2mm

In rural Serbia, disembodied voices fight for the future of the land while an unblinking camera bears witness to a spiralling eco-culture war.

At what cost comes Europe’s thirst for green energy? An unbroken shot captures a vast rural landscape whose green fields are punctuated by semi-derelict buildings and construction sites. This is Serbia’s Jadar Valley, the proposed location of a long-anticipated mine. If completed, it could supply Europe with 90% of its lithium needs – the essential element in the rechargeable batteries that fuel electric cars. But as the voices of residents and environmental activists reveal, locals are furious at plans to turn their community into ‘Europe’s toxic waste dump’, with only a 2mm barrier separating hazardous chemicals from local water sources. This conceptually simple but rigorously effective film raises complex ethical questions about the transnational power dynamics and capitalist interests that lie behind environmental policies.