Life and Other Problems

synopsis

What is life? asks Max Kestner in the introduction to his expansive reflection on the greatest mysteries of the universe. He looks for answers that would shed light on why we exist at all in philosophy, biology and quantum physics. In addition to his curiosity, he is guided by an incident from Copenhagen Zoo that took place 10 years ago. At the time, its director had a healthy giraffe killed because it was no longer needed as part of an international breeding program. The fact that so many people around the world have expressed sympathy for the “unnecessary” animal suggests that we share much more with the world around us, including invisible microbes, than we admit, according to Kestner. 

“I could have made a story about how media works and how it [the story] exploded in the media but to me it was the scientific and philosophical questions that I felt were there at the time, but weren’t really answered.” — Max Kestner 

biography

Max Kestner (1969) is a leading figure in Danish documentary cinema. He graduated from the Danish National Film School, where he teaches today. After his studies, he worked for DR TV. His documentaries have been screened at festivals around the world. The most recent one kicked off this year's CPH:DOX.

more about film

director:	Max Kestner
producer:	Vibeke Vogel
photography:	Emil Aagaard, Noah Collier, Sturla Brandth Grøvlen, Jacob Sofussen, Maria Von Hausswolff
editing:	Michael Aaglund
music:	Maxwell Sterling
sound design:	Gustaf Berger
co-producer:	John Archer, Axel Danielson, Maximilien Van Aertryck
executive producer:	Mark Thomas

contact

Nanna Lykke / DR Sales
nlyk@dr.dk