Perseverance Valley (en)

Perseverance Valley

Selection: 

Director: 

Pauline Julier et Clément Postec

Country: 

  • Chile
  • France
  • Switzerland

Format: 

Feature film

Type: 

Documentary

Film exhibited in Toulouse: 

In partnership with the Occitanie Region

Script writer(s): 

Pauline Julier & Clément Postec

Synopsis: 

After five thousand days of searching for evidence of water on Mars, the Opportunity rover is trapped in a sandstorm while crossing Perseverance Valley. Curiosity, a second rover on the Red Planet, is ordered by NASA to rescue the missing robot. The rover sets off for its mission but the storm cuts off the link with planet Earth. Alone in the Universe, Curiosity wanders in search of her unfortunate companion. With no response from the space center, the rover gradually loses itself in a monologue about humanity's rush to consumption. At the same time, in the Atacama Desert, mining companies are intensifying the uncontrolled extraction of lithium, a metal that is essential for the manufacture of communication devices, disrupting the ecosystem of the region.

Visual concept: 

We had the idea of making this film by following the mission on Mars of the two rovers Opportunity and Curiosity with the images, sounds and data staged by NASA. We wanted to humanize these rovers and give them the ability to express themselves about the future of our planet and of humanity. The last part of the film will take the form of an investigation into the exploitation of lithium in Chile with mine managers, political activists and the local population.