Melt

In Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s new film, we are immersed in a white world. Snow and ice as far as the eye can see. The protagonists are people who are surrounded by this world every day. That is what MELT is about—and about the gradual disappearance of this magical mass, this ice that is, after all, not so eternal. While in Tateyama, Japan, bulldozers create impressive sixteen-meter-high walls of snow to clear the way for tourists, the ski paradise of Val-d’Isère is crafting a wonderland made of artificial snow. In Switzerland, snowcats carve tracks into the glacial landscape to store snow for the next ski season, and in Iceland, visitors pose in front of massive ice blocks that are slowly being swallowed by the sea. On the surface, everything seems perfect, but behind the white facade, the ice and snow are beginning to melt. Filmmaker Nikolaus Geyrhalter travels across the globe, from the largest glacier in the Alps in Switzerland through Japan, Canada, Austria, and Iceland to a research station in Antarctica. In wide, tranquil shots, he lets these fascinating white landscapes speak for themselves. He takes on the role of an observer, bringing before the camera those people who are confronted with the challenges, the power, and the beauty of the snow. Wherever Geyrhalter goes, his subjects talk about the decline of snow, melting glaciers, and increasing extreme weather conditions—about how they are increasingly feeling the effects of climate change at work and in their daily lives. Nikolaus Geyrhalter makes documentaries for the future. With "MELT", filmed between 2021 and 2025, he captures powerful snapshots for the archives of tomorrow, thereby raising the major, pressing questions of climate policy.