SHIFTING BASELINES
100 min, Documentary, Canada, 2025Directed byJulien Elie
Produced byGreenGround Productions
LanguagesEnglish, French, Spanish
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Film details
Synopsis
At the southern tip of Texas, surrounded by pristine wetlands, lies Boca Chica. In 2018, Elon Musk chose this coastal town for SpaceX’s new headquarters. The village is now dominated by towering 50-story Starships. Most residents have moved out; access to the beach is becoming harder as SpaceX gains control of the area.
The village has become a mecca for space-junkies dreaming of Mars as an escape from Earth’s problems. Across the Rio Grande, Mexican families fish under the watchful eye of the border patrol. One group of people dreams of leaving, another would risk everything to call it home.
Meanwhile, scientists worry about the effects of this current Space Race. The 1970s “Kessler syndrome” warned that space debris collisions could trigger a chain reaction, destroying everything in orbit. Once unlikely, this is now a real concern for many astrophysicists. A shift has occurred, both in the sky and on Earth. Are these visions of a promising future or reckless ambitions leading to our own demise? Somehow, the entirety of the hopes and dreams, the fears and misgivings of our human-species are on display here, on the banks of the Rio Grande, in the small Texan town of Boca Chica.
Crew
Writing : Julien Elie
Cinematography : Glauco Bermudez, Francois Messier-Rheault
Sound recording : Daniel Capeille
Editing : Xi Feng
Sound design : Sylvain Bellemare
Sound mix : Bernard Gariepy Strobl
Color grading : Marc Boucrot
Music : Mimi Allard
Direction
Julien Elie
In 2002 Julien Elie directed his first documentary about the death penalty in the USA, followed by a medium length documentary filmed in East Africa the same year. After taking a fifteen year hiatus from cinema he returned in 2018 with his film Dark Suns. The epic story about the wave of violence that has affected Mexico for years won multiple awards and distinctions (CPH DOX, FICUNAM, Hamburg film Festival, etc.) and was presented in nearly sixty festivals worldwide. In 2023, The White Guard, a second feature length documentary filmed in Mexico, addressing the devastation of landscapes and territories by private companies was released. Shifting Baselines, his latest film is premiering at Vision du réel (Nyon) festival in April 2025 and Hot Docs (Toronto). It will be released in cinemas in the next few months.
Filmography
SHIFTING BASELINES, 100 min, Documentary, 2025
LA GUARDIA BLANCA, 106 min, Documentary, 2023
DARK SUNS, 154 min, Documentary, 2018
THE LAST MEAL, 68 min, Documentary, 2002