Michael, a worker in a strip mine, stubbornly refuses to accept the pending phase-out of coal. He doesn’t want things to change, or to see blossoming lake landscapes arise where coal has been mined for so long, by his own hands too. Coal-mining is more than just a profession for Michael, so much so that he tries to convince his co-workers to protest against the rapid transition. Alas, trapped in his own doggedness, he increasingly loses support – in his own family as well, especially from his rebellious daughter.

There are currently several films that have chosen to tackle climate activism. Global warming is the big issue of our time. Many have recognised this – and many are doing everything to somehow still stop climate change. But, for all the urgency of change, some are being left by the wayside too. That is why it is admirable of Beckhoff to place the losers centre-stage in FOSSIL.

Henning Beckhoff, born in 1991 on the outskirts of the Ruhr area, came to Berlin to study Directing at Babelsberg Film University. His no-budget film FIVE THINGS I DON’T UNDERSTAND won several awards and was released in cinemas by Filmgalerie 451. His graduation film OFF SEASON premiered at the Berlinale, received a nomination for the First Steps Award and won the Michael Ballhaus Prize.

Filmography (selection): 2015 MÄNNER, MÖPSE UND MOTOREN, 2017 WAY TO HELL, 2017 VOGELFREI (all short films), 2018 FIVE THINGS I DON’T UNDERSTAND, 2019 OFF SEASON, 2023 FOSSIL

Awards: FIPRESCI Award for the Best Film in the “New German Cinema” series (Filmfest München, Munich/Germany 2023)