Film screening: Scars of Growth

Documentary, 90 minutes
By Monica Grassl and Linda Osusky

The event is part of the exhibition A Hole in the Real: Dora García, Pablo Picasso, and the Legacy of Mining which will be on display at Kin from 8 November 2025 to 22 April 2026.

Do we have to get dirty before becoming green? By pushing electric cars and renewables, the EU claims it can promote economic growth while protecting the planet. But is that even possible? To reduce dependencies of mainly China, Eu-Politicians are in favor of opening “green” mines in Europe. But people living in those areas are worried that their lives will be sacrificed for the energy transition.

While new mines are being opened in Europe in the name of the green transition and mining companies position themselves as
climate allies, a Spanish farmer, Hector, and two Sámi reindeer herders in Sweden, Matti Blind Berg and Karin Niia Kvarfordt are fighting to preserve their way of life. While the mining industry is lobbying in Brussels, Peruvian resource expert Diego, from an environmental NGO, is traveling across Europe visiting affected communities, activists and mines to investigate whether mining can ever really be sustainable.

Production company: Dor Film and Dor Film West, in CoProduction with SWR, ARTE and ORD.

Directors

Monika Grassl is a director and editor currently living in Paris. Born in Austria, she went on
to studying documentary fi lm making at the Filmakademie Baden-Württ emberg. Her latest film GIRLS DON’T FLY was shown at several international festivals and garnered awards. She’s also authored a thesis on dramaturgy within documentary film making.

Linda Osusky is a freelance investigative journalist and filmmaker whose work focuses on environmental topics. She holds an MA in Cultural and Social Anthropology from the University of Vienna. She’s authored and directed three short documentaries and written a script for a feature length documentary about Slovakia’s very own Robin Hood.