Borderlands — We take an exclusive first look at Borderlands, a new Random Acts short – set among two Arctic settlements – that acts as a stark warning of climate change.

Situated in Norway and Russia respectively, the mining towns of Kirkenes and Nikel are two of the most striking urban areas in the world. However, despite being separated by just a short drive across the border, the two Arctic settlements couldn’t be any more different.

Kirkenes, a hotspot for tourism, is full of colourful family homes surrounded by a pristine winter environment. Nikel, on the other hand – which which owes its existence to the vast quantities of nickel that have been mined nearby since the 1930s – is a diminishing mono-industry area, characterised by the billowing smoke coming from its smelter.

Borderlands, a new short commissioned by Channel 4’s Random Acts and directed by Simon Lane, depicts life in both towns among the natural environment that they share: a landscape that, due to the impact of global warming, is rapidly changing.

“We initially travelled to Kirkenes to film an arts festival called Barents Spektakel in 2017,” Lane explains. “This trip inspired the film idea and gave us the access to the people and places who feature in the film. We returned in 2018 with a commission from Channel 4’s Random Acts to make a visual poem of the Arctic.”

Paired with a poem (written by Laura Kirwan-Ashman and read by Adjoa Andoh) that offers Mother Nature’s perspective on the damage humans are doing to the natural world, Lane’s film operates as a stark warning of what’s to come. 

“Humanity is verging on the point of no return, we are mining for natural resources in the last remaining places of wilderness on our planet,” says Victor Frankowski, a photographer who worked on the project with Lane. “If we continue on this path the planet we live on will fight back. If we destroy mother nature, mother nature will destroy us.”

See more from Random Acts.

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Latest on Huck

The party starters fighting to revive Stonehenge’s Solstice Free Festival
Huck Presents

The party starters fighting to revive Stonehenge’s Solstice Free Festival

Free the Stones! delves into the vibrant community that reignites Stonehenge’s Solstice Free Festival, a celebration suppressed for nearly four decades. 

Written by: Laura Witucka

Hypnotic Scenes of 90s London Nightlife
Photography

Hypnotic Scenes of 90s London Nightlife

Legendary photographer Eddie Otchere looks back at this epic chapter of the capital’s story in new photobook ‘Metalheadz, Blue Note London 1994–1996’

Written by: Miss Rosen

The White Pube: “Artists are skint, knackered and sharing the same 20 quid”
Culture

The White Pube: “Artists are skint, knackered and sharing the same 20 quid”

We caught up with the two art rebels to chat about their journey, playing the game that they hate, and why anarchism might be the solution to all of art’s (and the wider world’s) problems.

Written by: Isaac Muk

The Chinese youth movement ditching big cities for the coast
Photography

The Chinese youth movement ditching big cities for the coast

In ’Fissure of a Sweetdream’ photographer Jialin Yan documents the growing number of Chinese young people turning their backs on careerist grind in favour of a slower pace of life on Hainan Island.

Written by: Isaac Muk

The LGBT Travellers fundraising for survival
Activism

The LGBT Travellers fundraising for survival

This Christmas, Traveller Pride are raising money to continue supporting LGBT Travellers (used inclusively) across the country through the festive season and on into next year, here’s how you can support them.

Written by: Percy Henderson

The fight to save Bristol’s radical heart
Activism

The fight to save Bristol’s radical heart

As the city’s Turbo Island comes under threat activists and community members are rallying round to try and stop the tide of gentrification.

Written by: Ruby Conway

Sign up to our newsletter

Issue 81: The more than a game issue

Buy it now