ELYSIAN FIELDS Documentary dir. by Anna-Maria Dutoit I Germany, Greece

March, 2026

Elysian Fields: A cartography of resilience, drought,

and the non-human gaze

By Koumoutsi Soultana

The title of Anna-Maria Dutoit’s latest documentary, Elysian Fields, carries a profound double weight. It refers at once to the ancient paradise—a place of eternal green and peace—and to the hauntingly modern reality of a landscape balancing on the edge of extinction. In this visceral short, the olive groves are not merely a backdrop; they are the silent, silver-leafed protagonists of a story where the terror of drought meets the stubborn, ancestral hope of rebirth.

Dutoit, a filmmaker whose perspective has been sharpened by a background in Political Science and Geography, approaches the image with a rigorous, almost philosophical intent. She shifts the lens away from traditional anthropocentrism toward what she defines as "non-human centered narratives." In the rustle of dry leaves and the quiet gestures of the generations who tend to them, the film explores the friction between a planet in crisis and the human spirit’s refusal to wither. As Dutoit notes in her Director’s Statement:

"To me, the story of Elysian Fields is about recovery and resilience. It is about the trust in planting trees, regardless of the menacing drought and endless fires. The question of where to gather the strength to start again is not merely about fires. It applies to any recurring collective catastrophe, where recovery is too often wrongly delegated to the individual."

By weaving together cinematic sensitivity with political inquiry, Dutoit eschews ecological despair for a more complex study of survival. She finds hope in the "ambivalence between the landscapes that burned and the landscapes that remain." Whether documenting the dream of opening a cinema in a fading village or the tactile act of planting a sapling against the odds, the film serves as a reminder that the most vital human truths are often found in our connection to the soil.

As Elysian Fields arrives at the Psaroloco International Film Festival 2026, following its acclaimed path through Visions du Réel and the Berlinale, we explore with Dutoit the ethics of collective responsibility, the necessity of community, and why, in an era of total climate anxiety, the act of planting a tree remains the most radical "unseen" form of resistance.

Anna-Maria Dutoit

Anna-Maria Dutoit is a Greek-Swiss filmmaker. Before film school, she completed a Bachelor in Political Science and Geography. Since 2019 she has been studying Directing for Documentary at the University of Television and Film in Munich. Her films often revolve around topics of environment and migration and in that she is especially interested in exploring non-human centered narratives. Her shorts have been shown at different national and international film festivals, such as Visions du Réel, Berlinale Special and Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis.

In your work, you mention an interest in narratives that aren’t exclusively human-centered. In Elysian Fields, the olive groves seem to be the silent protagonists. How did you approach the trees from a directorial standpoint so that they could "speak" of the fear of drought and the hope of rebirth?

Anna-Maria Dutoit : I am interested in stories that reflect how everything in our world is interconnected, because I believe that, somehow, we have lost that touch. Many of us live in cities where we are disconnected from the seasons, from where our water comes from, or how our food is produced. In our film, we show a family of olive farmers starting over after a fire, amidst a difficult drought. In a way, the landscape tells the story: we see trees scarred by the drought and the previous year’s fire, but also small saplings planted despite the hardships—trees that I hope will one day become beautiful, ancient olives. Fortunately, the trees were natural-born actors

“I wondered what would change if we thought of the here and now

as the only paradise we have.”

— Anna-Maria Dutoit

The title refers to the ancient paradise, yet the landscape you capture is constantly under threat. During your research in the affected areas, where did you find this ambivalence between destruction and the beauty that remains?

B.K: I think we can see this dual image in many places affected by disaster. For instance, when driving through the olive grove in our film, you see ancient trees, thousands of years old, right next to fields that have been scorched. I feel this contrast between how things are and how they could be. During filming, I also began to think about how, in many cultures, we view 'paradise' as something distant or something we might reach one day—like the Elysian Fields. I wondered what would change if we thought of the here and now as the only paradise we have.

This award concerns Human Rights and the Environment. You point out that recovering from a disaster is often wrongly placed on the individual. Do you believe that art and community (such as the dream of a village cinema) are the primary tools for claiming a sustainable future?

B.K: I believe the primary means of ensuring a sustainable future lie where power is concentrated—within corporations and states that have the capacity to implement sustainable practices, if only their priorities were to shift. At the same time, I believe the power we have through art is to remind ourselves that other paths to the future do exist; that hope is an essential prerequisite for change to occur.

Psaroloco addresses an audience growing up with the anxiety of the climate crisis. What would you like a young viewer to "take away" from your characters' persistence in planting trees, despite the adversities of our times?

B.K: I hope a young viewer leaves the cinema with the same feeling I had while making the film: It makes a world of difference when there are people who truly believe that change is possible.

Trailer

Film aligned with the goals:

SDG 13 (Climate Action): By highlighting the devastating impact of drought and wildfires on ancient olive groves, the film serves as an urgent call for ecosystem protection and a deeper understanding of the climate crisis beyond human-centric boundaries.

SDG 15 (Life on Land): Through its focus on non-human centered narratives, the work promotes respect for biodiversity and land restoration, showcasing the interdependent relationship between the soil and the communities that nurture it. SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities): Through the vision of establishing a cinema in a remote village, the film underscores the importance of cultural revitalization in rural areas and the power of community in preserving local heritage. SDG 4 (Quality Education): Through Psaroloco’s Media Literacy lens, the film fosters critical thinking in young audiences regarding ecological responsibility, while enhancing empathy toward the natural environment and collective resilience

MEDIA LITERACY INSIGHT

Why "The Spectacle" is a vital case study for our readers:

The Ethics of the Non-Human Gaze: The film functions as a profound lesson on the ethics of observing the natural world. It teaches young viewers that nature is not a passive background, but an entity with its own voice and rights, challenging us to take responsibility for how we "view" our environment.
The Cinematography of Resilience: The contrast between the shots of scorched earth and the careful, almost tender documentation of new saplings growing serves as a study in the visual language of hope. It demonstrates how cinema can "frame" disaster not as a finality, but as the arduous starting point of a collective rebirth.
The Deconstruction of "Paradise": In a world that often consumes ecological catastrophe as a digital spectacle or "climatainment," Dutoit deconstructs the concept of the idyllic landscape. The film challenges the audience to ask: Is paradise a distant destination, or is it our capacity to protect the "here and now" against the climate crisis?
Atmosphere as Narrative Strength: In contrast to the constant "noise" and rapid-fire information surrounding climate change, the film utilizes the sound of the wind, the rustle of leaves, and silence to communicate the experience of the land. It offers an excellent opportunity for discussion on how cinematic atmosphere can enhance empathy toward the environment, where words often fail.