Tuija Halttunen – How to Kill a Cloud #cphdox

May 5, 2021

Tuija Halttunen - How to Kill a Cloud #cphdox fredfilmradio

Podcast | Download

PODCAST | Matt Micucci interviews Tuija Halttunen, director of the film How to Kill a Cloud.

A conversation with Tuija Halttunen, director of How to Kill a Cloud, presented at CPH:DOX. The film talks about a Finnish female scientist trying to create rain in the United Arab Emirates desert and touches on the ethical questions this raises, also by looking at its bureaucracy. In this conversation, Halttunen talks about her fascinating with clouds, how she was able to gain such insight on this topic and more.

How to Kill a Cloud: Hannele Korhonen has sky-high ambitions. When the Finnish scientist receives 1.5 million USD from the United Arab Emirates for a project, she sees the opportunity to give her vision a try and bring about the impossible: to make it rain in the desert. Science and technology are, in fact, in the process of interfering with nature’s order and inducing artificial rain over the arid but very wealthy oil state. But on the other side of the laudatory speeches, Hannele gradually sees that her generous sponsors are harbouring their own agendas. Politics and research are hard to separate, and soon the scientist from the far north is faced with an ethical dilemma, heralded by the quote by Goethe at the beginning of Tuija Halttunen’s highly topical film. Has Hannele, in fact, entered into a Faustian pact and put her scientific integrity at risk? And should we really tinker with ecosystems on such a large scale? She is not the only person who has to confront the diabolical dilemma at a time when research based on private funds is gaining ground.

Written by: fredfilmradio

CPH:DOX How To Kill a Cloud Matt Micucci Nordic: Dox Award Tuija Halttunen

Guest

Matt Micucci Rafael Martínez Moreno

Film

The Missed Round

Festival

Copenhagen Documentary Film Festival

Rate it

Channel posts

Interview

Indie Lisboa International Film Festival

“¿De qué casa eres?”, interview with director Ana Perez Quiroga

May 6, 2025

In "¿De qué casa eres?" director Ana Perez Quiroga traces the deep scars and resilience shaped by war, displacement, and identity.

Interview

Indie Lisboa International Film Festival

“Vitrival” interview with directors Baptiste Bogaert and Noëlle Bastin

May 6, 2025

In Vitrival-The most beautiful village in the world, Baptiste Bogaert and Noëlle Bastin capture a light and tender way of life, spiced up with deadpan humour