the world, beyond the Arctic Circle, in the vastness of Eastern Siberia, Russian scientist Sergei Zimov and his son Nikita are conducting an extraordinary experiment: They want to "recreate" the Ice Age in order to save the planet from destruction by climate change. Are the two mad scientists or pragmatic idealists? The Zimov hypothesis is the starting point of an ecological saga that takes place on the Siberian steppes. In this inhospitable region on the border with the Arctic, Russian scientist Sergei Zimov and his son Nikita are conducting a unique field experiment: In order to prevent the thawing of the permafrost, they want to restore the ecosystem of the Pleistocene, or Ice Age. In the list of future climate catastrophes, the thawing of the permafrost ranks at the very top. Millions of tonnes of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, as well as CO2, mercury and ancient strains of viruses are stored in the frozen ground beneath the Earth's surface. Only a few degrees of global warming are enough for this "climate bomb" to explode. In the 1990s, Sergey witnessed the collapse of the Soviet Union, but today he predicts a different collapse: that of a society based on excessive urban development and cheap oil. He is convinced that global warming can only be fought by natural solutions. So, on the 20-square-kilometre site of a former weather station, he became the guardian of a herd of large mammals that once inhabited what is now Siberia. By tamping down and uncovering the snow cover, yaks, wild horses, bison, reindeer and musk oxen slow down the thawing of the permafrost. This story between individual utopia and scientific experiment is also one of passing on a mission from father to son. It is about courage, personal commitment to the common good and, last but not least, the unequal struggle against the accelerating thaw, against unforgiving environmental conditions and the vastness of the Siberian steppe. What drives these two? What family background brought them to their project? In breathtaking images, this documentary captures the vastness of the Siberian steppe and the loneliness of that remote place where humans basically play only a tiny role.

Producer: Alon Knoll, Cyrille Perez

RUNTIME: 91 min