Mars Dreamers

The astronomers, geologists, space architects, astrobiologists, computer science students, writers and physicists who get the floor in Swiss director Richard Dindo's Mars Dreamers have one thing in common: they all fantasize about a future on the planet Mars. For now, the inhospitable Mojave Desert in Utah provides a decent alternative. Here, the scientists can pretend to be on the Red Planet to their hearts' content. In a research center called The Mars Society, they are working under conditions that are comparable to those of Mars. But the desert caves also unlock interesting information about the possibility of life on the planet. Dindo asks his protagonists if they would be willing to take on the role of pioneer, and their answer is a resounding yes again and again. Whether they see it as "the ultimate adventure" or "essential for the survival of mankind," if it were up to the scientists, they would board a rocket tomorrow to realize their utopian dream. And in their imaginations, they are already on their way. An Indian gives them a nice bit of advice: "Find out what's there, before you start changing it." (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)