Set in the aftermath of an eco-disaster. A vast bunker under the biblical town of Bethlehem has been converted into an enormous orchard. Using heirloom seeds collected in the final days before the disaster, a group of scientists is preparing to replant the soil above.

In the hospital wing of the underground compound, the orchard’s ailing founder, 70-year-old Alia, is lying on her deathbed, as 30-year-old Alia, Dunia’s successor, comes to visit her. Alia is born underground and has never seen the town she’s destined to rebuild.

The talk between the two scientists soon evolves into an intimate dialogue about memory, exile, and nostalgia. Central to their discussion is the intricate relationship between past, present, and future, with the Bethlehem setting providing a narratively, politically, and symbolically charged backdrop.

In Vitro was commissioned by the Danish Arts Foundation for the Danish Pavilion at 58th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia and produced by Spike Island.

Born in East Jerusalem, Larissa Sansour studied Fine Art in Copenhagen, London, and New York.
She represented Denmark at the 58th Venice Biennale. She lives and works in London.

2019 | 28 min
Arabic with English subtitles