In Vitro

Palestine, 2019, 28’, Larissa Sansour/Søren Lind

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The dystopian science-fiction shortfilm In Vitro imagines a post-apocalyptic Palestine. It takes place in a gigantic concrete bunker, many years after an eco-catastrophe struck the West Bank city of Bethlehem.

A group of scientists, who worked on preserving an orchard garden inside of the underground bunker, are preparing to replant the soil above using heirloom seeds collected in the final days before the catastrophe.

In the hospital wing of the bunker, the orchard’s founder, 70-year-old Dunia, is lying on her deathbed. Dunia has survived the catastrophe. 30-year-old Alia comes to visit her. Alia was born secretly as part of a vast cloning programme that was set up after the traumatic events that destroyed Bethlehem. She was born underground and has been implanted with the memories of those who lived through the catastrophe - she herself has never seen the town she’s destined to help regrow.

The talk between the two scientists evolves into an intimate dialogue about memory, exile and nostalgia. Central to their discussion is the intricate relationship between past, present and future. The Bethlehem setting provides a narratively, politically and symbolically charged backdrop; the word "catastrophe" translates into the Arabic word Nakba, a term used to refer to the violent displacement and dispossession of more than 750,000 Palestinians by Israeli forces in 1948.

‍In Vitro was commissioned for the 58th Venice Biennale by the Danish Pavilion.

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