Lukas Marxt premieres his experimental documentary >1.5°C: Pyropolitics and the New World on Oct. 27 at the DOK Leipzig film festival in Germany, offering an observational look at the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. The film unspools without talking heads or narration, utilizing steady-position camera work by Marxt and Carson Davis Brown to examine the political and geopolitical causes feeding climate-driven disasters, The Hollywood Reporter reported.
Premiere Schedule and Festival Circuit
Following its October debut at DOK Leipzig, the documentary travels to Austria for the Viennale before screening at IDFA in Amsterdam. Marxt directed and edited the project, capturing the aftermath of historic blazes while working around the Salton Sea, a region he previously documented in Among the Palms the Bomb, Or: Looking for Reflections in the Toxic Field of Plenty.
Observational Filmmaking During the Los Angeles Blazes
When the fires started, Marxt was living in El Sereno near South Pasadena. Rather than producing standard news packages, the production team focused on recording the physical reality of the burning period without disrupting emergency responders. Everything covered by the news, we were not interested in,
Marxt told The Hollywood Reporter. The footage spans active fires, firefighter operations, and inside evacuation shelters, concluding with an extended afterburn sequence.
The Paris Agreement and Pyropolitics
The film’s title references the 1.5°C global temperature limit established in the 2015 Paris Agreement. Marxt noted a distinct awareness gap between European and American audiences regarding the climate treaty. The documentary draws on a opening text quote by philosopher Michael Marder regarding pyropolitics—the political structures and profit-driven farming practices that alter natural fire paths and dictate modern ecological crises.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where does the documentary premiere?
The film debuts on Oct. 27 at the DOK Leipzig festival in Germany, with subsequent screenings at the Viennale in Austria and IDFA in Amsterdam.
Who directed and filmed the project?
Lukas Marxt directed and edited the documentary, sharing camera duties with Carson Davis Brown.
What historical climate agreement is referenced in the film?
The title references the 1.5°C warming limit established under the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.
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