Speakers
121 min | English with subtitles | United States, China, Germany, Kenya, Russia, Singapore, UAE
Blending science with emotional depth, this documentary is a cinematic essay on our relationship with life, death, and the illusions of control. Spanning seven countries, it explores humanity’s audacious pursuit of one of the most radical scientific frontiers of our time: the reversal of extinction. Is de-extinction hubris, or hope?
From cloning pets and engineering extinct birds to reviving ancient ecosystems, the film offers an intimate, urgent look at the dream of second chances, and its consequences. At the heart of the films lies the concept of Samsara; a cyclical journey through grief, hope, death, and renewal. As species vanish and ecosystems unravel, the film follows scientists and conservationists chasing what was lost, be it a beloved dog, an extinct pigeon, the last northern white rhinos, or even a gene-edited, cold-resistant elephant standing in for the woolly mammoth. But beneath the technology lie harder questions still: who decides which species return, and who gets access to the tools that bring them back?
Credits:
Commissioning Editor: C. N. Shamala Rajendran
Directors: Mayurica Biswas & Radhika Chandrasekhar
Editors: Tushar Ghogale & Aakash Vishwakarma
Directors of Photography: Kartik Thapliyal & Kiran Kunigal
Sound Recordist: Prasenjit Das
Opening Titles: Pachis Frame, Harkat Studios
In-show Graphics: Harkat Studios
Venue: Auditorium
Speakers
Mayurica Biswas
Storyteller Films is led by Mayurica Biswas, an Indian journalist and broadcast writer-director-producer with 25 years of experience in factual storytelling. As a documentary filmmaker, she has filmed on the world’s highest battlefield, sailed in a submarine, investigated a terror attack, retraced the lives of serial killers, chronicled Bollywood’s history, documented the making of an airport, and explored crime science and the international maker movement during Covid-19. Her documentaries have been distributed worldwide on Netflix, AETN, Nat Geo, CNA, History TV and other platforms.
Radhika Chandrasekhar
Radhika Chandrasekhar is an independent filmmaker based in Delhi, specialising in factual programming for channels including National Geographic, Discovery and History. She has also created programmes for children, including Sesame Street, and has a keen interest in the relationship between literature and cinema.
